Since we seemed to get REALLY behind schedule with our ’round the world project we decided to cover Guatemala and Honduras together, mainly because they are close both geographically and alphabetically.  We were able to check out a couple of really good books from the library with a lot of wonderful pictures.  Deirdre was particularly enchanted with the colorful outfits worn by many of the Guatemalan girls in the book.  We spent most of our time talking about the wildlife indiginous to these countries.  The kids were especially interested in looking at pictures of jaguars, toucans, blue morpho butterflies, and sea turtles.  The kids also decided that Diego might live in this area since these seem like the animals that he hangs out with!  This gave us a good opportunity to talk a little bit about wildlife conservation and sustainable farming practices which wasn’t exactly what I intended but was covered in the book.  Not a bad lesson to learn!

For our project, we made worry dolls.

Our Worry Doll Family

Legend has it that Guatemalan children would make these worry dolls out of scraps of thread and fabric.  At night, they would tell a ‘worry’ to each doll, and the doll would help make that worry disappear.  Here are some basic intructions to make your own!

Materials Needed:

1. Twist ties
2. Yarn
3. Fabric Scraps
4. Marking Pen

Instructions:

1. Bend twist-ties into basic T-shape for your doll’s body
2. Fold a piece of fabric over the top of the “T” for the head
3. Wrap yarn around the neck to secure head; wrap yarn around body, arms, and legs.
4. Tie on a dress or serape
5. Use marking pen to draw on a face

Step 1 - Bend Twist Ties

Step 2 - Add Fabric Head and Cover with Yarn

Step 3 - Add Clothing

Step 4 - Add Faces!

For our snack, we tried making dulce de leche cookies.

Dulce de Leche Cookies -yum!

Although not specifically Guatemalan or Honduran, they are still somewhat regional.  (we substituted corn flour for the corn starch). What did I learn?  Dulce de leche is REALLY hard to make.  Seriously, you need to stir it for, like, 3 hours.  The cookies came out tasty, but we probably won’t be making them again.

Next stop, by popular demand, India!

When I moved to suburban Rhode Island from Brooklyn two years ago, I didn’t expect to see the wide array of wild animals that I’ve encountered in my own backyard.

Wild Turkey Hen Struts Across Our Lawn

I suppose the destruction of their natural habitats has resulted in many of these cute critters becoming our neighbors.  In addition to the ever-present squirrels and chipmunks,  I’ve seen foxes, possums, rabbits and deer.  I’ve even heard very creditable reports of coyotes and fishercats in the area (unfortunately, the ‘missing pet’ signs attest to their presence, as well).  However, my favorite wild visitors are the wild turkey.  Every time I see one of these amazing birds, I dig out my camera and try to snap a few photos.  Of course, my photos always look like crap and never do the birds any justice, but I wanted to post a few anyways.  Last week, we had a hen with eight poults visit our birdfeeder and spend over an hour traipsing through our yard, pecking at anything that looked tasty.  They are so cool!  It actually made me glad that our backyard has more weeds than grass!  This morning, my kids ran to the window yelling that the turkeys were back.  This time, there were two hens with the eight poults.  I’m pretty sure it was the same family that visited a few weeks ago, and I was really relieved to see that all eight babies were still there.

The Babies Nibble By the Birdfeeder

When immigrants from Europe began settling North America in the 1600’s, wild turkeys were plentiful and became an important food source.  By the early 1900’s the population had dwindled due to habitat destruction and over-hunting.  However, conservation efforts have returned wild turkeys to sustainable levels.  According to the North American Wild Turkey Management Plan  “the comeback of wild turkeys in North America is arguably the greatest conservation success story in history.” Unfortunately, the number of wild turkeys surviving to adulthood in Rhode Island seems to be dwindling, possibly due to factors including predators and poor weather conditions.   (The Providence Journal has more details.)  The RI Department of Environmental Management has asked that wild turkey sitings be reported to help track local populations.  I already reported ‘my’ brood to be added to the turkey census!

Mama Turkey Looking In My Window While I Take Pictures

Three Baby Turkeys Look for a Snack

One Little Turkey Walking Down Our Lavender Path

In spite of our cats, our yard is filled with birds all year round.  At our feeder, we’ve seen woodpeckers, cardinals, doves, nuthatches, finches, titmice, bluejays, chickadees, sparrows and even wild turkeys!

Bird on a Branch Felted Bag

Last summer, a pair of chickadees made a nest in a birdhouse in our yard and laid their eggs.  For some reason, the parent pair abandoned the nest after the chicks hatched. (sadly, I suspect it had to do with having pest control treat our house for ants).  We called the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island to find out how we could save the chicks.  They were so helpful! Since it was a weekend, the rehabilitator whith whom we were working told us how to rescue the babies and take care of them until Monday when we could bring them into the rehab center.  We took the roof off the birdhouse to carefully remove the babies, placed them in a shoe-box with a towel and kept them warm with a heating pad.  Every few hours we fed them mashed up grapes.  When Monday came around, Jon drove the chicks to the rehab center where they could receive the care they needed.  I’m happy to say, all of the surviving chicks made it and were eventually released back into the wild in Rhode Island.

Opening Up The Birdhouse

Happy Chicks

Feeding the Chickadees

Recently, I was reading the WRARI newsletter and realized how expensive it really is to rehabilitate a wild animal.  Baby animals require round the clock care, special diets, and, depending on their situation, veterinary treatment for injuries.  Did you know it costs about $500 to rehab a fawn, $80 to rehab a baby bird and $25 to rehab a baby cottontail rabbit?  So, I decided to make a felted bag for the animals.  All proceeds from my “Bird On A Branch Bag” will go directly to the WRARI.

I’ve also put together this treasury of other Etsy sellers who are making items for charitable causes.  Please check them out when you get a chance.

Bird On A Branch - Proceeds to WRARI

Bird On A Branch – Listing