Author: Barb

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Beans! Outdoor Hour Crop Plant Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge Bean study
We grow beans every year in our summer garden. There is nothing like freshly picked beans to complement a summer dinner. It is one vegetable that everyone in our family loves.


My dad is a big time gardener and he has a *ton* of green beans this year. He picks them every day and has a full basket. This is a photo of a part of his garden. In the foreground are his pumpkins, then zucchini, and in the way back…green beans and tomatoes. On the right side he has okra, chard, and eggplant.

You cannot see it in this photo but he has an electric fence around the garden to keep out the deer. He still had trouble with gophers so he had to dig up all his garden beds this last winter and put mesh in the bottom of every single box. The gophers still dig in the garden but they can’t get up into the veggies.


The variety of beans that we are growing, in the photo above, has a pretty little flower and the bean itself has a purple/blue tint to it. They don’t get as long as the beans we usually grow but they are tender and sweet


Speaking of a pretty flower…how about this eggplant blossom? My dad is growing a row of Japanese eggplant. I hope he shares.


He was willing to share this zucchini that became a monster. 🙂 I regularly get zucchini and green beans from him since his plants are producing earlier and with more vigor than those in my garden for some reason.


Our garden is a blaze with colors and it is such a joy to sit outside and enjoy all the growing things and blooming things. The gladiolas are not blooming yet…they are something new this year so I am anxious to see how they do.

We did not sow any bean seeds this week as part of the challenge but we did soak some and then cut them open and look at the parts. This was the subject of our nature journal.


Did you eat green beans this week? We did!

I wasn’t so sure when we started these Crop Plant Outdoor Hour Challenges that I was going to enjoy them, but now that we are into the study I think my whole family is learning more than we thought we would….focus, it is all about focus. 🙂

Crop Plants Notebook Pages – Companion to the Crop Plants Challenges

Crop Plants Notebook Page Cover Button
Custom made notebook pages for each crop plant challenge. I have designed simple to use pages that will complement each challenge and will be an easy way to start a nature journal. Each of the eight notebook pages is in full color, but they are just as great in black and white. These notebook pages can be purchased for $2.50. View a  SAMPLE

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Nature Notebooks-Like a Travel Journal

Indian Sands wildflowers Indian Paintbrush

“Nature notebooks, which started with our P.U.S. (Parents Union Schools) have become like travel records and journals for students. They keep notes about all their finds: birds, flowers, fungus, mosses are described and sketched every season in the same way that Gilbert White did. A nature notebook can be kept by anyone anywhere. It can be used to record stars on their course in the heavens, or a fossil of an anemone on the beach at Whitby. These notebooks help to make science come alive and relate to the common man. Science should not be taught merely as a utilitarian means of preparing students for a career!”
Charlotte Mason, volume 6, page 223

I was reading through volume six of Charlotte Mason’s books this week and found this gem of a quote about nature journals. I am in total agreement with her about the nature journal becoming a travel journal for our children as well as for ourselves.

We have traveled with our journals for many years and it is enjoyable to look back at the entries from places far from home with fond memories.

Here are some examples:

Trip to Makaha, Hawaii….homeschooled while we were there for two weeks. Awesome experience for the boys.


Another journal drawing from the Makaha trip.


Yellowstone National Park and a day at the river that we all remember with our journal entries. I can’t explain how taking the time to journal a day is so powerful. It seems to blaze it into your memory so that years later….many years later in this case, we can all remember exactly what we did on that hot summer afternoon. This entry is from my oldest son’s journal.


This journal was done on a trip to Arizona. We had visited the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson and we saw three different owls that my son recorded in his journal.


Closer to home, this journal entry was done on a family hike to Eagle Lake. I remember that even my husband journaled on this day and it was great to see his experiences. This is my pen and watercolor sketch of the event.


This one I shared this entry not too long ago but it is another great way to document a trip in a nature journal. My son and I journaled on the same page and it is one of my favorite entries in my current journal. I know I will always look back on this page and remember the afternoon that we spent at Curry Village sketching and having a snack. Thanks Mr. B.


One last one from a trip we took a few years ago to the redwoods. It was our first time visiting Redwoods National Park and we made time for several entries while we were there. This particular entry reminds me that these were the falls that the boys climbed up and found their very first banana slug. They made me climb up the waterfall to take a photo of it for them. 🙂

Take your journals with you when you travel. Take time to sketch!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Getting Started

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Out on the Bike Trail Again


It was a hot summer day at our house and we were trying to think of ways to escape the heat. We decided to head up the mountain where it was about twenty degrees cooler and take a bike ride and have a picnic. (Another very crooked horizon in this photo….I had my little camera and the viewing screen is nothing but glare sometimes in the bright sun so I have no idea if what I am shooting is crooked or not.)

