Hoo, Hoo, Hoo...!

Kids--'I want to be a scientist! 'No, *I* want to be a scientist.' 'Me too, I'm going to be a scientist!'

Me--'It's ok guys, you can all be scientists if you like.'

As Grandma Lois donned her scientist coat last week to help us inspect owl pellets, the wolf cubs were inspired and apparently pondering their future careers. I was touched! The kids, braving swarms of mosquitos, enthusiastically and patiently took part in a rare 'lesson,' complete with diagrams of rodent bones, owl insides and animal parts, dissection tools and gloves. 

We learned about owl digestion and how their food, after some processing, ahem, comes out both ends. From the mouth end comes.a compact little mystery pellet, a perfect inquiry project for inquiring young minds! Owls eat all kinds of interesting critters, like birds and rodents, and the pellets were packed full of shrew bones, mouse parts, fur and feathers! There were many exclamations of amazement and surprise as we passed around the tweezers and tools, helping the kids to pull the pellets apart. The kids were curious as can be, asking great questions, and lots of 'oohing and aaahing.' 

It's hard to climb trees and swat mosquitos, but they stuck with it! 

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We love big burdock leaves! Plates, hats, masks, dancing props...

​Stay curious, kids!