Fritz Petting Farm in Irving

I had to run an errand to Irving and the kids weren't excited about it.  I told them I'd find something fun for them while we were there.  So we stopped by Fritz Park Petting Farm!

There are some animals, like the turkey, that are in cages that you can't access because you probably don't want to really pet a turkey and take a chance at being pecked.

However, most of the farm has big fenced in areas for animals to wander around.  You can just reach in and pet them.

The goat and rabbit area has a gate and you are allowed to just walk in and play with the animals!

This bunny was so silky smooth.  Rachel spent a lot of time with her but the goats kept coming over and trying to get to the cage.  They liked to rub up against it to scratch themselves!

We saw a momma and daddy duck and then realized they had 4 eggs waiting to hatch!

There was a chicken and a rooster in a big pen.  My kids discovered that the birds liked eating weeds fed to them.  I think they only got pecked once and then they decided to quit feeding them.

This sneaky guy found a way to get out of the pen.  Rachel was brave and found a keeper to explain the situation to.  He thanked her but said that the rooster often finds ways out of the pen!

There are two friendly donkeys that love to be scratched.  They were a little bit smelly though.

Nicholas seemed most fascinated with the peacock.  He sat next to him and they chatted for a bit.

It's hard to imagine that this same bird can go from that to this!  What a beautiful display!

The kids remembered our study of Greek mythology and the myth of how the peacock got its beautiful feathers.  Zeus, king of the gods, was married to Hera but he had a thing for Hera's assistant, Io.  Hera found out and turned Io into a cow.  She gave Io to her servant Argus and told him to watch over her.  Argus had 100 eyes all over his body so it would seem to be an easy task for him.  However, Zeus had Argus killed and Hera took his eyes and placed them on the tail of a peacock as a memorial for him.

The front of the tail is so colorful but the back just looks so spiny.  Those feathers are incredibly long!

It's been a few years since we last visited Fritz Petting Park.  Check out our last visit HERE.

Fritz Park Petting Farm is located at 312 E. Vilbig in Irving, TX.  The petting farm is open from 10:00 - 6:00 Tuesday - Saturday and 2:00 - 6:00 on Sunday.  Admission is FREE!

Ancient Greece: Ships, Minotaurs, and Labyrinths {Tapestry of Grace}

The Ancient Greeks believed in polytheism meaning they believed in many gods and goddesses.  Zeus was at the top of the god chain and there were various levels of other gods and goddesses below him.  These man-created mythologies make for some fascinating stories that have really stood the test of time.

As a child, I recall going to the library many times and checking out D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths.



I loved the stories and colorful illustrations.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see this book on our reading list for this week.  I took the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch to use their free pizza coupons from the Pizza Hut Book It! reading program.  I read the Greek myths to them while we ate.

In about 800 B.C. the Greek poet Homer wrote, The Iliad and The Odyssey, two classic epics that turned Greek myths into full stories.  I was excited to introduce Nicholas to these stories.  Tapestry of Grace recommended the following book for the Dialectic level of study so Nicholas has been reading this....



A few of the other books we've read this week include:









For our co-op time, we discussed the many Greek islands and the importance of ships used for travel, trade, and warfare.  We followed these directions on making a popsicle stick paddle boat.  This project is simple and just uses popsicle sticks, glue, and rubber bands.

Rachel made her boat all by herself completely according to the directions.  She wound up the paddle on the rubber band, and placed the boat in the water.  The stored energy in the rubber band was released and the boat propelled forward!

Nicholas saw the project directions but decided to amp his creation up a bit with two paddles! (Please excuse the scraps of paper glued to his boat. I had them work on paper to keep the glue off the table but didn't think about all of the paper that would then stick to their boats.)

His boat moved across the water but he decided that it was being slowed down by its size and weight.  Back to the drawing board he went!

Here is boat design number 2.  Small, light weight...and very fast!  I'm so proud of how he always takes an idea and expands upon it, adding his own twist and ingenuity.

Next he tried an altered version of his original two paddle boat.  This time the paddles were in line with each other instead of side by side.

What a fun project this has been!  I love that my kids are able to take their time and go deep into fun projects like this.  Who knew that this simple history activity would turn into Nicholas testing out his theories on propulsion, energy, buoyancy, friction, etc.

Next we reviewed the myth of the Minotaur of Crete. The story goes that King Minos was given a beautiful white bull by Poseidon, god of the sea. The King was expected to sacrifice the bull in honor of Poseidon but instead he hid the bull and sacrificed a less perfect bull. Poseidon was so angry that he punished King Minos by causing the creation of the Minotaur, a half bull, half man. The Minotaur ate humans so King Minos has an intricate labyrinth created to contain the beast.

We learned that a labyrinth and a maze are not exactly the same thing. Unlike a maze that has an entrance and an exit, a labyrinth has only an entrance and ends at the center point. A labyrinth also does not have dead ends and tricky turns like a maze.

The kids made their own labyrinths out of cardboard box tops by gluing strips of cardboard as walls.

Nicholas even used a little battery operated mouse toy to run through his labyrinth!

Note: This post contains affiliate links to the books on Amazon.  If you purchase one of these books through these links then I will receive a small percentage that goes back into paying for this blog.  It does not affect the price you pay for the book in any way.

Echoes and Acoustics

Konos Unit: Attentiveness
Theme: Sound

We have continued to study sound with a new focus on echoes. We learned the scientific reason behind echoes and because bats use echolocation to find their food and get around we have done a whole study on bats (seemed fitting with Halloween around the corner).

We learned about acoustic material and how it can be used to control sound. Here is a simple demonstration we did. The kids share a small bathroom. I had Nicholas shout in the bathroom and asked if he heard an echo. He didn't.

Then we removed the rug, towels, shower curtain and he shouted again. This time he heard an echo! All of the fabric served as acoustic material to absorb the sounds and prevent echoes. Cool!

To wrap up on study on echoes, we read the myth about Echo and Narcissus. Echo was a beautiful nymph who often protected the free-loving Zeus by distracting his wife Hera when she came looking for him by engaging her in conversations. When Hera realized what was happening, she punished Echo by taking away her speech. She said that Echo would only be able to repeat the last few words that someone else spoke. Narcissus was a handsome young man who was very vain. Echo fell in love with Narcissus but he rejected her. She was so sad that she ran away to hide in the mountains and caves. She remained there until her body faded away and all that was left was her voice, still doomed to only repeat the last words of those around her.