School From Home Session 8 Wednesday March 25th

Take a hike!  No, seriously weather is great, go for a hike!

This is Thorrington Lake on the Northeast property line of Stony Creek Metropark.  The lake is LOADED with migrating ducks en route to their breeding grounds in Michigan and Canada.

Today is great day to welcome the changes the weather is bringing.

I saw the first butterfly of the year cutting through our back yard.  

New comers include:  Red-Winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Eastern Phoebe, Killdeer and many more.  March is a month that really signifies changes especially in the duck and waterfowl population.  Last year there were as many as 250 Loons out on Stony Lake! In a normal year there could be up to 5-8.

Locally speaking: Beaudette Park (The Mill Dam), Sylvan Lake and Crystal Lake are good places for watching great amounts of ducks this time of year.  

As a nature nut, I am pumped for these coming months but I want to certainly appreciate each day as it comes.  Hope you get the chance to get out and explore today.

Spring frogs were going absolutely nuts in this pond on Sunday!

March 25th
Update:
This blog will be a short one.  I am trying to reach out to all of you today and over the next few days to check up on you and see what I can do to support you.  I need some time to organize and regroup.
Working on video angles, uploading pictures, creating/researching learning materials, helping my kids with their online work and just general office stuff; life gets pretty crazy and very much in need of organization!

Oh the madness of it all!!!

I have been looking at all of this as a time to be very productive, stay busy and adventure into things I wouldn't have done otherwise.  What thought keeps coming back to me is,  'I don't want to look back on this when it is all over and think, I wish I would have..'

From a personal standpoint:
I am doing large puzzles and I find it calms me and balances me.
I am doing a whole heck of a lot of cooking and made chocolate chip cookies from scratch.
I am learning how to blog.
I am learning how to make videos to make learning from home more interesting and fun.
I am taking time to really get in amazing physical fitness shape AND stay in shape!
I am cleaning out the basement so our house has more functional space.
I am absolutely spending more time with the girls.

Most recently:  our school staff met online all at the same time for the first time.  We are still working.  We are working to support you in every way we can think of.
I am taking time to today to process a plethora of new information and ideas.
Before I get ahead of myself in new adventures I want to reach out to you guys/gals and see what is happening in your neck of the woods.
I can roll out a bunch of ideas and go educationally crazy, but like in class, I need to see what works for YOU!  I need to see what works for your neighbor. 
So before I do that, I am taking a little time to see where you are all at.

Shout out:
Ms. Brown and all OCAMT staff for doing all you can to make learning a reality in tough times!

Coming Up: 
More video feeds to give you learning in a more interesting/helpful way.

Reminder:
All assignments are due Mar 27th.

In the meantime, it is a gorgeous day!
I am taking little breaks to work on the garden.

Need to get my boxes of dirt ready for July greatness!!!

Go get some much needed sunshine y'all!

Have a great day!