Wednesday, October 14, 2015

A Missed Opportunity?

I found a dead crow in the backyard this morning (the neighbors' cats are good hunters). As I went to throw it in the garbage (picking it up with a double layer of trash bags) I had this internal conflicted dialogue:

grossed-out me: "Eewww!"

homeschooling me: "This is actually pretty cool. Not rotted from what I can see."

g: "Weirdo. This is so gross! I don't want to touch it!"

h: "I should use this as a learning opportunity."


g: "The kids should stay inside. They shouldn't see this."


h: "But to see the beak and claws up close would be a unique opportunity."


g: "But it's dead and therefore icky."


h: "Oh, wow, it's so light! Hmmm...hollow bones make it easier for birds to fly because they're lighter. Cool."


g: "Ew. Ew. Ew. I'm holding it! Put it in the garbage fast!"


So no, the kids did not get to dissect or even investigate a dead crow today. But Secundus did find a feather and thought it was so cool that in the light it actually looked bluish instead of black. So not totally wasted?

Another fun note:  as I leaned down to pick it up, Secundus was like, "What if it's still alive?" Not helpful!

2 comments:

  1. Perhaps it was a missed opportunity . . . but perhaps you protected your children from disease. There's no way to know, so I say embrace your choice wholeheartedly without looking back. :)

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    1. Good point! Thank you for the encouragement. I'm ok with dissections as long as they're prepped and done in the right context.

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