Barb, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Barb — 2 Comments

So Many Leaves- Outdoor Challenge #17

Nasturtiums just starting to sprout in the flower garden

We had fun looking for different shaped leaves in our yard this week during our Outdoor Hour time. Once you get started you begin to see so many varieties of shapes and sizes. This entry is sort of my photo nature journal entry for this week. My son worked on drawing his leaves in his journal and you can find it below.

Hydrangea leaves have a fantastic vein pattern.

The fig leaves are really big this year.

Mimosa leaves are feathery and soft.

This is the catalpa tree leaves that are really big and so colorful in the fall.

I have about twenty more photos but I will stop there. I tend to get a little enthusiastic when we are in the middle of nature study. 🙂

Here is my son’s journal entry for you to enjoy.

He came up with his own way of drawing the leaves which I will share with you. He takes the leaf and traces the outline and then he fills in the details with his pencils. It is a compromise between free-hand drawing and rubbing and it really gives great results.

Another great week and challenge.

https://naturestudyhomeschool.com/2009/07/new-outdoor-hour-challenge-ebook-garden_27.html

Posted on June 8, 2008 by Barb — 4 Comments

Why Use the Handbook of Nature Study?

“A mother should read these kinds of books to herself, not just to collect little bits of knowledge to pass on to her children as they come across things she’s read about, but so that she can learn enough to answer their questions and help the children with their observations….Children will love a person who knows the things they want to find out about and such a person may influence a young mind to have a passion for nature that will be retained for life…”
Charlotte Mason, Volume 1 page 64

That is a clear reason that the Handbook of Nature Study should have a solid standing in our science and nature study materials. This book makes it so easy to look up something we observed outdoors and flip to those pages and read a little to ourselves. I know some families enjoy reading the selection together but it is not necessary. The meat of each section is the section for observations. I love to read through those questions and learn how I can better guide my child to their own understanding of the subject.

Our goal:

“And this is exactly what a child should be doing for the first few years. He should be getting familiar with the real things in his own environment.”
Charlotte Mason, Volume 1 page 66

If you need help getting started with the Handbook of Nature Study, please join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges posted every Friday. Or if you want an example of how our family uses this book, read through our responses to each of the challenges and you will see how easy it is to use once you get the correct idea about what it is for.

So even though you might look at the copyright date of this book and wonder how it could still be relevant today, you have your answer: It helps you to your goal. Your goal of helping your child become more acquainted with nature close to their own home.

Posted on June 7, 2008 by Barb — 7 Comments

Hummingbird and Bleeding Hearts

What a treat! This hummingbird was having a meal right next to me when we were at the nursery this afternoon. He didn’t seem to care that I pulled out my camera to capture his pretty green feathers and his long black beak. He came back several times as I was browsing but he always came back to this particular plant, the bleeding heart. (make sure to click the photos to enlarge them)

“The hummingbird’s beak is exactly fitted to probe those flowers where the bird finds its food. The tongue has the outer edges curved over, making a tube on each side.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 115

The Handbook of Nature Study has a whole section on hummingbirds, pages 115-117.

There is also section on the bleeding heart, pages 558-560.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon picking out a few new plants for our garden. I will have to share about those after I get them planted in the ground. 🙂

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Barb — 11 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge #17 Collecting Leaves

This week’s challenge has several layers. The task oriented part of the challenge is to learn the proper names of the leaf parts and to collect leaves to press for your nature journal. The less task oriented part of the challenge is accomplished as you sit in your garden area. It could be either your garden or a near-by park’s garden. The challenge is to sit quietly. This is a refreshing activity to adults and children alike. There is nothing like sitting and experiencing all the green things growing up around you.

“Out in this, God’s beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 3.

I know, I know. This is probably the most difficult part of nature study for most of you with young families. Believe me, I have had four busy, talkative, curious children and three of them are boys so I understand. This is not something that comes easily for most young ones but it is something they can learn in very small doses. My best advice is to keep your expectations realistic. How about 10-30 seconds? Make it a game to see who can be quiet the longest. Or something that works for our family even now that the boys are older is to give them a number of things they should listen for. You could go according to the child’s age and ask them to listen for six things if they are six. You can vary this idea to suit your family. The main point is to try a little bit each time you are out for your nature study time.

Here is a video showing some tips for drawing leaves in your nature journal and also how to press the leaves in your cardboard press.

Outdoor Challenge #17
Learning the Leaf Parts

1. View the illustration in the Handbook of Nature Study on page 456-A leaf with parts named. This information is for you as the parent/nature guide so you will have the proper names for each part of the leaf. Try to use these labels when you are out looking at leaves during your nature time.

