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Posted on February 16, 2010 by Barb — 6 Comments

It Feels Like Spring Today: Hike At the River

We had to get out and hike today with the sun shining and everyone home from work.

This post is no way to make anyone jealous of our weather…but rather to remind those who are weary of the snow up to your eyeballs that it will be spring again soon. The photo above shows the start of our hike which winds along the edge of the American River. We hiked up to the bridge, underneath, past, and then around the hill to a lake.

Just as a sidenote: The reason the bridge is so tall is because they were planning on building a huge hydroelectric dam on this river. The bridge was built in anticipation of how high the water would rise after the dam was built. The dam has never been constructed for a variety of reasons, but just keep in mind that everything you see in this post would be far under water if they ever did proceed with the dam project. I thought about that a lot as we walked along. (It is the third highest in the US and the highest in California.)

Here are all the guys heading up the trail and it is true that my middle son is wearing shorts.

This is a great trail for birding as you go and these turkey vultures were soaring and spiraling upwards on a current of air. They are actually very graceful in the air and a lot of fun to watch.

I commented about the fact that with very little effort we could leave the crowds behind and have the trail mostly to ourselves. It was a wonderful day to just listen to the river roar down the canyon and to feel the sun on our shoulders. I must admit that I was a little warm as we hiked up the hill. I was thankful that I had layered up so I could shed a few layers as we went.

This is the official first wildflower of this year for me. The boys spotted it and of course I had to stop to admire it and then take a few photos. I have not yet had a chance to identify it.

So this must be the second wildflower of the year….some kind of saxifrage that was just beginning to blossom with delicate pink blossoms.

Then around a few more bends in the trail and we found this yellow flowering bush! I have no idea what it is but it was gorgeous. About this time my boys are calling to me to catch up because they have kept walking while I am snapping photos.

This was our destination today and it did not disappoint! The spillway at Lake Clementine was roaring as we went around the last corner. It was so nice and cool as we stood and listened and marveled at all that power. This is not a hydroelectric dam but rather a debris control dam they build back in the 1930’s.

Here is my photo buddy/oldest son taking some shots of the spillway. He has become quite the photographer and it is great to share a hobby with him.

Here is one last photo as we return back to where we parked the car. It has been a great afternoon out in the fresh warm air. We all feel great! Our Kona dog was eager to get in a little swimming before we started for home so we detoured down to the river’s edge and let her splash and play for a few minutes.

I was exhausted when we arrived home so the boys decided to prepare dinner for me. What was on the menu? One of their specialties is spaghetti with meat sauce and this time they added some zucchini and topped the meal off with garlic bread. Yum! Being outdoors makes us all have an appetite.

Thanks for the great day to all my men.

Here is a link to another hike we took last spring to the same place:
North and South Forks

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Barb — 5 Comments

Great Backyard Bird Count: Saturday and Sunday

Saturday, February 13th-We were only able to observe in our own backyard about 30 minutes.
5 White-crowned sparrows
4 House sparrows
1 Anna’s hummingbird (Spotted in our flowering broccoli!)
1 Western scrub jay
1 California towhee
2 Spotted towhees
8 Juncos
1 House finch
1 American robin
1 Oak titmouse
1 American crow (heard but not seen)
1 Nuttall’s woodpecker

Sunday, February 14th-Two different times observing for a total of 45 minutes.
8 Juncos
1 Western scrub jay
1 Nuttall’s woodpecker
11 House finches
2 Spotted towhees (There are two shown in the photo above.)
2 California towhees
1 Anna’s hummingbird (in the feeder this time)
1 Oak titmouse
2 Red-tailed hawks (soaring over our house and screeching loudly)
2 Canadian geese (flying over noisily)
1 White-breasted nuthatch
5 White-crowned sparrows
2 American crows (loud caws and then they flew overhead, one had something in its mouth)

I think we did a good job at counting this year and for once we knew every bird in the feeder. This is our fourth year participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count and we have come a long way from that first year where we only knew the most basic of birds.

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Barb — 2 Comments

Bird Week: Start of the Great Backyard Bird Count

This is our entry for the Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Series #7 Winter Birds.

