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We had summer, then fall, then winter, now fall again! Whew! The pond by Olson Elementary was looking especially beautiful today with the sun shining on the water and many animals out doing their thing. A bald eagle swooped near us and that was pretty exciting. We saw a mallard family - mom, dad, and lots of teenage sisters enjoying a quiet area near the shore. And the cattails are bursting!    Fall is the perfect time to make your own insect hotel. Some insects need a cozy place to pass the winter season. The insect hotel provides lots of tiny places to snuggle in and keep warm. These hotels are made from 1" x 4" pine available at Home Depot. I cut the pieces into 4", 5", 6", and 7" pieces. I glue the two smaller sections together, then the two longer pieces. Then I glue the two angles together to form a square. Finish it up by hammering in nails at the overlapped seams. I staple on a bit of landscaping fabric on the back. Collect natural items like pine cones, pine straw, bark from the ground, and twigs and place the items into the hotel. It helps to stand the box up as shown in the photo while you are filling the hotel. Add an eye-screw and twine to hang up on a tree branch, bush, fence post, or just place it in your yard for the winter. Next year, you can clean out the old stuff and refresh your hotel. Even insects like a nice clean hotel!  photo by Sarah Nelson  photo by Sarah Nelson The explorers enjoyed some fun at the loose parts station. I bought my loose parts from https://rightbrainedmom.shop. I am not affiliated with this website but I love her beautiful, handmade products!
 This beauty spun a web outside our window. I think it is a cat-faced spider. The web catches insects constantly and we even got to see the spider enjoy a dragonfly for lunch. It was something to see!
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June 2021
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