I invited myself along on Sherlock's class trip today. Ostensibly I was there to help out Mrs. N and try to keep the kids from actually exploding with excitement when they saw the birds. In reality, I think she and I were nearly as excited as they were. Here are some of the birds they brought (images not mine, taken from their website):
African white-backed vulture:
Barn owl (possibly the most patient bird in the world):
Tengmalm's owl (the one I most wanted to take home):
The rain held off for long enough that we got to see some of them fly. The kids got huge protective gloves and each of them got to hold one of the birds…if they wanted to. Some of them couldn't be convinced. Even the very small owls might look intimidating when you're that young I suppose. Sherlock was obviously not among them. He held everything he was allowed to hold and gave the barn owl a very careful hug.
I had the vulture sitting on my shoulder at one point. He was lighter then I would've thought possible, given his size and 6 foot wingspan. And he nibbled my hair.
Sherlock is still stratospheric about the experience and has had to be dissuaded from perching on the back of the new sofa at least eight times since we got home. He wants to know what would happen if he ate a whole mouse, if it would come out like an owl pellet. I've told him not to try.
African white-backed vulture:
Barn owl (possibly the most patient bird in the world):
Tengmalm's owl (the one I most wanted to take home):
The rain held off for long enough that we got to see some of them fly. The kids got huge protective gloves and each of them got to hold one of the birds…if they wanted to. Some of them couldn't be convinced. Even the very small owls might look intimidating when you're that young I suppose. Sherlock was obviously not among them. He held everything he was allowed to hold and gave the barn owl a very careful hug.
I had the vulture sitting on my shoulder at one point. He was lighter then I would've thought possible, given his size and 6 foot wingspan. And he nibbled my hair.
Sherlock is still stratospheric about the experience and has had to be dissuaded from perching on the back of the new sofa at least eight times since we got home. He wants to know what would happen if he ate a whole mouse, if it would come out like an owl pellet. I've told him not to try.
41 comments:
We could easily have an owl PLEASE it could live in my wardrobe and I don't need many clothes anyway just school uniform and a few others and we could take it to the park to fly and it could sit on the bookshelves if it wanted to or the kitchen cupboards and today was brilliant and are you going to be as good tomorrow?
...I don't know, how good do I need to be?
We cannot have an owl in the flat, sorry. For lots of reasons, two of which are Mercury and Argon.
I'm really jealous.
And slightly nervous about tomorrow... I'm not sure I'm as appealing as a vulture.
You can nibble my hair if you like.
You need to be very good because today was fun and we got to wear masks and gloves and use knives to cut up the owl pellets and you didn't even say about that and it was fun! What can we do tomorrow? Will there be fake blood CAN WE HAVE A REAL HUMAN BRAIN??
I suppose large birds would have to be lighter than they look so that they can fly. Is it true that they have hollow bones, or is that just a myth?
Good for you, Sherlock, for holding all the birds! (I'm still wishing I could hug a nice soft owl.... :))
Hmm...I've had a few people see if humans heads can turn around like owl's do... Not sure that's suitable for our talk though.
I don't think a real human brain is going to happen...although you never know what Molly has up her sleeve. (Probably a brain wouldn't fit.)
Is your hair particularly carrion-y today, Danger? Did you wash it in 'dead antelope' scent shampoo?
I'm not sure I'm brave enough to nibble it. Might nibble your ear instead.
And you never know what Molly has up her sleeve. I have plasticene ... however you spell it ... ink, tube, rope, dental rubber, glitter, breadsticks...lots of things!! :) What've you got?
Not enough, I'm afraid...
Ah, give over. I have to rely on a lot of props and my good looks ;) . You have your brains, charm and natural ability with small children.
I'll hide behind you and Molly if they turn against me.
If I tell you what I'm doing...you can help Molly with the science.
And you can help me transform my pile of bits into actual props! I couldn't do it before Sherlock was in bed...
Ha, okay. Think you'll be able to hide them well enough that they'll be a surprise to him as well as the rest of the class?
