APEIRON INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING CO-OP CLASS

The kids are attending a 6 week class at the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living. We are all learning a lot about conservation and environmental concerns and how to help. Below is a picture of the center and below that is a little write up all about the center and what they are doing. Then I have included many many pictures of things we are learning about. Very interesting place, if you get the chance to visit or take a class here I highly recommend it. ABOUT THE CENTER
Designed by a team of experts in sustainable design and technologies, the house showcases more than fifty environmentally friendly systems, technologies, and products, including:
passive and active solar energy systems, natural, recycled and non-toxic building materials and construction, straw-bale walls, radiant flooring, permaculture landscaping, and so forth.
The Center's exhibits explain all the housing model's features, including how they differ from traditional systems, their cost-effectiveness, and their payback periods. The Center is open to the public.
Energy Efficient DesignPassive SolarSuper-insulated walls with cellulose (recycled paper)
ElectricityPhotovoltaic (solar electric system)
Wind-energy turbine
HeatingSolar heating and hot water
Open-loop radiant floor heat system
On-demand propane back-up
Non-toxic and Natural Materials
Natural materials building methods
Natural materials interior and exterior finishes
Non-toxic paints, stains, primers, and caulks
Lumber from ecologically managed forests
Ecological Water Treatment Systems
Composting toilet
Constructed wetlands
Low-flush toilet
Reduced-sized leach field
Conservation
Super-efficient appliances
Compact fluorescent light fixtures
High-performance windows
Shallow frost-protected foundation
Locally harvested lumber
Engineered lumber products
Colored and scored concrete flooring
HCFC-free polyisocyanurate insulation
Recycled Materials
House uses pre-existing dwelling
Recycled fiber carpeting
Recycled roofing material
Salvaged lumber
Recycled, all-wood-fibre flooring material
Recycled lumber furniture
Organic Gardening
Indoor green house
Edible landscape
Permaculture garden
Herb gardens

More pictures next week!!

EASTER

We got a new pet for Easter. He is a Flemish Giant Fawn Buck and he is super friendly and just the cuddliest bunny ever! Jadyn named him coco, Jesse is calling him Mr. Crabs but his REAL name is Cadbury. Doesn't he look just like the Cadbury bunny?! Thanks Easter Bunny, Bawk Bawk!! I LOVE HIM!!

New baby owl pics

The babies are getting SO BIG, most of them are eating by themselves now and their eyes are opening, they are getting so fuzzy and cute, look at those faces, they are so ugly they're cute lol. Molly is having a hard time keeping them all contained and underneath her. We are pretty sure that the last egg is not going to hatch, but the other owlets are doing great.

Savage Hunter

We were not so gently reminded of the fact that these birds are birds of prey and very savage hunters, despite how cute and cuddly they look. Molly showed us the other night that nothing is going to stand in the way of a mama owl feeding her babies.

The parent owls are trying to teach their little ones how to hunt, so daddy owl has started bringing live prey back to the nest box...yeah I know...ick..the updates may start getting far and few between now as I just cannot bear to watch this part of natures process.

first daddy brought home a live mouse, it played dead for a minute or two and then jumped up and ran away out of the nest box, Mama owl took off after it and caught it and brought it back for her babies. Not pretty, but what happened next sent chills up my spine.

Daddy owl then brought back a live baby bunny, that bunny was screaming, it was like a really bad car wreck, you didn't want to watch, but you couldn't turn away. Anyway the bunny tried to get away, but Molly caught it, the bunny started screaching, Molly started screaching and then Molly snapped the baby bunny's neck right in front of the camera, it was horrid!! Nature I know, but I can't bear to watch. So our nightime viewing of the owl box at least, will be curbed. Blech!

ANTS!!! ICK

I was so not amused with the ant lesson, but I went ahead and put my heebie jeebies aside and got the kids an ant hill, CREEPY is all I can say LOL but we learned a lot and those little ants are hard workers for sure. Oh and staring contests with friends? Super fun!!

OWL BABIES LAPBOOKS

With all the interest around Molly and her babies we decided to do an owl lesson, here are our lapbooks, pictures in no apparent order LOL..they came out really good and the kids had a lot of fun learning all about owls, we also learned some songs and poems about owls.