laurent's blog

Editor's Note: I am thrilled to turn the blog over to Laurent today. I know many of you have kiddos and we thought they might appreciate doing a search and find.

This is a picture I drew of a flooded section of the rainforest.

You can look for:

1. 6 snakes
2. 7 pink flower blossoms
3. 2 yellow breasted hummingbirds
4. 2 green frogs
5. 2 turtles
6. 8 grey fish
7. 3 red piranhas
8. 1 school of blue fish
9. 2 parrots
10. 1 capybara

Capybaras like the water and they are the largest rodents in the world.

Click the attachment on this post to see the answer key.

What's your favorite rainforest animal? How many items did you find without looking at the key?

(editor's note: To view a larger version of the drawing please click here. Then drag the picture to your desktop and open it there.)

{written by Laurent Tougas, 8 years old}
This post is about slugs. I like slugs because it's fun to watch them eat and they are easy to find.

This is what I know about slugs:

• Slugs like to live in places that are damp and covered. If you want to find a slug look under rocks, bricks, sticks or leaves.
• Slugs eat vegetation. For example lettuce and the leaves on some flowers.
• Slugs are both boy and girl. They've got sperm and eggs. But they can't fertilize their own eggs. They have to find another slug and that slug's sperm would fertilize their eggs. Slugs lay their fertilized eggs in damp areas under rocks or holes in the ground. Their eggs are small and clear.
• Slugs have one foot and it basically looks like their belly.



How to study slugs:

• Find a slug in your back yard. If you can't find the slugs you might be able to follow the "slug slime" to where the slug is.
• Get a jar with a lid. Nail holes in the jar's lid so that the slugs can have oxygen or use cheesecloth with elastic around the edge.
• Put dirt in the bottom of the jar, if you want. Otherwise put rocks at the bottom. I'd recommend rocks because it's easier to clean the jar. You could also add sticks or moss.
• Add the slug to the prepared jar and then put in grass for hiding places. Then put in some small pieces of lettuce for the slug's food.
• Spray the inside of the jar with water to keep moist.
• If you have one slug change the lettuce every other day. If you have multiple slugs you should probably change the lettuce every day. They eat a lot!
• Keep the jar in a shady spot in your house and spray water in the jar every day.
• If you put your ear to the jar while they are eating you might hear them eat.
• Use the same steps to study snails & have fun!

{editor's note: Craft tutorial & giveaway narrated by Laurent Tougas, (almost) age 8. Photos by Laurent's mom.}

We got this idea from Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick.

Supplies

Choose 2 round, bamboo chopsticks. We reused them from Thai Jarean, our favorite Thai restaurant.

Get some sandpaper, pencil sharpener and oil for polishing the finished knitting needles. And polymer clay or beads for the ends of the knitting needles.

Instructions

Sharpen the pointy end of the chopstick until it gets to the sharpness of a dull pencil.

Sand the chopsticks until you can't feel any bumps. The pointy ends should be very smooth.

Rub oil on the chopsticks till they feel soft. We used coconut oil.

To make the back ends (not the pointed knitting ends) you can use polymer clay balls or beads. If you're using a bead you should sharpen the back ends of the chopstick until you can fit the bead on the end. If it's not tight enough you can use glue, we used hot glue.

But if you're using polymer clay make the shape you want, push them on the back end to make a hole, mold it on the stick, take them off and put them in the oven for half an hour. Ask your mom or dad to take the balls out of the oven. While they're still warm push them on the back ends of the knitting needles. And then let them cool. If they are loose glue them like you do with the beads.

Giveaway

I want to giveaway two pairs of knitting needles I made. If you want them leave a comment and I'll choose with a draw who gets the knitting needles. Please say if you want polymer clay or wooden bead ends. Giveaway ends Friday, February 20.