A slower week - nature journaling

We're technically on week 7 of Izzy's year one, term one, but it's going to end up being spread out over two weeks because:

1)  I really like the idea of a 6 week on, 1 week off school schedule.  Since we've finished 6 weeks, I kind of had it in my mind that we would take this week off.  BUT, I don't want it to be a completely wasted week since baby girl #3 is due in about 4 (four!!!) weeks.  I'm wanting to get at least 8 weeks of school in before she graces our presence and we take some time off.

2)  Because of said baby, I'm tired.  These last weeks of pregnancy have taken their toll.  It seems that every week I get more and more tired - physically and mentally.  So, I'm giving myself some grace and extra time these last few weeks to complete Izzy's schoolwork.  We're taking it slow to prevent stress, and so that I can enjoy my time with these two beauties.

So, it's Wednesday and today is the first day this week that we've completed our daily school subjects:  math, reading, penmanship, and AO readings.  I imagine we'll do another day tomorrow.  Friday is Jared's last weekday off of work (school starts up Monday), so we'll probably do something together as a family.  Next week will probably look a lot like this week - two days of school and some extra time spent on the "riches" (nature study/journaling, handicrafts, etc.).

This slow week has been a blessing.  Monday we took advantage of the cooler weather by packing a lunch and heading to one of our favorite parks.  We ate, the girls played on the playground, and we strolled around the adjacent pond.

We saw the "regulars:"  ducks, turtles, birds, fish.

We know this is a red-eared slider - it has a red mark on each side of its head.

And we saw some new creatures that we had never seen at this pond before.

I'm guessing this is some kind of goose on the left.  I haven't figured out what it is.

Another water bird.  There were two of these.  I haven't identified them yet.

We also saw what we thought was a duck egg, only it was broken :(

The next day (Tuesday) Izzy spent some time drawing in her nature journal.  She didn't draw any of the animals we saw.  Instead, she drew a piece of fruit (see the big, green balls on the table?) that had fallen off of a tree next to the pond.  We identified the fruit as coming from an osage-orange tree.  Addy wanted to draw a monarch butterfly.  

Izzy has really taken to nature journaling and is quite proud of her nature journal.  Today during our rest time, she got her journal out and decided to draw a female cardinal that we had watched on our bird feeder the day before.  She then made me take a picture of every page of her journal, with her holding it, but I figured one was enough to put on here :)

On the left is a lizard crawling on a tree (we saw it on a nature walk a couple of weeks ago), and on the right is the female cardinal.

Later, as she was looking through her journal, she said, "I could just look and look at this once I get it all filled up."  :)

Tomorrow I'll share our handicrafting for this week.  We've finally started one!!