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Luan decided to spend the whole day in the forest as it was the last day of the holidays. 

Tomorrow the school will start and he will have homework and other things to do so his forest friends will feel a little lonely. 

He also wanted to see if he could make friends with some of the sad children like he and his father decided. That would mean there could probably be more happy children.

 

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He knew that his father was a very smart man and if at all possible he would help these children. 

He had breakfast with his mother and asked her if it was okay if he spent the day in the forest.

That sounds great, just make sure that all your school clothes still fit as it has been a long holiday, you might have grown. Luan went upstairs to look at his school clothes and fortunately everything was fine. 

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By the time he got to his mother she had packed him a basket for the day and he could go and see the animals. 

I am taking my fishing rod with, just to get that feeling of catching a fish again. I promise to put them back in the water. The monkeys had a lot of bananas yesterday, so today there will be none. I will take some carrots to the rabbits as I do not think they all got some. 

He walked into the forest and just stood there looking. I think this is the most beautiful place on earth to me. 

Today I also want to sit and watch some of the birds as there are so many, and I am sure I have not seen them all.  He made his place next to the stream, put his basket there locked of course as there were animals that came and stole his food. Luckily they never took his basket. 

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He took out his binoculars and started looking up at the trees. Then he saw a bird that was digging a whole into the wood, he wondered why. 

 It was a woodpecker, and he was so fascinated that he could not stop looking. Woodpeckers live in wooded areas and forests, where they tap on tree trunks in order to find insects living in crevices in the bark and to excavate nest cavities. Some species drum on trees to communicate to other woodpeckers and as a part of their courtship behavior. 

 https://defenders.org/woodpeckers/basic-facts 

This is what he read in his book on birds. He wondered if the woodpecker did not get tired from tapping on the tree, he also had a book that his grandfather had given him and was always carrying it in his basket, with him; the book was called Roberts’ Birds of South Africa. 

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He sat there watching this beautiful bird taking pictures to show his parents and tell them how he read all about them in the book his grandfather had given him. 

He sat and thought he always watches the big animals but he could really learn a lot from watching the birds. He read that they get there food there, and then carry on until they have a nest where they have their babies and they feel safe up there. Well from now on I am going to start learning about all the birds here not many children have the privilege I have of having a whole forest to look for birds and animals.

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This is a very clever bird and very beautiful. In this book it says that there are many different ones it is unbelievable. Maybe I should also start a book with all the pictures of the birds I learn from here. 

Mother will be very impressed with me. He sat there for hours watching this woodpecker; he then gave the rabbits their carrots when he ate his lunch. 

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They seemed to sit and wait for him to feed them. He laughed by himself and then decided to go catch a fish before going home as he really spent a lot of time watching this woodpecker. 

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It did not take very long as there was such a lot of fish in this little river of his he took it off the hook and then he put it back nicely into the water. 

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He packed everything up and said goodbye to the forest and animals as he knew it was school tomorrow. 

He is not allowed to come to the forest before he had done all his chores and his homework that gave him about an hour a day before it started getting dark. 

He will miss this holiday as it has been one of the best he ever had. When he got home his mother said you better have a good bath as your feet are very dirty and we must cut and clean your nails for school tomorrow. 

Luan put everything away and went for his bath. He really scrubbed himself and when his father came home he looked so clean and cute.

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 School tomorrow my boy can see your mother made you clean up very nicely. 

They had dinner and Luan went to bed at the time he has to when it is school. 

Children sleep earlier as they have to be nice and fresh when they go to school. 

Sleep tight and l love you son you can tell me about the bird tomorrow. 

They wished him good night and he fell asleep.