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JDaniel4s Mom

growing & learning with him

Thankfulness and Joy

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When the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to grow maize and live the new land they had moved to, I believe the Pilgrims were filled with thankfulness and joy. Recently JDaniel and I went to Roper Mountain Science Center’s colonial garden.  The weather was warm and sunny probably nothing like the November the Pilgrims had. The master gardeners were getting the garden ready for winter and JDaniel happily helped them out.
Thankfulness and Joy in Harvesting

He spent 30 minutes or more plucking seeds out the wheat grass pods. The master gardeners praised his willingness to work so hard for so long and suggested in consider being a junior master gardener. JDaniel’s chest welled up with pride. He loved hearing that he was good at seed removal. 
One the gardener decided he needed a reward for all his work. She showed him where slugs are hiding in the drains around the garden. JDaniel helped her gather them with such joy. Slimy creeping creatures may not be something everyone likes to deal with. Sticking his fingers in the the drains to grab a slug or two at a time filled my son will such joy!

Thankfulness and Joy in Harvesting

The slugs were placed in a can and JDanel was guided to the chicken coop. He pushed the slugs through the fence and the chicken rushed over with thankfulness and joy. It was like they were having their own Thanksgiving feast a few weeks earlier. Some of the other children gathered around the pen wanted to know what he had done to get the opportunity to give the chickens slugs.

After feeding the chickens, we moved on to an area where feed corn was set out for people to take the ears off the cobs. Just has he had with the wheat grass seeds JDaniel start in on the corn with vigor. We both noted that there were various techniques for taking the corn kernels off the cob. There was the twist the cob to get a row of kernels off at a time. There was the flick off one kernel at a time. Finally there were the push it off one row at time.
Thankfulness and Joy in Harvesting

We had the best time at the farm. There were lots of smiles, giggles, proud moments. I am not sure the Pilgrims or Indians giggled during their Thanksgiving feast. This Thanksgiving I am am giggling as I remember those moments of pride, our joyful smiles and the chickens clutching slugs in their beaks like they were the best food in the world.

Thankfulness and Joy in Harvesting

Happy Thanksgiving!

This post is linked to Mama’s Losin’ It and Mrs. Matlock.

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Comments

  4. What an image with the chickens delighting on slugs..as if they were chocolate or something.
    Sounds like something Scarlet would love. She has a lot of patience and drive with tasks, such as wheat plucking.
    Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

  5. How lovely that you are doing such a good job of teaching your son his heritage. I certainly never taught my children like that but then I guess it’s not got the monumental history that America has happy thanksgiving and blessing being sent your way

  10. J Daniel has grown into a wonderful, inquisitive and joyful boy since I last participated in Alphabe`Thursday back in 2011. I so enjoyed your posts then and am glad to reacquaint with both of you again in 2013. He’s such a lucky boy to have a Mom who shares the joy of learning….afterall not many of us have experienced the ‘Joy of Slug Searching’…that is a great lesson.
    Happy Alphabe-Thanksgiving-Thursday
    Sue CollectInTexas Gal

  18. What an awesome experience and one he will remember and cherish for a long time to come 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to JDaniel, you and your lovely family 🙂

  25. Ah.

    Ah.

    I’m a Master Gardener here in Arizona and I’ve never seen such a hard workin’, cutie at any of my events!

    ha!

    He’s just beautiful inside and out!

    Thanks for sharing the Blessing of your JDaniel!

    A++

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