And the answer is..... OWL PELLETS!! As you can see (well kinda of!) from the pictures above, he documented the size of the pellets. Then much to my grossing out factor, he gently dissected the pellet by pulling the fur and bones apart. Yes, I am grossing out just thinking about it, but I just couldn't walk away!! He only did one of the pellets and Anthony did one of the others, both boys had to figure what it was that this owl ate (which in this case was a Barn Owl) The poor victims here were rodents. As our unit study on owls is wrapping up, Alex has been studying owls a little longer than expected. He has had some field trips that involved seeing owls and then other things that have come up, like driver's ed driving,vacation, having a sick mama for over a week, you name it it came up:) This week we will finish up the owls and move on to the next animal that he is wanting to learn more about. But to finish up this unit study, has to get together all his findings and put the information into a visual aids such as a lapbook or power point presentation. Also he has a report that is due by the end of the week which he will be reading to all of us next weekend. As always, we are working on his paragraph writing and increasing his vocabulary, at least I could make his vocabulary a little more exciting with online vocabulary games from one of my favorite sites~ Vocabulary/SpellingCity.
This whole unit study was a great learning experience for both of us for his first lessons as a 9th grader. As we move forward to the next animal, I have learned of some things to take out or worksheets that were redundant. It makes this homeschooling through high school an ever involving adventure that I can't wait to hear the ending!!