The trail was fairly crowded with others that shared our idea to cool off. We pedaled about eight miles round trip but since the temperatures were so much cooler, it was very enjoyable.

We mostly stayed in the forest but at one point we veered over to the lake and sat in the shade and had a drink.


Along the trail there were patches of Indian Paintbrush blooming like orange pokers tucked in and around the green grasses.


This pretty pink flower was blooming as well.


This was the first time I noticed this particular sign on a tree near where we stopped to picnic. I thought the graphic was rather clever.


It just so happened that this guy was trying to find a meal as well. He checked out under our table but then decided to dig little holes to see what he could munch on.

I actually was able to get rather close to take this photo since he was occupied with something tasty. He is a Golden-mantled ground squirrel….which looks like a chipmunk but with no stripes on his head.

We had a very refreshing day on the bike trail and there were plenty of interesting things to keep us entertained.

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Crop Plants #2 Beans

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Crop Plants #2
Beans/Seed Germination

For this week’s challenge we will be straying from the Handbook of Nature Study just a little. I wanted to give the opportunity for our children to observe the seed germination process first hand as we work our way through these challenges. The Germinator project we did last year as part of Challenge #19, but it is so much fun that I am going to include it with the bean challenge.

I am going to give you a link to a Google book that explains the vocabulary in seed germination.
Practical Nature Study and Elementary Agriculture, by John M. Coulter, written in 1909.
(http://books.google.com/books?id=ZJtJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover)

Scroll down to page 249, read the first two paragraphs. I love the simplicity of this explanation and I think we will sketch this out in our nature journals with labels.

Inside Preparation Work
1. Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 458-459-Seed Germination. You can germinate your own beans to observe by choosing one of the following activities. I consider both of these projects to be “beginners” projects so don’t hesitate to give them both a try!

A. The Germinator
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/germinator.html
(This project was a part of Outdoor Hour Challenge #19.)
This is an easy project that can be accomplished with just a little effort. Children of all ages delight in watching their very own baby bean plants emerge from seeds.

B. Egg Shell Seed Starters
http://www.instructables.com/id/Eggshell_Seed_Starters/
(This project is illustrated in the Handbook of Nature Study on page 459.)


Outdoor Time

3. For this challenge, spend 10-15 minutes outdoors in your own backyard. If you have some green bean seeds, plant some in your garden or in a big pot. You may wish to soak your beans overnight before you plant them.

Plant your beans according to the package instructions. If you have already planted some beans, make sure to observe their growth. My seed packet says that it takes 52 days until harvest so you may still even have time to reap some beans from your plant this season. If not, this is still a great way to learn about seed germination and you can plan on getting some beans in the ground next spring. You will be ready with your seeds and your additional knowledge.

Follow-Up Activity

4. Allow time for discussion and a nature journal entry after your outdoor time. Sketching your beans or any other seeds before you plant them and then as they progress and grow can be an on-going project in your nature journal. (If you have the Crop Plants notebook pages, you will find a page to record your seed germination.)

5. You can use the questions on page 459 to help your child narrate what happens with your seeds as they germinate.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

  • Which comes out of the seed first, the root or the shoot and leaves?
  • Which way does the root grow up or down?
  • How do the seed leaves get out of the seed coat, or shell?

Optional Activity:
This week you can purchase some fresh green beans to observe and to taste as a family. Have your children help you wash and prepare the beans for a delicious treat.

Crop Plants Notebook Page Cover Button
New for this series of challenges are custom made notebook pages for each crop plant we will study. I have designed simple to use pages that will complement each challenge and will be an easy way to start a nature journal. Each of the eight notebook pages is in full color, but they are just as great in black and white.

SAMPLE

 

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Clover…In Our Grass: Our Outdoor Hour Challenge


We have so much clover in our grass right now that this challenge was very easy! We also identified a new plant that we thought was a kind of clover, later determining that it was not clover but a kind of verbena. We definitely have white clover in our grass and the bees love it.

We didn’t have to wait long for the bees to show up when we were observing our clover plants.


The other plant that we found growing in our grass is Self-heal. (Thanks Diana for the correct identification on this plant.) The purple flowers are spiraled around the top of the plant. It is growing right alongside the clover and grass.


