A Peacock Nature Study
Col. 1:16 says "For by Him were all things created . . . "
There are so many beautiful things on earth that we can enjoy if we take the time to slow down and look a little closer. It is our goal to find joy in the things He has created and in this case that was easy to do.
After enjoying a wonderful field trip to a sheep farm, participating in the process of taking wool, freshly sheared, and turning it in to yarn, we enjoying a beautiful walk through the garden. There was no better way to end the day than a picnic lunch and a nature study. Having come prepared with our clipboards and pencils, we were excited to see what we could find. Thankfully, we didn't have to look far because just as we were finishing up our lunches, this beautiful bird joined our fun. Obviously very used to having children around on the farm, he was very friendly and didn't mind our taking a closer look.
Did you know that the term Peacock only refers to the male bird in this species? The female is named the peahen. They are both part of the family of Peafowls. The male peafowl (peacock) is the one which displays beautiful, colorful feathers, in order to attract the female.
We also learned that there are three main types of Peafowls: the Green Peafowl, the Indian peafowl and the Congo Peafowl. When searching for the differences in each, it doesn't take long to find them. For instance, the Congo Peafowl is much more bulky in size and sports a fluffier white crest on his head. In this case, we learned that "our" peacock friend is an Indian Peacock. We could tell because of his crest; it looks like tall sticks on top of his head with blue dots attached.
Here, you can see his beautiful tail feathers. I so hoped we would find one lying on the ground to take home and observe more carefully but this wasn't the case.
An adult peahen has an average of 200 tail feathers that are shed and re-grown according to answersingenesis.org .
I recommend reading this article if you are studying peacocks with you child; it is quite fascinating.
Once we arrived home, we were able to do a search online to find many beautiful images to observe more closely. This is one of my favorites. How can anyone doubt that we have an amazing creator? In the article I mentioned above you will read about the purposes for the brown coloring around the eye pattern . . . truly fascinating. For me, this type of study proves that when we slow down and become interested in creation, we will quickly be in awe of its creator. To me, it would be a shame to skim through a quick paragraph or two in a textbook and then move on... so fun to find out more!
Back to the nature study. . . Before heading home the kids found a quiet spot to sit and observe the peacock as it made its way around the yard. This is when the clipboards come out. I'd love to share with you the sketches my children made.
This first one was made by my younger daughter. She still has yet to finish coloring in the details but I love the way she captured the eye patterns and the crest.
Next, is my son's drawing. The over-exaggeration of key features brings a smile to my face. Check out the crest on his peacock.
On our way home, my daughter used the leftover aluminum foil from her lunch to create this. She couldn't wait to get home to paint her creation.
We are enjoying our nature studies and look forward to sharing more with you soon.
