Cow Eye Dissection

The boys completed their final dissection for the year; a cow eyeball.  After our last dissection, this one truly felt like a piece of cake!   :D  The only downside was that our eyeball seemed to be a little less than fresh.  :(  Sadly, it was more of a dried up ball.  But, we were still able to do the dissection and identify everything.  We just weren't able to do all the cool things with the lens that we had hoped.

what the lens SHOULD look like…

what our pitiful lens looked like…  :(

But this part was cool!  The tapetum at the back of the eye.

Here is a terrific link about cow eye dissections.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cow_eye/

Dissection… this one was 'interesting'

So, at the beginning of the school year we received our supplies for science and I distinctly remember opening up the box of specimens that we would be dissecting and seeing the fetal pig right there on top.  I almost passed out!!  Now, we have done dissections and I have handled them pretty well, but I have to say, that fetal pig kind of freaked me out!!  So, as the year progressed and we made our way through lessons and other dissections, I knew the time was drawing near for me to have to supervise the dissection of the fetal pig.  Now, before you point out that I should be a stronger and better homeschool Mama and be sure to not have my fears and insecurities rub off on the boys… well… you are right, but boy has THAT horse already left the barn!!  :)  They are stuck with me!

Jackson is not a fan of dissections and hangs in there just for the credit.  However, Jonathan is not only interested, he is very, very good at dissecting and recognizing what he is doing.  He truly leads us all through the lab, every single time!  Thank goodness for Jonathan is all I can say!!

Here are some photos from our fetal pig dissection night.  I feel pretty good about this.  All that remains to dissect this year is the cow eyeball.  That feels like it will be a piece of cake.  :)  

Frog Dissection

Anatomy and Physiology is turning out to be a bit of a trial for poor Jackson.  As he states, he knows for certain that he is NOT cut out for the medical profession!  However, Jonathan is diving right in and covering his big brother on dissection nights.  :)

The night of the frog dissection Brianna was able to join us.  She had never done a frog dissection so was half intrigued and half appalled.  :D  ha!  Here are some photos from the evening.

Brianna, Jackson and Jonathan

Here are some links that you might find helpful…

Frog Dissection - external (You Tube)

Frog Dissection - internal anatomy (You Tube)

Student Guide to Frog Dissection

Frog Dissection External Anatomy worksheet

November Wrap Up

So, it seems to happen every year in November… I drop off the face of the earth as far as the blog is concerned!  Seriously, when I look back at previous years there is always a huge gap in November.  I guess it is because we enter a season of birthdays and other celebrations and I get distracted.  Or, it could be because I go into hibernation the minute the time change happens.  Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think THAT is the real explanation!  Either way, I am throwing a lot together in this hodge podge post to wrap up the month of November.  So here goes!

I thought it was funny to see Marvin bundled up against the cold, mowing through the leaves...

… of course it was funnier a month ago when I took this photo!  :)

Marley likes to help.  :D

I liked the view of Marvin and Jonathan bringing the horses to the barn with the pastel sky behind them.

Jonathan caught sight of me and hunched down behind the horse so I couldn't see him...

:)

Brianna with her choir director and mentor, Mrs. Murphy.

 A true sign that winter is coming… taking the boat off the pond and putting it back in the barn.

Jackson bringing the boat to the storage barn.

Mary Lou and Heinz came to have breakfast with Mama and Daddy soon after his surgery. 

Brotherly love…   :)

Jonathan checking out a silent auction win from the Truman NEMO Alumni banquet.

*Just to clarify… this photo below is of the broken speedometer in the truck.  It was a very odd feeling to be going about 10 mph but look at the speedometer and see 80 mph!!  :)  We tried to get it fixed locally at our mechanic shop, but it ended up having to go to the dealer for a specific fix.  Thankfully, all is well now and the speedometer works perfectly!  So, no more photos ops like this one again…   :D

Proof that yes, the speedometer on the truck really was broken!!  :)
(P.S.  It is now fixed!)  

Dissection night!  

Jackson is thrilled...

Jonathan dives right in!

the swim bladder

Helpful perch dissection links…

You Tube video #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIx8gyd7rsg

You Tube video #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KxYchT1V20

Worksheets

http://www.biologyjunction.com/perch_dissection2.htm

Dissection

The boys did their first dissection of the year a couple weeks ago; a sheep heart.  People often ask where we find our materials and are sometimes surprised to hear that so many quality items are readily available.  I explain that homeschooling is big business and there are many, many high quality companies from which to purchase.  For instance, we purchase our dissection specimens from Sonlight.  I appreciate that the specimens they sell use a patented method of preservation that does not have that awful formaldehyde smell.  That makes a big difference!!  Although I have to admit that I about fainted dead when I opened the box and saw the fetal pig sitting on the very top.  I may have to be busy the day that is scheduled for dissection!!

Here are just a few links about dissecting the sheep heart.

Sheep Heart Dissection Guide with Pictures

Anatomy Corner - Sheep Heart

You Tube dissection