We tried to observe the nodules on the clover root, but we were not very successful. I think we need to find a place where the ground is softer and we can really dig up the entire plant. Perhaps we can pull out the magnifying glass as well and look closer.


We dug up a self-heal plant as well and compared the roots, stem, and flower to that of the white clover.

The boys started the suggested clover study from page 598 (number 5) in the Handbook of Nature Study and recorded the first day on theirCrop Plants Notebook Page.

“The clover head is made up of many little flowers; each one has a tubular calyx with five delicate points and a little stalk to hold it up into the world. In shape, the corolla is much like that of the sweet pea, and each secretes nectar at its base. The outside blossoms open first; and as soon as they are open, the honey bees, which eagerly visit white clover wherever it is growing, begin at once their work of gathering nectar and carrying pollen…” Handbook of Nature Study, page 597

We have seen other kinds of clover over the last few months and once you can distinguish its appearance, you start to see clover all over the place.

Crop Plants Notebook Pages – Companion to the Crop Plants Challenges

Crop Plants Notebook Page Cover Button
Custom made notebook pages for each crop plant challenge. I have designed simple to use pages that will complement each challenge and will be an easy way to start a nature journal. Each of the eight notebook pages is in full color, but they are just as great in black and white. These notebook pages can be purchased for $2.50. View a sample here: Crop Plants Notebook Pages Sample.

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

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Blackberry Time of Year


We are now into the blackberry season in our corner of the world.

You will frequently find me with blue fingers and big smile.

I couldn’t find the blackberry in the Handbook of Nature Study, but I did read about the wild strawberry last week. I love this quote and I think it applies equally to the blackberry as it does to the strawberry.

“Of all the blossoms that cloth our open fields, one of the prettiest is that of the wild strawberry. And yet so influenced is man by his stomach that he seldom heeds this flower except as a promise of a crop of strawberries. It is comforting to know that the flowers of the field ‘do not care a rap’ whether man notices them or not; insect attentions are what they need, and they are surely as indifferent to our indifference as we are to theirs.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 608

We are partaking of both blackberries and strawberries right now as well as figs. The figs are huge this year and very juicy.

In the evening, after dinner last night, we were sitting outside and enjoying the cool air and I notice a Scrub jay sitting and having his meal of figs. There are so many figs this year that I don’t mind that they take the ones from the top of the tree that I can’t reach to pick. Sharing the fruits of the garden is all a part of the fun of it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the season and finding joy in the fruits of their gardens.

Gardens ebook Outdoor Hour challenge

 

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Garden Nature Study – Crop Plants Notebook Pages

Crop Plants Notebook Pages – Companion to the Crop Plants Challenges

Crop Plants Notebook Page Cover Button
Custom made notebook pages for each crop plant challenge. I have designed simple to use pages that will complement each challenge and will be an easy way to start a nature journal. Each of the eight notebook pages is in full color, but they are just as great in black and white. View a  SAMPLE

List of Crop Plant Challenge in the Ebook:
Crop Plants – Clover
Crop Plants – Beans
Crop Plants – Corn
Crop Plants – Cotton
Crop Plants – Strawberries
Crop Plants – Pumpkins
Crop Plants – Tomatoes 

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Emerald Bay: Day Hike with the Boys

Summer afternoon hike at the lake…not just any lake but a sparkling alpine lake.


The trail is narrow and winds along the shore of the bay. I talked to another hiker along the trail and he was telling me he thinks the view on this trail is in his “top ten” views in the world. It is amazingly gorgeous. The colors of the water are so blue and the mountains, still with a little snow on the tops, are majestic. (The horizon line in this photo is so crooked that it really bothers me but I love this photo of my youngest stopped in the middle of the trail, taking in the panorama.)


It was nice to have my oldest son along since he is a photographer as well. He captured some great shots of the water and the surrounding mountains. We gave each other photography tips and support. He is such a tech guy and I am very much *not* a tech person but photography is a language that we speak in common.


This was a new wildflower to us…so bright pink. I had an inkling it was some kind of penstemon. I came home and looked it up and sure enough, Cliff Penstemon or Rock Penstemon-Penstemon rupicola, figwort family.


Here is the waterfall at the end of the trail. This was a 1.7 mile hike from the trailhead which runs Emerald Bay Campground to Eagle Falls. The falls were hard to capture in a photograph because the sun was behind them at this point late in the afternoon. You can imagine the waterfall roaring and the mist blowing over to us, cooling us off. It was very refreshing.


From the waterfall we hiked down to the shore of the lake to wade in the water and have a snack. The beach had a dozen or so Canada Geese. Look at those feet! They are really big birds with really big feet.


