Barb, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Rock Study Mica

Inside Preparation Work:

Read about mica in the Handbook of Nature Study on pages 758-759 (Lesson 215). There is not a lot of information in the book so use the links below to learn more and mica, what it looks like, its uses, and where to find it.
You can read all about mica here: Rocks for Kids.
For more detailed information about mica’s properties: Rocks and Minerals-Mica.
Video of Mica Rock.
Advanced Study: Rocks vs. Minerals study. You can read the explanation in this article and view the diagram to really understand the differences.

Two Kinds of Mica:

Biotite: Read more and view an image.
Muscovite: Read and learn more.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Time for a rock hunt. If you can go outdoors, look for some mica or any rock you have on hand. (You can purchase mica for this challenge here: Biotite sample from MiniMe or Muscovite sample from MiniMe. Or you can buy a bundle of 30 pieces from ScienceBob.)
You can use the printable activity in the ebook to make your rock hunt a little more fun. Print the page and use the grid to observe some rocks. If you have cold weather, you can use rocks from your rock collection indoors if you need to. If you don’t have the ebook, you can use the printable found at this link: Rock Observation.

Follow-Up Activity:

Use your follow-up time to create nature journal pages for mica or any rocks you have on hand. Use the information in the links above to create a description of mica, biotite, and/or muscovite. There are two notebook pages included in the ebook for you to choose from.
Advanced Study: Use the notebook page provided in the ebook to do a careful study of a mica sample.

Note this is an affiliate link to a product I love.

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Posted on November 26, 2014 by Barb — 1 Comment

Photo Recap – November 2014

We had a great month getting outside and enjoying our autumn color. This year in our neighborhood we had blazing colors…more than any other year in our memory.

Please feel free to join us over on the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.

Here are my entries for the month of November…

Fish: A classic fish found in ponds all over the place but these had some beautiful water lilies blooming in their water. I also love the reflection of the palm trees in the water’s surface.

Feather: These are such amazing birds that we saw on our trip. Look at those feathers on their heads! They are some variety of African crane.

Here’s what I have left….

Crystals, cold, refreshing, energy, bubbly, sparkle, self-portrait, Just do it!

I am really going to need to get myself motivated to get these images done before the end of the year!

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Barb — 2 Comments

In October I wrote about our autumn trip to Yosemite National Park with my three sons. I gave you a bit of information about their hike but I wanted to share some of their amazing and gorgeous photos from that Half Dome hike that they accomplished on a sparkling blue sky day.

Some links you might find useful:

Yosemite National Park Half Dome Hike – official website information

Half Dome Permits for Day Hikers – information on getting a permit. We had to put their names in for a lottery and they were able to get permits that way.

Hiking Half Dome – YouTube video from the National Park Service. I found this super helpful! You may just wish to watch this to see what it would be like if you could hike this trail to the top.

My two youngest sons have been cooking up this hike for awhile. It took some planning because one of my sons lives in New York now and has limited time to visit us here in California. Hiking the trail in October before the cables are down, they found the trail was pretty much empty and there were only half a dozen people up there when they arrived at the summit.

They started out before sunrise in the dark with flashlights, making their way along the trail from Curry Village to the base of Vernal Falls. Then as the sun rose, they summited the top of Nevada Falls. I have never done this hike because of my fear of heights. Obviously, my boys have not inherited my fear and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

These boys hiked fast and were up to the top in a few hours. These two boys have inherited my love for the outdoors and spent lots of time telling me afterwards about the many highlights of the day.

I am so proud of these two boys for reaching their goal of hiking together to the top of Half Dome. They are such good friends and are so supportive of each other even though they are very different people with very different talents. What a blessing to have perfect weather for this hike! I hope they make new goals to hike something else in the near future.

They are both now living in New York so maybe we will summit something in the Adirondacks next year when I visit. My daughter just recently hike to the top of Gertrude’s Nose in New York and I am up for trying that hike maybe next spring. No matter what, I am enjoying my children’s adventures and views of the world.

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Night Sky Cassiopeia

Inside Preparation Work:

Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 821-822 (Lesson 225). Try to share the story of these three constellations with your children either before you go out to view the night sky or if you have a really good memory, while you are looking for the constellations.
Here are links to the three constellations you will be looking for this week: Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon.
Autumn Constellations—scroll down to the “facing NE” chart and you will see what Cassiopeia and Cepheus will look like in your autumn sky.
Advanced Study: Print this chart out and see how many of the constellations you can see in the autumn sky: Autumn Star Chart.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Take your outdoor challenge time this week during the evening hours. The aim is to get outside and view the night sky, hoping to see the stars if weather permits.
Use the information, charts, and links both in the Handbook of Nature Study and in the links in the section above to find the Polestar, Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon. Even if you have trouble finding the exact constellations, this activity can be enjoyable for the whole family. Remember to dress warmly or you won’t last too long outdoors!

