I can’t tell you how this video has touched me….this familiar place is my home away from home and this artist has captured the essence of Yosemite on video.
I invite you to enjoy this visual and auditory treat.
Winter in Yosemite National Park from Henry Jun Wah Lee on Vimeo.
Winter in Yosemite National Park
If you are interested, he also did one for autumn.
Autumn in Yosemite National Park
We had the opportunity to hike down at the river, sunny skies and warmer temperatures were just too good to pass up. The Kona dog went swimming and brought us a bunch of sticks to throw for her to fetch. She was one happy dog!
This sign is for rafters, not hikers. There are stretches of the river that flow through “private” areas and you are not supposed to be loud and rowdy there but then when you hit public lands you can have water fights and swim and holler as much as you want. There were no rafters on the river this time but in the summer there is raft after raft of water lovers floating down this section of the river.
Hiking still means climbing on things for my teenage boys. This time it was an old oak tree lying on its side. It is a sad sight to see one of these old oaks giving in to the elements. I know it is home to creatures and soon it will melt into the floor of the woods but it still makes me sad.
Down at the river the boys made Andy Goldworthy style rock piles again but in the end my rock sculpture was the best…..
What do you think? At least it didn’t fall over before I could take a photo….just friendly family competition/fun. It is not as easy at it looks to stack rocks, big and small, into something that looks nice.
Hiking back up from the river I spotted this little mushroom growing in the moss on the side of a tree.
Here is another one that we thought was interesting. My boys call me the Fungus Lady for a reason. 🙂
Seriously, our part of the world is not a winter wonderland but it can get cold. I decided that it is pleasantly warm enough afternoons that it makes our cold winter mornings bearable. I have never lived anywhere else and I just don’t know how I would cope with really long, snowy winters. We have days at a time where it is cold and we get a few inches of snow but it melts and the sun comes out and we see green. Our green season is really from about this time of the year until the end of May…..they our state turns “golden”. I like “golden”.
Shhhh…don’t tell anyone. Barb is admitting that she doesn’t care for winter as much as summer.
154 days until the first day of summer but I’m not counting.
I am going to have to postpone our winter snow study until we actually get some snow. We are working on our winter tree study though so stay tuned for that this week. We also took another fabulous hike to a different part of the river today…I know….we are spoiled but loving it.
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| Get Outside And Experience Your Winter World |
Here are the links to this week’s challenges:
Winter Series #2 Winter Tree Study
Winter Wednesday #2 World of Snow
Even if you don’t have snow…take a Winter Nature Walk. Click HERE for nature walk ideas to print out for your family. Please feel free to complete one or both of the challenges as you have the opportunity.
Don’t forget to check in with the additional webpages for these sets of challenges:
Sometimes it is just nice to listen.
There is a time for listening to the quiet sounds of nature, letting it wash over us, clearing our heads. The little voices of thought can be heard without the constant hum of inside life.
Then after we have bathed ourselves in the sounds of the outdoors we somehow bring that back with us and share it with others, having refreshed our own spirits.
I found a few moments this morning in between sprinkles of rain to watch a few birds, take a few photos, and have a quiet time away from the busy morning routine.
Enjoy a few images from my listening time….
Western scrub jays are frequent visitors to our feeders and this week they have been chasing the smaller birds away so they can gobble up all the sunflower seeds.These birds are not even afraid of the squirrels that are competing with them for food. The birds will squawk and the squirrels will chatter and it is quite the scene.
The goldfinches don’t mess with the jays and they hang out in the sweet gum tree, hanging upside down to snatch the seeds from the sticker balls.
Here you can see the goldfinch’s color as he reaches over to his snack.
Winter is a good time for listening.
You can now purchase all four seasonal ebooks for the Outdoor Hour Challenge in a bundle for a discounted price of $29.99.
You will receive (see below):
Winter 2010
Spring 2010
Summer 2010
Autumn 2010
Please see the individual entries for more details about each ebook:
I email you the download links within 24 hours of purchase. I send the email to the address on your Paypal account unless you make a note during the checkout process on Paypal.
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| Cattails from Our Snowshoe Hike January 6, 2011 |
I have been trying my best to figure out how to link us all up with our winter nature study. I think every Friday I will just list the corresponding Winter Series Challenge and the Winter Wednesday Challenge all in one post.
Here are the links to this week’s challenges:
Winter Series Challenge #1 – Winter Cattail Study
Winter Wednesday #1 – Winter World of Color
Please feel free to complete one or both of the challenges as you have the opportunity. We would all enjoy seeing your entries and even if it is at a later date, please come back to this entry and add your link.
As you can see from the photo above, we were able to go out for a winter snowshoe hike and we found some cattails to observe. I will be posting our Winter Cattail entry and our Winter Colors entry over the weekend. It was *wonderful* to get back outdoors with some purpose. I really am looking forward to spending the next few months sharing our adventures and reading about yours.
I am sending out a really big thank you to all of you who have commented and sent sweet notes about your nature study and how much you are looking forward to finding some interesting things to learn about this winter. It means a lot to me to know I am helping other families.
Have a great week!
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| Trees in Golden Gate Park – San Francisco |
Angie from Petra School posted a wonderful reflection post on the second reading section of the December World Mini-Challenge….pages 23 and 24 from the Handbook of Nature Study.
As I neared the end of her writing, a lightbulb went off in my brain!