...pass. Although I hid all the bits, so hopefully he won't try to wake up at 3am and search the house or anything...
Good luck with whatever you have planned. I am certain you can be as entertaining as an owl. Although I admit it may take you spinning your head 540˚ to manage it.
I'll work on that tonight. Thanks, Mycroft. ;)
...that, as I know from my lesson this evening from your brother, is twice as much as an owl spins its head! How come we have to do twice as much to be entertaining??
Because your plumage is not as soft, and you cannot fly, obviously.
John's plumage is very soft. And styled by a vulture. His hair looks like the Barn Owl - all neat and ordered.
I look more like this:
http://b50ym1n8ryw31pmkr4671ui1c64.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/11/files/2013/09/MoltingOwl.jpg
wow, what an awesome day, Sherlock! And that John got to be there too. wow. Very cool. I have occasionally heard owls at night, out in the yard, but I have rarely seen one. What a treat to get to hold and touch more than one!
S
I have it on good authority that the barn owl was walking about on one of the desks, and allowed itself to be gently hugged and stroked.
Sherlock didn't just rugby tackle it out of the air or anything, as I'd initially worried (it is the way he frequently hugs us!).
Good luck with your talk! I still think it sounds like fun. Lucky Sherlock that his grown ups can come to school and have something interesting and science related to present.
Hope your presentation is brilliant today, I'm sure the children will love it with all three of you working your magic and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it later, especially if glitter is involved.
Have fun everyone :)
Good luck with the talk gents, I hope it goes really well and that Sherlock and his friends enjoy it :-)
Looking forward to hearing all about the talk. And pictures of you turning your head through 540 degrees ;)
We've left Sherlock at school, beside himself with the unfairness of not knowing what we're doing later.
They have to examine and note down all their experiments first, and we'll go back later. Triops, crystals, mushrooms etc. won't wait!
Right--it's not science without proper record keeping. Have a good day and successful presentations--I'm looking forward to hearing all about them!
Right. Kids full of lunch. I'm full of fear... Here goes nothing.
Congratulations on keeping the presentation a secret from Sherlock!
I'm sure that'll be the hardest part, the energy of the kids will carry you right through in fine style.
fA
We all survived. Murders were solved :) kids were happy and not traumatised!
Congratulations and applause all 'round!
So, Sherlock, were they as good as the birds of prey? :)
Well, congrats! What were the best parts, Sherlock?
fA
we got how the thing Lestrade gave us was killed and even though you could have got it wrong we didn't because Molly helped us work it out and we used real knives and it was fun.
Excellent work, Sherlock!
(You three, too, Lestrade, John, and Molly. ;))
Sounds like you and your class did excellent work, Sherlock. Science week is turning out well, it seems.
If there's time, I *would* love to hear more details. Particularly in what capacity "real knives" and glitter contributed.
fA
congratulations on the success of your talk gentlemen and well done to you and your friend for working it out Sherlock.
I hope you're all having a nice evening celebrating your successes :-)
I'd like to hear more details too. Sounds like a lot of prep and planning went into it, and the class got a lot out of it. Win!
S
The boy wonder has put up his report on my blog - and John made it readable by removing capitals and putting in punctuation and stopping it leap from one thing to another with no warning ;)
I am so looking forward to the report on Greg's blog... I am saving it for after I finish this blasted spreadsheet I'm making. I think I would have wanted to take home an owl as well! Maybe two or three owls! Though kiddo just asked for a hamster, so I see how that would not end well.
I have plasticene ... however you spell it ... ink, tube, rope, dental rubber, glitter, breadsticks...lots of things!! :) I'm stuck between guessing that you staged the murder of a squid, or if you... oh, never mind, that second one's not age-appropriate. Squid murder, then. (nods)
I need to get out and investigate, but it looks (out the back window) as though there are marks in the snow in the yard, of an owl taking a squirrel... I can see the narrow trail in the snow that could be from a squirrel, ending in a very large sort of butterfly-shaped divot, which might be from the owl. I thought it was interesting that this turned up right after the special owl event at Sherlock's school.
S
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