Science: Feline Castration

In honor of our newest Wildcat Flynn's upcoming neutering, here is some information on feline castration. First, correct terminology. Neuter is a gender-neutral term and can mean a castration or a spay. Castration is the lay term for the male neuter, while the technical terminology is orchiectomy. Spay is the female version, or oophorohysterectomy to be technical.

This veterinarian's website has a beautiful, simple explanation. At the bottom of the page is a link for a slide show of the actual surgery. If you are squeamish at all, do not click that link, as it shows photographs of an actual open surgery.

Given my background and experiences with anatomy, body functions, and surgery, my daughter has heard from a young age about proper body names, and age appropriate body functions. She has known for a while how a baby grows in mom, and how a baby is born naturally, including viewing diagrams and pictures. She knows about male and female body parts in a very basic way, including identifying the very obvious testicles of our male rats, guinea pigs, and her new kitten, so I made the decision to let her watch the slide show (after I previewed it) and learn a bit more about male anatomy. Her opinion of the surgery? "Not a big deal." Once she knew that Flynn was going to have surgery, she asked me several times to explain what would happen so she would know he will be okay. I know my daughter, what I've already taught her, and her squeamishness level- please take your own child's knowledge and maturity into consideration before you decide to discuss the details!

History: Ancient India & China

I use Story of the World for history, and we are nearing the end of the first book. This month, my daughter is learning a little more about Ancient India & China. Having spent my second decade of life living in Bangladesh, and travelling the Indian Subcontinent & Asia, I have found the chapters on India to bring back memories. I'm not quite that ancient, mind you, but I fondly remember the weather, cattle, crowds, colors, & food. I learned to cook some Indian food dishes since coming back stateside (though my daughter is only barely okay with mild curry, and my husband won't touch "exotic" at all.) I realize, as I talk to my daughter about my memories, and try to relate that to what she is learning, that my experiences there are very far removed from the life she knows.

I found and online translation of the Mahabharata and I penciled that in for some summer read-aloud time. I love the art work and I still remember reading both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as a teenager. (This will go under "Language Arts: Literature" in my record-keeping.)

I love the British Museum website, and will be using their Ancient India and Ancient China pages. There are games, short readings, and quizzes, as well as maps and pictures. I can take a Science trip and discuss the Indian cattle breeds, commonly called Brahman and Miniature Zebu. (TNAU Animal Husbandry, Love4cows both have good photos.) She can explore the different cycle of seasons, including monsoon.We will also look at Hinduism and Buddhism, two religions origination from this area.