The Handbook of Nature Study frustrated me at first because it was not a field guide but it also frustrated me because I wanted a book that answered all the questions for the activities suggested in the individual lessons.
I was missing the purpose both of the book and of nature study in general.
Nature Study (and pretty much all we learn) is more about the questions we have and finding the answers. The Handbook of Nature Study gives us some starting point questions in each lesson but then we are free to pick and choose which ones, if any, we are going to use in our outdoor time.
Better yet, we can listen to the questions that arise from our children as we go about our nature study time together. Take those questions and help your children find the answers….at first with help but then as they mature in their abilities, to find the answer themselves.
Thanks Angie for sharing your thoughts on this section.
Also, Phyllis wanted me to mention again on this blog that the hardcover edition of this book on Amazon.com is abridged and the graphics are of poor quality.
I always recommend the paperback edition of this book if you are going to buy one for your family. Save yourself some money and frustration and DO NOT get the book with the cute little squirrel on the front.
Buy the paperback edition with the butterfly!
We had a whole month of December World entries that prove that there is a wonderful world of nature study even as the season changes and shows its cold winter face.
As always, I enjoy every entry to the carnival and I hope you do too. A special thank you this month to all the participants who took the time to send in entries…they are greatly appreciated.
My December World entries are Flaming Tree, Fragrance, Colors, Raging River, and Texture. Click over and read any that you might have missed this past month. I so enjoyed documenting our nature experiences this month…it kept us balanced.
Melissa from Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys in The Yard writes about their December World and is inspired to write a some verses of poetry. Thanks Melissa for inspiring all of us with your words and photos.
Angie from The One Thing writes about their December World in Georgia which includes snow! Here are her words that sum up here thoughts, “I have found such joy, contentment, peace, have been completely amazed and in awe since I found the Charlotte Mason home school method about five years.” I couldn’t agree more.
Monica from Discover Their Gifts shares their December World which also involves snow. She finds joy in the things right outside in their own backyard and what they can see from their windows…the moon, clouds, the trees. Don’t miss her photo of the moon during the day…gorgeous.
Angie from Petra School has written three entries as part of the December World Mini-Challenge to reread parts of the Handbook of Nature Study: December Mini Challenges, Mini Challenge #2 The Teacher’s Role, and Mini Challenge #3 Language and Drawing. I loved the insights she had as part of the #2 reading about questions and answers. Thanks Angie for sharing your thoughts as you work through the Handbook of Nature Study pages.
Kelsey from Mud Puddles has an entry for the December World challenge as well. She gave herself a personal challenge as they headed outdoors into their snowy world, “Usually I am (partially) directing our explorations to focus on the current challenge we are learning more about. However, during this visit I really challenged myself to keep my mouth closed and let the kids guide me.” I think we all need to do this more and Kelsey shares some wonderful photos of their time outdoors. Thanks Kelsey.
Paula who writes from Belgium shares her Feed Your Garden Birds entry as part of the December Outdoor Hour Challenge Carnival. It looks like winter has come to her part of the world as well. Thanks Paula.
Amy from The Teachable Heart shares two entries with the carnival: Bees and Honeycomb and Seed Hunt. I do so love to see how Amy and her children adapt the OHC to younger children. Thanks for sharing your entries with us Amy.
Makita from Academia Celestia shares a photo journal of their December butterfly study, including their journal entries.
Tricia (HodgePodge Mom) shares their December World and they did a little added challenge, look for greens and reds while they were outdoors. This is always a great way to keep your nature study focused but still let the children lead they way. She also shares her insights as part of the parent’s part of the December World Mini Challenge to read the Handbook of Nature Study. Thanks for the reminders Tricia.
There you go! I think this Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival turned out great after all. I was a little worried last week when I didn’t have any entries but you all stepped up and helped make this a memorable December. Well, the whole year has been a joy…. I look forward to the coming months and all of our winter and spring activities.
Here are some of my most popular nature study blog entries. They answer many of the most frequently asked questions about nature study that I receive from readers.
Outdoor Hour Challenge: Fitting the Challenges to Your Family.
Nature Study With Very Young Children
Nature Study the Gentle Way
Nature Study for Young People
Nature Study – How To Do It Naturally
How to Use Questions in Nature Study
In Expectation – Finding Joy in Your Own Neighborhood
Nature Study is NOT Drill
Nature Study for Teens
Nature Study and Toddlers
Nature Study in Ripples
Nature Journal or Nature Notebook
Birdwatching 101 – Attracting Birds to Your Yard
Top Picks for Field Guides
Winter Nature Study – Taking it Inside
Nature Study When It Is Hot Outside
Nature Study in the City
Ants – Spring ebook
Black Swallowtail – Spring Nature Study Continues
Caddisfly and Caddis worm – Summer Nature Study Continues
Cockroach – Autumn 2015
Crickets – Summer ebook and another cricket study
Fireflies – Summer ebook
Gall Dwellers – More Nature Study Winter
Grasshoppers – Summer ebook
Insect Study with Bug’s Eye View Printable
Katydids – Summer ebook
Lacewing – Summer Nature Study Continues coming soon
Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers – More Nature Study Autumn
Monarch Butterfly – More Nature Study Summer
Moths – Summer ebook and another moth study
Mosquitoes – Summer ebook
Mud Daubers – More Nature Study Summer
Winter Insects – Winter Wednesday ebook
Yellow Jackets – More Nature Study Summer
