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Farmer Boy, Chapter 22

Social Studies
Winterizing a House 
Winterizing a house and barn (getting it ready for the colder weather with techniques to keep the cold air out, keeping the warm air in) was especially important for protecting the family and the livestock. Royal and his Father tightened the barn’s wooden windows and secured boards that had become loose with nails. They banked the walls with straw and laid stones on the straw to keep it in place despite strong winds. They fitted storm doors and window on the house too.

What do you do to winterize your house? Some people put in storm doors or windows, or they may put insulation seal around certain windows. It is a good idea to check and clean your furnace before turning it on the fall. If you have natural gas, you should install carbon monoxide detectors to detect harmful gases and alert the family so they are aware of the levels of gas and to correct the problem-usually the heater. Clean the furnace and replace the filter. Check and clean your fireplace. Stock your wood supplies and check fireplace tools. Make sure your snow shovel is in good condition and is easy to access for shoveling your driveway, and make sure you have salt to melt the ice on the sidewalk. Do you use a “snake” to stop door drafts?

Science
Trees 
Almanzo gathered up beechnuts. In chapter 22 you’ll find a good description of the nuts: “Beechnuts are 3 cornered and shiny, brown, and small, but every shell is solidly full of nut.” Here is the information again that you saw in chapter 1.

Beech (Fagus) – The beech species present in New York is the American Beech. Their deciduous leaves are simple and alternate, about 3”-4” long. They have a shiny, brown, prickly, triangular nut that is edible. They are large trees, growing up to 100’ high. The wood is used for railroad ties, paper pulp, boxes, furniture, and flooring.

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