After we hiked back to the car, we drove to our favorite beach to have a picnic dinner. There were lots and lots of Mule’s ear blooming. We enjoyed our food and then walked along the shore one last time before heading home for the day.

One last photo for those that wonder about bears….here is the sign at the place we had our picnic.

No bears on this day. We have encountered bears before in this area and we agree with what the sign says, “Appreciate the experience and move on….”. The bears we have seen in the wild are usually too busy doing other stuff to take much heed of our presence. It is usually a pleasant experience and not one to be feared.

What a refreshing, fun afternoon and evening. We all are looking forward to our next trip to the lake.

 

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Garden Update: Early July


This week’s garden update includes some new munchies from the garden. The poppy above is probably going to be close to one of the last that I have for the year. I love the texture of this blossom, so delicate and papery.

lettuce (3)
I went ahead and picked the last of the lettuce. These are little mini heads of lettuce that taste so sweet and nice, almost like butter lettuce.

lettuce (1)
This is the final crop of mixed leaf lettuce. I don’t really care for the bitterness of these varieties. I think we will plant a different kind in the fall….some that aren’t so strong.


Banana peppers….I can hardly wait!


The hydrangeas are awesome this year. I love the purpleness of this one plant.

Mullien
Our experimental mullein is blooming. For the first time we left the mullein growing in several spots in the yard and it is now showing us its more beautiful side. The hummingbirds have been investigating it as well. 🙂 The empty feeder is a normal sight in our yard lately. I have a hard time keeping up.


Here is another angle of this section of the garden on a different day. The sunflowers are really tall now, way over my head. See how tall the mullein is too?


I don’t think that I have shared my milkweed’s progress yet. I sent away for some milkweed seeds from ButterflyEncounters.com and I started some of the seed in pots. I am a little nervous about transplanting it into the garden so I got a bigger pot and I am going to still keep a careful eye on it over the summer.


Amanda’s coneflowers are blooming and the bees are buzzing happily. If you look carefully in the background of this photo, you will see her zinnias have started to bloom as well.

Well, that is a quick trip around our garden this week. Just to a note to myself=We planted bee balm and salvia this week, hoping it will grow now that the weather is hot.

 

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Gray Birds: Our Outdoor Hour Challenge

Outdoor Hour Challenge Gray Birds Pigeon @handbookofnaturestudy

The last of the bird challenges has arrived. For our family, this series of challenges has helped us become more aware of the birds around us at all times. We also have all become more adept at using our Peterson Field Guide. Every week we have spent some time quietly observing birds, admiring their various colors, shapes, and behaviors.

This week’s challenge to learn about gray birds taught us more about the pigeons we see in our neighborhood. We have a flock of pigeons that live in our town on an overcrossing and there are always pigeons hanging around at our grocery store parking lot. Someone throws out bird seed for them on the pavement and they flock there to have a meal.

My daughter Amanda has a phobia about pigeons. She avoids them at all costs. Pigeons are not my favorite bird, but I have come to appreciate them more through our reading in the Handbook of Nature Study.

“For an out-of-doors exercise during recess let the pupils observe the pigeons and tell the colors of the beak, eyes, top of the head, back, breast, wings, tail, feet, and claws. This exercise is excellent training to fit the pupils to note quickly the colors of wild birds.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 52

No mockingbirds this week….we will keep our eyes out for this interesting bird and its songs.

We also spent some time discussing as a family how we don’t have as many birds in our yard and feeders during the summer as we do during the winter. In the winter, our list of feeder birds is really long. Yesterday we observed at our feeder to make a comparison.

House sparrow
Titmouse
Hummingbird
Western scrub jay (also in the bird bath)
Goldfinch

Comparing the lists is amazing….we must have a lot of migratory birds in our area since they must leave to go north once the winter is over. Looking at the maps in the back of the Peterson Field Guide have been very helpful in knowing just where our birds migrate to and from….so interesting.

We found this coloring page on Enchanted Learning and thought it was helpful.
Rock Dove (Pigeon)


We also found this explanation helpful from the Peterson Field Guide.

“Pigeons and Doves. Plump, fast-flying birds with small heads and low, cooing voices; they nod their heads as they walk. Two types: 1. birds with fanlike talkes (Rock Dove or Domestic Pigeon); 2. smaller, brownish birds with rounded or pointed tails (Mourning Dove).
Peterson Field Guide (W) page 208

This was a great way to end our bird study. Of course, we will always be on the look out for different birds to add to our life list in our nature journal.