Hi there!
Today we hatched out of our egg and became a caterpillar! When a butterfly lays an egg she has to make sure that it is on a leaf that the caterpillar will eat. Caterpillars will eat a lot right after they hatch because they grow so quickly. A caterpillar has an exoskeleton that will not grow with them so they will molt several times.
A “Chrysalis” feeds a kid goat the bottle of milk
Just like everyday on the farm, we start with animal chores. Today the chrysalis group fed the kid goats and found out that when feeding the goats a bottle that they have a special flap called the rumino-reticular groove that allows the milk to go straight to the last of their four stomachs called the abomasum. A kid goat’s first stomach, the rumen isn’t fully developed and this is the only stomach that can process the milk at that age.
A “caterpillar” scoops water from the pond to study
Ms. Megan reads to the “eggs” while waiting inside for the rain to end
Ms. Andrea plays a trivia game with the “butterflies”
Some groups got to go to the pond and look at water for any microscopic organisms. Unfortunately it rained so hard that some groups missed out but they got to play fun games inside while we waited out the rain!
An “egg” peels his apple for his spider snack
An “egg” builds his oat ball spider snack
In morning garden kitchen we made spider oat balls. We used sun butter to use as a paste to hold the oat balls together and we mixed raisins in the oats too. Spiders are one of the many bugs that bats will eat.
A “butterfly” explores how to use a compass before they go on their hike in the woods
The “butterflies” overlook over the swamp to look for birds.
We started building our bat houses today. First, we had to find a good location for them. Bat houses need to be about 15 feet above the ground to protect from predators, access to sunshine, and close to water so a mother bat doesn’t have to leave her young for long.
An “egg” sprays tie dye on her camp shirt
A “caterpillar” decorates her camp shirt
Today we decorated camp shirts by using tie dye on them. There were so many creative patterns and colors!
The “butterflies” discover new information about bats in their blanket “bat caves”
“Eggs” explore bat books in their blanket “bat cave”
In the blanket bat caves we listened to bat echolocation noises and thought about different things the bats need in their houses. Bats prefer small locations to feel secure and stay warm.
Mr. Alan teaches a “caterpillar” about tools and how each are used
Mr. Alan demonstrates how a hand tool was used before power tools existed
The “chrysalis” group builds their bat house
After we decided places for their bat houses, then it was time to build them. Before they began construction of the houses they learned basic construction skills and some history of tools. The bat houses have grooves on the inside for bats to grip on to with their feet while they sleep.
A “caterpillar” cuts the beets for their “bat blood” juice
Ms. Mandy shows the “caterpillars” parts of the juicer and explains how it works
Vampire bats can feed on the blood of large animals so we pretended to be vampire bats! We used beets, lemon juice, apples, and ginger for the main juices for our juice. Vampire bats feed mainly on blood and there are actually a few different types of “vampire” bats!
Tomorrow is going to be another fun day as we discover the vast world of bees!
Garden Kitchen Recipes
Spider Oat Balls
- chocolate chips
- toasted coconut
- vanilla extract
- sun butter
- old fashioned oats
- honey
Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to one week.
Blood Beet Juice
- 2 pounds beets (about 6 medium), trimmed, peeled, cut into 1′ pieces
- 1 pound carrots (about 4 large), trimmed, peeled, cut into 1′ pieces
- 1 Gala or Empire apple (about 8 ounces), cored, cut into 1′ pieces
- 1 Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces), cored, cut into 1′ pieces
- 1 3′ piece fresh ginger, peeled, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pass first 5 ingredients through a juicer. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into glasses.