A Colourful Display

Science experiments seem to have become the highlight of our week. We are having so much fun with them that R and B eagerly ask what we will be doing next! Thankfully we came across the book '501 Science Experiments'. There are experiments in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology/Geography, Physics & Weather which should keep up going for a very long time! They certainly create some in-depth discussions around the dinner table and seem to naturally point us in the direction of our next experiment.

Exploring Hartz Mountains

It was lovely to have the kid's Great Grandpa came over from the mainland to visit for a week, so we were itching to take him out into the wilderness and explore some of Tasmania's National Parks. Hartz Mountains National Park was our destination. A part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, it is located in Tasmania's south-west and dotted with small glacial lakes. We chose a walk to one of these lakes - Lake Osborne.

The 45 minute uphill walk was expected to be slightly demanding for the kids, but they were keen to come along and explore their surrounds. It was a delight to see R looking for fungi and studying the vegetation. B strolled along beside Grandpa, following his lead as he paused to smell a flower or feel the texture of leaves or bark. L was delighted to ride in the 3 wheeler pram as D navigated it around tree roots and bumped it over rocks. The kids were also glad to have their Nan along for the walk, so dashed back and forth between us all. Along the way, we stopped to read plaques that taught us about the young rainforest of myrtles, sassafras and pandani and 'Devils Marbles' - large boulders dumped onto the plateau by glaciers.

When we arrived at the lake, we were amazed at how crystal clear the water was. We could see clearly to the rock lined bottom and almost immediately sampled the cool fresh water. While we ate our picnic lunch, we perched ourselves on large rocks among the King Billy pines and took in the amazing beauty of our country.

Feeling refreshed we headed back down the track. Not long into the return walk, B complained of sore legs, so L snuggled into the sling while B enjoyed the pram ride. R was happy to walk back and amazed us with his boundless energy! A great day was had by all. So much so, that we have made a commitment to making our treks into the wilderness a regular occurence. Watch this space for more of our Tasmanian adventures!

Our Little Black Friends

 What do you think
Is under the ground
Where the ants all go
With the food they've found?

Do they have a tiny
Set of stairs
That leads to a room
With tables and chairs?

And do they remember
To wipe their feet
Before they sit down
To the table to eat?

           Evelyn A. Wade

One cloudy day we headed out with buckets, spoons and a container to collect some ants and soil for our new ant habitat. The kids bubbled with excitement as we walked along the banks of the Huon River looking for a nest of ants. A couple of times we had stumbled upon a promising hole, only to quickly back away when we discovered that the tenants were in fact the ferocious looking Inchman! The clouds had become ominous and the search was beginning to look fruitless, when R announced that he had found what we were looking for - the smaller and much friendlier Black ant. Collecting these little insects was not to be an easy task, it was sometimes a case of putting one into the container and two escaping! We needed at least 20 of them to re-home successfully, so we continued persistently until the clouds became even more menacing and rain started to fall! D decided to dash to the shelter of the car with one child in his arms and two little sets of legs running closely behind. With collection half completed and determination to see happy little faces peering into the ant habitat later in the day, I tried to ignore the fat droplets landing on my back until I was happy that we had all that was required.

After arriving home, D headed off to work while the kids and I layered soil in the base of the habitat and then ran a connecting tube into the container of ants. We watched and waited..... and waited..... and waited some more..... The kids were surprisingly patient. One little ant would travel up the tube, stop at the entrance and then scurry back to the container before doing it all over again. Eventually he decided that he would be brave enough to venture into the unknown, but around 5 hours later, only one other had joined him. The only other way that had been suggested, was to place them in the freezer and check them at 1 minute intervals until they were all 'sleeping' and then tip them into the centre hole quickly before they woke up again!! Although the idea was quite amusing, I pictured ants escaping all over the place and decided to improvise. We opened the bung hole on the little container and as one ran through, others were prevented from escaping. The lone ant was caught as it ran quickly across the table, before being dropped into a little hole at the top of the habitat designed to allow for topping up water supplies. This method worked well and before long we were watching them explore their new home.

Observing them has been entertaining and almost therapeutic. Similar to watching fish swim around in a tank! More interesting than fish though, watching them move dirt around and talk to each other shows that these little creatures have quite a lot going on in that tiny little brain!!