Raccoons

Since the very exciting day of December sixth when the raccoons visited we have been making raccoon art.  The raccoons were not invited guests.  It was a surprise party.

"Boys and girls," I announced, "there is a BIG raccoon outside the window."  Indeed, there was a large, curious, unafraid male raccoon strolling by and staring in the windows. Where was my camera?  AWOL. A maintenance man and a mom with a big purse were trying to shoo Mr. Raccoon back toward the creek.

Not white as snow, but it did make the children laugh and play to see a raccoon at school. Later that day we saw Mrs. Raccoon wandering around near the creek across the parking lot from the playground. Pruning crews have recently removed lots of brush along the creek, and may have disturbed the raccoon's habitat.

Some animals capture our imagination at an early age. We are curious about them the rest of our lives. We care and even worry about them. I care about raccoons because of the Little Golden Book of Baby Animals, illustrated by Garth Williams. My copy is pretty crumbly these days, and I hope it survives a trip through the scanner!

It's silly really. The animals that tug on me are not pets. I'm sure not a shaman, although that's an intriguing visual possibility! Way back before I even had a baby brother, my dad had eyeglass frames that looked just like Baby Racoon to my young eyes. That's my life-long connection! Build those ties early and visually...

Question: Is there 2 ways to spell raccoon?  

Opinion: Yes, if you have a brother Darryl and another brother Darryl.

Answer: The word raccoon can be spelt with, or without a double C, and therefore can alternatively be spelt "racoon". 

Detour: And spelt is also known as dinkel wheat, but not by Darryl.

And wouldn't Dinkel Wheat be a good name for a band?

I want my young students to connect all the body
parts in their drawings.

© 2012 Nancy L. Ruder