Follow-Up Activities:

The Handbook of Nature Study suggests in the lesson to draw Cassiopeia’s Chair (#1), Cepheus (#5), and the Dragon (#7). These can be done using the chart on page 821 of the Handbook of Nature Study if needed. There is a notebook page included in the ebook for you to use for your sketches if you would like. There is also a checklist on this notebook page you can use as part of the follow-up.
Advanced Study: Challenge yourself to learn the story of these three constellations as related in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Advanced Study: Sketch these stars from memory: Polestar, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon. There is a notebook page in the ebook you might like to use as part of this activity.

Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study. If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Autumn Nature Study Continues content list on the announcement page.

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Printables for Members – November 2014

New Printables in the Library for Members!

There are new printables for you to use with your family if you are a member of the Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level memberships. You need to log into your account and then check the “Other Releases” section for brand new printables to enjoy along with the Outdoor Hour Challenges in December 2014.

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Barb — 4 Comments

Our Attempt at a Fungi Study

Honestly, we have had very little opportunity to view any kind of fungus lately. The weather has just not created conditions needed to allow for much fungal growth. This means our bracket fungus nature study and our stinkhorn nature study will just have to be postponed.

I have looked in all the normal places and still no bracket fungi or stinkhorns to observe for this Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Does that mean we couldn’t learn anything? Not at all. Reading the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study help prepare us for future opportunities to see these amazing structures up close. I am confident that we will find some bracket fungi and some kind of stinkhorn to see in person in the near future.

In the meantime, we enjoyed a great afternoon of hiking on a beautiful autumn day. I am thankful today for being able to see the wonderful and amazing creation around us with open and appreciative eyes.

Have you found any fungi to study yet?

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Study – Realm of Undiscovered

“In nature study any teacher (parent) can with honor say, “I do not know”; for perhaps the question asked is as yet unanswered by the great scientists. But she should not let lack of knowledge be a wet blanket thrown over her pupils’ interest. She should say frankly, “I do not know; let us see if we cannot together find out this mysterious thing….She thus conveys the right impression that only a little about the intricate life of plants and animals is yet known; and at the same time she makes her pupils feel the thrill and zest of investigation. Nor will she lose their respect by doing this, if she does it in the right spirit…..The chief charm of nature study would be taken away if it did not lead us through the border-land of knowledge into the realm of the undiscovered.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3-4

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Barb — 14 Comments

Fall Seed Walk – From Our World

On an absolutely beautiful autumn day, we hiked out to the river to enjoy the sunshine and fall colors. We were on the lookout for some fall seeds and we discovered a new flower!

I have no idea what this plant is but it was about four feet tall and was swaying in the breeze…waving us over to take a closer look. Aren’t these the prettiest little flowers?

Each branch ended with these delicate flowers and the stem of the plant was purplish red.

We also discovered a patch of evening primrose dispersed among the big boulders lining the river’s edge.

We also spied this massive mullein plant with its soft rosettes of leaves.

We were so distracted by the plants and flowers that we didn’t collect any seeds for our nature journal entry. I am thinking that it will take a change in the weather before I am inspired to collect seeds and sit down long enough to make a page for our fall seeds. Can you blame me?

Have you collected any seeds yet?

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Barb — 2 Comments

Meant To Be Naturalists

“It would be well if we all persons in authority, parents and all who act for parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”

Charlotte Mason Home Education page 61

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Barb — 1 Comment

Sweetgum Tree – Our Witch Hazel Family Study

I just stumbled across some information that led me to learn that our sweetgum or liquidambar trees are related to the witch hazel, belonging to the same botanical family. If you are looking for an alternative to the witch hazel study, you might look in your area for a sweetgum tree to observe up close instead. Right now they are very easy to spot with their beautiful autumn colored leaves.

Our trees are beginning to form the sticker balls and are bright green. This are actually the fruits of the tree and will dangle down like little tree ornaments, turning brown as the season progresses. The information we found about the fruits says that each prickly point will eventually open up to release two winged seeds. We are going to watch and see if we can find those seeds this year!The leaves have five pointy lobes and a long stem.

The leaves of the tree have a nice aroma.

The sweetgum is native to many parts of the United States and you can see a map here on USDA.

Author: Barb