Our official count for Friday, February 12th:
3 Western scrub jays
12 Juncos
2 Spotted towhees
4 White-crowned sparrows
1 Titmouse
6 House finches
1 California towhee (unusual since we always see them in pairs except for today)
5 House sparrows
1 Anna’s hummingbird
1 American robin
1 White-breasted nuthatch

The white-breasted nuthatch is my favorite little bird right now. He is so acrobatic and he creeps up and down the trunks of trees. If you follow the link to All About Birds for the nuthatch, listen to the Pacific song and that is exactly what this bird sings to me just about every time I head outdoors.

We really enjoyed our counting of birds today since the sun was out and the air was warm. We have new binoculars for this year’s count and we all took a turn at scoping out the backyard feeders from the window. We were surprised to see the hummingbird, but it has not been totally unusual to see one or two at the feeder off and on all winter.

For the most part, all of these birds are permanent residents. The robin was singing so perhaps this is his home territory. We did not see our Nuttall’s woodpecker that comes to our feeder just about every day which is disappointing that we can’t count him in our tally. We will be counting again tomorrow so perhaps he will make an appearance then.

When were out for our walk today, Mr. A saw a red-tailed hawk. I saw two Canadian geese. They both are year round residents in our neighborhood.

This was a good bird day.

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Winter Series #7 Winter Birds

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Winter Series #7
Winter Bird Study

For this challenge, instead of picking a particular bird from the Handbook of Nature Study, we will focus on learning about bird migration and then spend some time outdoors looking for birds in our own neighborhoods. In addition, I am encouraging you to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count that takes place in February. You can participate in the bird count even if you just spend 15 minutes observing birds in your own yard or neighborhood. See their website for more information: GBBC.

Inside Preparation Work:
Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 35-37. This will help explain why you have some birds in your area only during certain seasons. If you are interested in more information, you might want to check the Peterson Field Guides for additional information about particular birds that you have in your feeders or near-by parks. There will be maps in the field guide that show where birds winter, migrate, and spend their summers. I encourage you to pick one common bird you have in your area and see if it migrates. (If you do not have a field guide, use the links in the Follow-Up Activity to research your bird.)

Outdoor Hour Time:
Spend 15-20 minutes outdoors this week looking for local birds. Choose one of the birds to learn more about and to record in your nature journal. If you are participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, plan on spending your outdoor time to tally birds you see in your yard. If the weather is too cold, you can always sit at a window where you can see your birdfeeder and take a tally from there.

Follow-Up Activity:
Give an opportunity for a nature journal after you talk about any birds you observed. Help your child identify any birds they saw if you can. Remember to check the table of contents in the Handbook of Nature Study to see if your bird subject is covered in a lesson. You can use those suggestions to learn more about your backyard birds. If you have a field guide, use the information there to discuss if the bird is a winter resident or a year-round resident. Our family uses this online bird site to help us identify birds: WhatBird? And this website for additional information as well: AllAboutBirds.

Also make sure to log into the Great Backyard Bird Count and record your results from your neighborhood.

Additional bird migration websites:
Bird Migration (Backyard Nature)
Bird Migration (Wild Birds Unlimited)

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Barb — 2 Comments

Our Pine Tree Study: Winter Series #5

“There is something majestic about the pines, which even the most unimpressionable feel.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 670

We have plenty of pine trees to study in our area and because they are so common we often don’t take the time to really look at them. This week as part of the Winter Series of Challenges, we tried to focus on two different kinds of pines that we have along our walking trail in two different spots.

The first is the Ponderosa pine and it is very common in our neighborhood. We also enjoy seeing them when we visit Yosemite.

These are really tall pines that spread out their limbs high up on the top.

Quite a few limbs had fallen down in the last storm we experienced, making observation of the limbs much easier. Here you can see how the bundles of needles are attached to the limb.

Ponderosa Pine trunks resemble puzzle pieces and have actually very pretty.

Here is another tree that has moss growing in between the bark pieces.

Now for the other kind of pine….