You can view more information about leaf part names, leaf shape names, and leaf arrangement examples at this link:
Wildflower Leaf Types
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/Flora/leaf-info-choices.html

2. Take your 10-15 minute outdoor time to look for various sizes and shapes of leaves. Collect a few leaves to press in your press. An additional challenge this week is to sit quietly for a minute or maybe two in a garden area and observe the sights, sounds, and smells. Are there any insects to watch? Can you spot a bird flying overhead? Do you hear a bee buzzing? Is the weather warm or hot?

3. Add any new garden flowers to your list in your nature journal.

4. This week you can draw some leaves in your nature journal. As you draw your leaves, make sure to use the proper names for each part of the leaf so your child will begin to learn the vocabulary in a natural way. You can encourage your child to sketch some garden flowers in their journal again this week. Record your flower seeds growth and/or record your sunflowers growth for the week. You might choose to make leaf rubbings rather than draw leaves.

5. Add leaves or additional flowers to your press. Pressed flowers can be put into your nature journal.

This challenge is part of my Garden Flowers ebook. This ebook has ten garden related challenges that will walk you through a study of garden flowers using the Handbook of Nature Study. In addition to the challenges already written, there will be more photos, nature journal examples, book lists, and totally new notebook pages designed to go with each of the Garden Flower Challenges.

Posted on June 4, 2008 by Barb — 3 Comments

Sunflowers Everywhere Green Hour Challenge #16

Here are last year’s sunflowers starting to bloom. This year we are going to have quite a few more to share with you but last year these ended up producing an amazing amount of seeds for the birds.

For this challenge we were to plant our sunflower seeds but since we did it early in anticipation of the challenge, we are already enjoying the fruits of our labor.

We have some that are getting to be about a foot high already. I planted a mix of seeds so and in this garden bed they are all short so they won’t cover my window where I sit at my desk and look out.

I think they will look like these from a few years ago and will be multi-colored.

I sent both boys out with their nature journals to sketch some of the sunflower seedlings and here are their entries along with mine.

I think it is interesting to note how we each have our own style of recording things in our journals.

One chose to draw a more “scientific” style drawing looking at it from the side-view. One son chose to draw it by standing and looking down at it showing the leaves. Then there is my journal where I attempt to take in one whole garden box with the beans, the rudbeckia, the marigolds, the weeds, and the sunflowers.

Well, that is how we accomplished our Outdoor Hour Challenge #16. By the end of the summer we will have quite a few sunflowers to observe and draw and share with the birds.

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Barb — 1 Comment

Morning Glories and Passion Flowers

This morning I noticed for the first time that the newly transplanted passion flower is starting to cling to the garden arch that my husband made for me a few weeks ago.

I love the twirly little way it sends out its tendrils to grab the bars of the arch.

I also was interested to find that my morning glories are starting to get their first true leaves and how differently they are shaped than the emerging leaves.

I was looking in the Handbook of Nature Study for morning glories but couldn’t find them directly listed, except for a little mention in the hedge bindweed section on pages 518-519. But the description of the leaves sounds just like the morning glory plant.

“The leaves are arrow-shaped, with two long backward and outward projecting points, or “ears”, which are often gracefully lobed. “

We are really enjoying our study of garden flowers this year. We always have a garden but this time with the focus on learning each plants name, the names of their parts, and a little about it, we are seeing so much more.

I can’t resist sharing my new birdfeeder station with you. My husband picked up the pole to hang the feeders on and I chose two different kinds of feeders, hoping to attract a different kind of bird to our yard. We are also going to be planting the Thompson Seedless grapes on a short fence in this little spot to add a little green and shelter for the birds. The vines on the fence will also hide the ugly green propane tank you see on the right of the photo. 🙂

Posted on June 1, 2008 by Barb — 1 Comment

Colors of the Garden: Shamrocks and Rudbeckia

My daughter loves all things about Ireland and she planted these shamrocks a few years ago in her garden box.

This year they are blooming with this delicate pink flower. The first photo is the flower and the second shows the leaves and plant. Interesting huh?

Here is another photo of interesting leaves from my garden. I just found the packing slip that told me what this plant is in my garden box…..Black Beauty Rudbeckia. It is a variety of coneflower and will have a dark, purplish flower when it blooms. For now, we are really enjoying the colors of the leaves and the stem of the plant.

I found on the internet that it will grow to be 5 to 6 feet tall. I can hardly wait to see it full grown and blooming. Of course I will share photos.

