FaceTime with Wolf

Our day began with a video chat with Wolf, Cedar, Jecca and Babu (Ian, Wolf's grandpa).  They drove out near some lions which were a bit hard for us to see, but the children made the best of it and had fun getting their questions answered.
Palmer: Are there reindeer in Kenya?
Wolf: No.
Jecca: No reindeer, but we wish we did. They come around when Father Christmas comes.
Emilia: What color are the elephants?
Wolf: Their tusks are white and their whole body is grey. 
Jecca: Depending on the soil they've been rolling around in, they might also seem reddish in color.
Cannon: Was the elephant footprint HUGE?
Wolf showed us with his hands how big it was - YES! HUGE!
Grace: When you were tracking the elephant did you find it?
Wolf: No
Wolf M: Were you riding a good horse?
Wolf: Yes.
Jecca informed us that he's a big horse (that used to be used for polo) but is gentle and is now retired. Wolf takes riding lessons on a horse named Kenyata that is 18 years old and Cedar rides one that is 21 years old.
Evelyn: Did the sneaky lion catch anything?
Wolf: No, she chased a bunny.

Oliver: Do the lions have parents?
Babu: Yes, they have a mother and a father. After about 2.5 - 3 years, the females stay as a family and the males wonder off in a bachelor group.
(Once we explained that answer the kids thought it was hilarious and couldn't believe it!)
Oliver: WHAT?!

Jecca and Wolfie also talked about some naughty monkeys that are going to the bathroom in their house and sometimes take things! Also, when the family goes out to the bathroom at night they have to be careful of a leopard that is living nearby. They have spotted its poop in the field!

There were a lot of great things happening in the classroom today. Too many to go into great detail, but there are a few things we want to highlight.

Cannon painted a cardinal today at the easel:

Fletcher built a house out of magna tiles and used balls to represent himself and Violet.

Here's the story Fletcher narrated:
Violet and Fletcher are going out in the backyard to play. (He rolls the balls out of the house.)
Hey!...they found some treasure. (A piece of chalk)
(Melanie suggests that pirates brought the treasure, which prompts Fletcher to change the storyline.)
It's a house boat. Hey look I have a little propeller. Blup, blup, blup. (propeller sound)
Oh no! The propeller broke!
Cannon: You're sinking!
Fletcher: I'm not sinking. I think I went right out to sea.
This sequence inspired Cannon to build a pirate ship from magna tiles.

Later Fletcher was proud to have built a bridge:
Fletcher: Look Cannon! Look what I did!
Cannon: OOOHHHH! Handsome.
Fletcher: It's a bridge. It connects the 2 houses.

About half the class made messages for Wolf B and others will have an opportunity tomorrow.