The needles on this pine are almost blue-gray in comparison to the Ponderosa Pine. This limb was down from the winter storm as well and we got to take a really good look at it up close.

This was interesting to see. I am assuming this is where the new cones will develop on the limb.

“The appearance of the unique unripe cone is another convincing evidence that mathematics is the basis of the beautiful. The pattern of the overlapping scales is intricate and yet regular-to appreciate it one needs to try to sketch it.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 672

Here are some cones. We are not sure and will have to go back and look at the tree itself to identify it but the boys are thinking that it is either a Jeffrey pine or a Gray pine.

I attempted last summer to sketch and paint some cones into my nature journal and it is very true that when you take the time to sketch something you notice all the patterns and details much more than you would normally. I encourage you to give it a try with your children.

We have studied the pines in our backyard before and you can read about that study HERE.

“At least one pine tree should be studied in the field. Any species will do, but the white pine is the most interesting.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 674

I think if you live in the West, the sugar pine is also very interesting, especially if you have a big cone to study.

Great week for nature study!

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Barb — 3 Comments

The Beginnings of a Robin Study

“Most of us think we know the robin well, but very few of us know definitely the habits of this, our commonest bird. The object of this lesson is to form in the pupils a habit of careful observation, and to enable them to read for themselves the interesting story of this little life which is lived every year before their eyes. Moreover, a robin notebook, if well kept, is a treasure for any child; and the close observation necessary for this lesson trains the pupils to note in a comprehending way the habits of other birds. It is the very best preparation for bird study of the right sort.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 57

What started off as a hike after the rain had stopped, quickly turned into an exciting weekend of robin watching. Heading down our regular hiking trail, we immediately saw a sight that made us stop in our tracks. Up over our heads in huge groups were groups of birds flying, some stopping to perch in the tall pines above us. Some of the birds were just flying very fast all in one direction. I did not have my binoculars on this afternoon so we had to use the camera to see at first what kind of birds they were. Robins! Flocks and flocks of robins!

We were amazed at the numbers of robins and I tried to capture a few photos, but I had my little camera that does not have an adequate zoom. The photo above is the only photo that you see the robins.

None of us had experienced this large of a flock of robins before. We realized exactly what is in the quote above from the Handbook of Nature Study. How could we have never noticed the robins migrating/flocking before? Where are they coming from? Where are they going? We had so many questions in our minds as we finished our hike.

This experience was repeated several times over the course of our weekend. We even had them flocking and flying overhead yesterday morning at our house. The neighborhood was alive with robins.

This is how our robin study started this weekend. We are going to use the suggestions for progressive robin study in the Handbook of Nature Study and spend some time this spring learning about this common neighborhood bird. You can read the lessons starting on page 61.

“For third or higher grades the pupils may have individual notebooks in which each one may write his own answers to the questions of the successive series……The cover or first page should show the picture of the robin colored by the pupil, and may contain other illustrative drawings, and any poems or other literature pertinent to the subject.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 61

The Handbook of Nature Study contains lessons that follow the spring habits of the robin and it will take us a few months to finish our study.

We found the following links helpful:
Winter Robins
What Happens to All the Robins?
Making Sense of Robin Migration This article has some interesting information stating that the robins only start singing when they have reached their territory. Many of the robins we observed over the weekend were singing…so I guess they are home. More info HERE.
Robin Migration Journal Pages I can’t believe what you can find on the internet with very little effort. I was reading this website and realized they have a journal you can print out and use to keep track of the robin migration for this year. Awesome! They also have more generic notebook pages to go with any study HERE.

I will keep you posted on the progfess of our robin study. Don’t forget that this coming weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count. Even if you can only devote 15-20 minutes of bird watching in your neighborhood this coming weekend, you can participate in this important birding event. You do not need to be an expert in bird identification either. Report the birds you do know!

I will share our bird tallies as we make our observations.

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Barb — 7 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Series #5 Pine Trees

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Winter Series Ebook
Pine Trees in Winter
(See previous Pine Tree Challenge #32)

Inside Preparation Work:
This week read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 670-675 to learn more about pine trees. Even if you don’t think you have any pines in your area, it is still interesting to read the information for future reference. Make sure to note the ideas suggested for studying pines in the lesson at the end of the section.

