More Snow, Quacking Ducks, and Gardening Indoors

Are you enjoying all the snow! I am!

This is what it looks like when I open the big door on the back of the barn!

JJ doesn't mind the snow, either.
She has a very nice winter coat on.

This is what the back of the barn looked like after the rain last week.
Mucky, sloppy, yucky mess!

Thankfully the inside of the shed is higher than the outside of the shed. Chuck, Curly, and Side Kick still have a dry place to sleep out of the wind and the rain.

I would rather have snow than rain. Rain makes puddles and mud. When the snow melts we have puddles and mud, too. I'm not looking forward to all this snow melting. I think it's easier to feed animals in the snow than the muck and mud. I really don't like it when my boots get stuck in the mud!

I am looking forward to all the water from the snow in the mountains. There will be plenty of water this summer for growing gardens and watering the pasture!

It has been a lot of work to carry bales of hay through snow that is above my knees. I'm strong and healthy because I work in the barn every day.  Other people like to go to the gym to work out. I like working with the animals. I always have to do chores, every day, rain or shine, snow or sun. It's easy for me to be too busy to go to the gym. We all have to find what helps us exercise and stay strong.

Did you know that exercise and hard work also help your brain work better? It does! Exercise helps your brain and your mind work better. Do you want to be smarter and do better at your school work? Play outside, play a sport, jump on the trampoline, go for a hike, ride your bike, dance, do things that move your body and you'll be able to learn better, too!

Get out of your seat and get onto your feet!

Shoveling snow is good exercise, too! 

Did you notice that many of your spelling words are in blue today? Did you know that memorizing your spelling words is also a good way to exercise your brain? It is! Memorizing things is like using your 'brain muscles.' If you memorize things even when it's hard, that also helps your brain stay healthy and strong.

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Many animals have different voices depending on if the animal is a boy or a girl. Goats all sound alike. So do cows and sheep.

Boy ducks don't sound like girl ducks. The next time you're at a pond or a lake and you see some ducks, listen closely to each duck. 

The big duck that sounds like he's hissing is a Muscovy duck. They have a very different sound from regular ducks! Regular ducks are also smaller than Muscovy ducks. Female ducks are usually smaller than male ducks, too. 

Do you hear some real quacks, and some softer quacks?
The 'quack, quack, quack' noise is from the female ducks.

The softer quack is from the male ducks.

(Quin thinks the boy ducks sound like they have a broken quacker.)

Another way to tell the difference between male and female ducks is by looking at their tail.
Male ducks usually have a little curled feather on their tales.

Here are other ways to tell the difference between male ducks and female ducks.

Did you know that ducks like to eat grass? Our ducks like chicken food in the winter. They also like dog food. They also like to eat hay when the other animals are done.

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Do you remember what my little garden looked like a few weeks ago?
Look how much the plants have grown!
I keep an eye on them, add water and fertilizer when the screen tells me to,
and the plants keep growing!

Wow! Look at the roots of the plants!
The roots love growing down into the water and soaking up
the fertilizer.

A little garden inside is like spring all year round, even when the weather is freezing and snow is on the ground.

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Wonders Unit 4, week 2
me, we, keep, feed, beak, seat, play rain, because, other, blue, into, or, small