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Barb — 11 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge #16 Growing Sunflowers

“Many of the most beautiful of the autumn flowers belong to the Compositae, a family of such complicated flower arrangement that it is very difficult for the child or the beginner in botany to comprehend it; and yet, when once understood, the composite scheme is very simple and beautiful, and is repeated over and over in flowers of very different appearance……The large garden sunflower is the teacher’s ally to illustrate to the children the story of the composites.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 574

Outdoor Hour Challenge #16
Sunflowers-Summer Project

This week I am going to challenge you to start some sunflower seeds growing in your garden or in a pot. If you need some sunflower seeds to plant, take another outing to the garden nursery to let your child pick a packet of their own. The idea behind starting the seeds is to provide a “laboratory” for your child to observe and learn in all summer long. Even if you just plant the seeds in a pot and watch them grow on your front porch, this is a valuable activity. If you don’t have a sunny spot in your yard, ask a friend or relative if you could plant a few seeds somewhere in their yard. Be creative. Sunflowers take about 12 weeks to mature, depending on the variety you choose.

1. Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 574-576-The Sunflower.

Find a sunny spot in your yard or on your porch to plant your sunflower seeds. These seeds will eventually sprout and grow and provide a late summer challenge all of its own. These sunflower plants can be subjects for your nature journal as well. After the seeds have matured, you will have something for the birds to enjoy. Follow the instructions on the seed packet and get your seeds growing this week. Make sure to keep your seeds moist as they germinate.

2. Take your 10-15 minute outdoor time to look for some garden flowers in your own area. If you already have some of your own garden flowers blooming, pick one to identify and see if it is listed in the Handbook of Nature Study.

3. Add any new garden flowers to your list in your nature journal.

4. Provide an opportunity for a nature journal entry. Practice your flower drawing skills that you worked on in challenge number 15. Record your flower seeds’ growth and/or record your sunflowers growth for the week. You may wish to sketch your sunflower seeds before you plant them, looking at them carefully with a magnifying glass.

5. Continue making field guide cards for your garden flowers.

6. Add flowers to your press from you nature time.

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Barb — 4 Comments

Sweet Peas-Green Hour Challenge #15

My daughter helped me out this week by drawing sweet peas in her nature journal. She used colored pencils to make this beautiful drawing.

We also spent some time planting more seeds in the garden this week. We are using a fantastic idea I found on Cocoa’s blog for challenge number 12. If you go over to her blog, make sure to scroll down towards the bottom of the entry to see their flower garden project.

We prepared a small flower bed next to our morning glories, put some potting soil in the wheelbarrow, opened the packets of seeds and sprinkled them. We mixed up the seeds and the soil and then took handfuls and spread them on top of our new garden bed.

Here is the flower bed all seeded and ready for some water and sunshine.

We are hoping that we get a sort of wild looking mix of flowers here over the summer.

Here is a beautiful bloomer we have in a pot on the back deck. I just love the bold colors of this flower.

We are getting quite a collection of garden flower drawings in our nature notebooks. So much color and variety are found right in our own backyard.

Posted on May 27, 2008 by Barb — 2 Comments

Spring Walk: Thistle, Ladybug, Daisy

Yesterday afternoon was a perfect time to take a walk on our local walking/biking trail. The weather has been rainy the last few days and we were ready to get out and enjoy some fresh air. The clouds kept drifting in and covering the sun but it was still warm and spring-like.

Three of the children decided to come and we had an enjoyable time walking and talking and just spending time together….as they get older that doesn’t happen as often as I would like. My middle son brought his scooter and he was zipping in and out as we just walked along.

The photos in this entry are an experiment in uploading for me so forgive me if the captions are not exactly with the photos. 🙂

This is some kind of flowering clover…I think. It sure looks like some kind of clover but this is really close-up.

Look at this guy….after all my observations yesterday of the ladybug larva, I was happy to see this shiny insect as we walked along.

Then there was this daisy and I am pretty sure this is a Mariposa Lily.

Okay, this was definitely some kind of thistle.

Don’t you love the view from this part of the trail?

“The thistle is covered with sharp spines, and these serve to protect it from grazing animals. It has beautiful purple flowers, arranged in heads similar to those of the sunflower.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 526

There is a whole section in the Handbook on thistles starting on page 524.

“Every child loves this flower (daisy), and yet it is not well understood. It is always at hand for study from June until the frosts have laid waste the fields. However much enjoyment we get from the study of this beautiful flower-head, we should study the plant as a weed also, for it is indeed a pest to those farmers who do not practice a rotation of crops.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 522

There is a section on white daisies in the Handbook starting on page 522.

“The clovers enrich with nitrogen the soil in which they are planted. They are very valuable as food for stock. Their flowers are pollinated by bees.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 594

There is a section on clover in the Handbook starting on page 591.

Sorry for all the vague descriptions but I didn’t have a lot of time this morning to get a firm identification on all of them. I will try to come back and update as I have the time to research.

This is a life project I decided.

Author: Barb