Outdoor Hour Time:
Spend 15 minutes outdoors this week with your children in your own yard or on your own street. This week you will have two suggested activities.

*If you have a pine tree of any variety in your yard or on your street, use the ideas from the lesson on page 674 and 675 to guide your observation of the pine tree.

Some ideas to get you started:
What is the general shape of the pine tree?
Is there one central stem running straight up through the center of the tree to the top?
What color is the bark? Is the bark ridged or in scales?
Study the pine leaves. Why are they called needles? How many needles in the bundle?
Does it have a cone?

*If you do not have a pine to observe or you would like an additional activity, take some time to lay under any kind of tree that is available. Look up at the branches. Listen to the sounds of the leaves. Try to spot some kind of wildlife in the tree. Have your children tell you with their words what they experienced while under the tree.

Follow-Up Activity:
After your observation time, use a field guide (see suggestions on the bottom of this post) to identify your particular pine tree. Make a rubbing of your tree’s needles. We have found this blog page to be especially helpful in identifying pines:
http://treenotes.blogspot.com/2007/07/identifying-pines.html

Make sure to give time and the opportunity for a nature journal entry. If you observed a pine tree, try to complete Exercise Ten of the lesson on pine trees: Draw a bundle of pine needles showing the sheath and its attachment to the twig; the cone; the cone scale; the seed. Sketch a pine tree. You could also include a leaf or needle rubbing in your nature journal this week. There is a notebook page included with the Winter Nature Study ebook or you can complete another Seasonal Tree Study page with your pine tree. As always, you are free to use a blank journal page in your nature journal.

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Barb — 3 Comments

Moon Gazing and A Few More Winter Sky Moments

We finally were able to view the moon and it was worth the wait! Mr. A and I spent quite a bit of time gazing, watching, and then photographing the moon.

It is very hard to get a good photo of the moon when it is super full and bright.

Here is our best attempt.

I took this photo of Mr. A up on the roof with the tripod where he was trying to capture a good shot of the moon. He decided all of his photos looked like UFOs. Too funny.

Now two last winter sky photos from the last week or so.

This one was about 4:45 in the afternoon when I was out in the garden. The sun was darkened by the clouds passing in front and it was very dramatic.

This was a different day at sunset…about 5:15 PM. Pink…pink sky.

I find myself watching the sky more and my boys are too. It is wonderful to have them notice a cloud formation or the moon before I do. I love sharing “moments” with them.

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Barb — 1 Comment

Winter Series #4 Seasonal Weather

Weather Statistics for February 4, 2010

Sunrise: 7:06 AM
Sunset: 5:28 PM
10 hrs and 22 min of daylight-tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 8 seconds longer
High temperature: 50.8 degrees F
Low temperature: 38 degrees F
Winds: 7 mph S
Rain is predicted to start anytime this evening and rain through Saturday.
No snow…snow level is going to be at around 4500 feet in elevation and we live at around 2300 feet.

Here is a photo from our walk today. The weather was actually pretty overcast and a little chilly. The grasses are turning green though and that is encouraging.

Here are a couple of weather related photos from the last few weeks.

We took this photo a few weeks ago as part of our weather nature study. My son was trying to gauge how much rain we were having and then it started to drop in temperature and to snow. His water in the gauge froze. He noticed there was a thick layer on top and a slushy layer underneath. We had a lot of rain.

I thought this was a funny photo. There was a big frozen ice cube on top of my leftover broccoli in my container on the deck.

This week though we have had signs of early spring popping up in our backyard.

Violets….mmmmmm. They smell so delicious.

Daffodils in big bunches all around the yard. I can hardly wait!

We are hoping for some good rain and then perhaps some snow next week so the boys can go snowboarding. I will pack up my snowshoes as well in hopes that I can take a romp in the snow.

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Barb — 9 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival-January 2010 Edition

Welcome to the very first ever Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival!

I hope you are encouraged and inspired by all the entries that were shared in this special debut blog carnival. Please feel free to leave comments on any blogs you visit. We all know how encouraging it is to have other nature loving families comment on our experiences. Enjoy the carnival!

