Flights of Fancy: How a Science Project Turned Into A Family Hobby

I hung up a bird feeder late this last summer. Actually,  I cleaned up and filled the bird feeder that had been hanging listlessly from our front porch for far too long.  We tried feeding birds off and on but I became frustrated when the wind would blow the feeder apart spilling all the seeds. So, there it hung, useless and abandoned until we started homeschooling this year.

Birds, I thought, would be a great science project. We filled the feeder and waited. Then we waited some more. After a few more days of no show birds my kids started loosing interest and I wondered if our first science lesson would be a big fail.

After about a week I noticed the bird feeder swinging more than usual one day and there perched on the side of the feeder was our first customer, a black capped chickadee! He darted away before I could call the kids but I knew all we had to do was wait a few minutes.  I called "Pen", my daughter, and "Scout", my son to the front window.  Anxiously we waited. Three faces practically pressed against the front window looking for our brave customer. He rewarded us with a quick stop to the feeder and a tiny "cheep".  From that point on we were hooked.

Black Capped Chickadee. They are just as cute in real life!

Our feeder community now includes woodpeckers, nuthatches, tufted titmouse, golden and purple finches, several kinds of sparrows, jays, cardinals, a flock of mourning doves and three or four squirrels. I even saw a flying squirrel nibbling at some corn one night!

I didn't take this picture but our little flying squirrel looked just like this.

Caring for our feeder community has now gone from a science project to a family hobby. Scout loves helping me scatter seeds and corn and filling up the bird feeder. Pen picked out a bird printed material for her first sewing project, a pillowcase. Every morning both kids make their way to the couch by the window to wake up and watch their birds.  We talk about what the birds do in the winter and where they go at night. Pen and Scout have both drawn and colored numerous pictures of birds. We've had some squabbles on naming the birds, what birds are "girls" and what birds are "boys", and tussles over  favorite viewing spots on the couch but all in all the birds have brought quite a bit of learning and enjoyment to our house.

The Tufted Titmouse is a popular guy around our house.

I've walked by the living room different times and have found either one of the kids or even my husband,"Ranger", sitting quietly watching out the window. The window is now one of my favorite places to sit and think as I watch the birds flutter and perch at the feeder. I marvel the the diversity, beauty, ingenuity and tenacity of these tiny creatures. Truly, they have brought fun and joy to our home.

Pen and Scout spot a woodpecker.

Interested in setting up you're own feeder community or learning more about birds? It's relatively inexpensive, relaxing to watch and a great way to see nature up close. Try these resources below.

• Want to set up your own feeder or learn more about birds try the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Great site!
• Enjoy coloring lifelike bird drawings. Great for all ages.
• Bird identification made easy.
• Count the birds at your feeder for science. Easy,fun and great for all ages.

Coming Home

This is a blog about coming home. I think it's a fair observation that in our culture most of life happens outside our homes. Many adults spend most of their waking hours at work. Children spend most of their waking hours either at daycare,school or both. Grocery store shelves are full of quick convenient foods that can be eaten right from the package or quickly microwaved. We eat our meals on the go, in fast food places and restaurants as we live our busy lives away from home. According to the USDA 43% of our all our food spending is on food away from home. You read that right. Forty three percent of our food budget is spent on snack packs, fast food burgers and Applebee's.

We only spend a tiny fraction of time living at home. Our hyper paced outside lives leave us drained and exhausted. What once was a place of refuge and a source of connection is now the place we are least likely to live. We,as a nation, are suffering from a massive case of homesickness.

Is being home really all that important? According to a 1990 study  done by the US Department of Health and Human services healthy families are essential to the overall health of the nation.

"Society relies on families to perform a number of essential functions such as providing for the economic needs of dependents, rearing and nurturing the next generation,and caring for the frail and disabled. When families break down or malfunction,everyone pays the price. Some of the critical functions of families may be taken over by public agencies or private charities that cannot carry out theses duties as efficiently as family members could, or the needs of family members go unmet."

Clearly, we can't underestimate the importance of home and what happens there.

Home. It's a place we can go to recharge, reconnect, and think about what really matters. Children, especially, thrive in a stable,connected home. No institution, program, or amount of money can replicate a parent lovingly raising a child. Likewise, many relationships improve when home is first. When people put home first marriages are stronger,neighborhoods and communities thrive.There is less substance abuse, less crime, and less broken families when home is first.We don't need academic studies verify what we can see all around us. Home is where we grow people, lives and generations.

Home Grown is a place for those who are looking to leave the empty business of outside things for a time and reconnect with their homes.So, here is my invitation to you: Come Home. Leave work on time today. Say no to the travel soccer team. Read a book to your daughter. Play a board game with your son. Call your parents. Put your phone away.Talk to your spouse. Play with your dog. Make and eat dinner at your own table tonight. Say no to the volunteer opportunity. Get to know your neighbor.

Oh,and,Welcome Home.

Cricket is the official Home Grown Greeter.