Outdoor Hour Challenge #1 and #2

Maria shares on her blog, Dirt Under My Fingernails, their very first Outdoor Hour Challenge. They were very happy to be Getting Outside.

Holli from Settled in my Home is just getting started with the Outdoor Hour Challenges and she wants to share their nature study time from Challenge #1, which includes a mouse, and Challenge #2 as well.

Quinn shares their first Outdoor Hour Challenge entry on her blog, On Just A Couple Acres. You are going to *love* her photos!

Photo from Michelle’s blog Delightful Learning

Winter Study of Cattails (Winter Series #1)

Michelle from Delightful Learning shares their wonderful entry for winter cattails. Theyfound a few surprises on their Outdoor Hour time as well. Don’t miss reading about their wonderful cattail experiment!

Angie shares their cattail study on her blog The One Thing. They had quite an adventure.

Kellie at the Blue House Academy shares their cattail entry…don’t miss the photos!

Amy at Together for a Reason shares their wonderful cattail nature study which was so much more than just cattails! Great job getting all those troops outdoors this week!

Michelle H. from Urban Cottage Homeschool shares their cattail entry which also included a little cross-country skiing! Love this idea!

Alex shares their family’s cattail entry on their Serendipity Homeschool blog.

Winter Tree Entries (Winter Series #2)

Michelle from Delightful Learning shares their family’s study of two trees, the flowering crab apple and the willow tree in their yard. Don’t miss their wonderful nature journals.

Kelsey shares their winter tree study on her blog Mud Puddles.

Amy at Together for a Reason shares their family’s fantastic tree study along with their nature journals.

Sarah shares their winter study of their dogwood tree on her blog: Sunshine Daydream. She has some unidentified creatures living on her tree if you would care to help identify them.

Angie shares the beginning of their year-long tree study. They also picked a dogwood! Here is her entry on The One Thing.

“There is no prettier story among the flowers than that of the bracts of the dogwood, and it is a subject for investigation which any child can work out for himself.”
Handbook of Nature Study page 680

Don’t forget to check in the Handbook of Nature Study for more about the winter tree that you study. The HNS has many common trees and lots of great ideas to use to study your focus tree.

Winter Sky (Winter Series #3)

Desiree from As Long As It Takes shares their very first Outdoor Hour Challenge entry. They had a fantastic time outdoors looking at the moon and stars!

Rachel blogs at United for Christ about their winter sky and stars study. They share how they have become familiar with their Texas winter sky.

Winter Wednesday Entries

Samantha‘s family completed a winter color walk and they share their entry on their blog, To Be Busy at Home. This is a very easy winter nature study to complete on the spur of the moment.

Michelle wrote about their winter journals and making winter nature observations on her blog, Delightful Learning. They also completed Winter Wednesday #1 here on this entry: World of Winter.

Andi at The Learning Pomegranate shares their wonderful winter bird study.

Angie at The One Thing shares their study of winter ice. This is a fantastic way to conduct nature study in the winter.

Martha and her family were also focusing on winter birds…especially migration. Read her entry at Sunrise to Sunset.

Andi has another entry to share on her blog The Learning Pomegranate. This time it is for their Winter Mammal study.

Aurora from Knitting Longies wants to share their first Winter Wednesday challenge where they went out looking for colors.

Michelle from Delightful Learning shares their Winter Weeds in a perfectly lovely entry…gorgeous photos!

What a great carnival!

Thanks to everyone for all the entries and photos and participation. Please consider submitting your Outdoor Hour Challenge entries and your Winter Wednesday entries to the next carnival. Deadline for submissions will be February 26th and all entries from February are eligible. Here is the link for submissions: LINK .

Just for fun I will give you the link to all of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Photos of the Week on Flickr in a slideshow. It is hard to believe that in a few short weeks we will be marking our second year anniversary of the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Photos of the Week Slideshow

I enjoyed remembering all the great families that have participated over the years. I think I have watched some of your children grow up over the last two years.

Thanks again,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!