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Posted on March 24, 2009 by Barb — 4 Comments

Robins in Our Nature Journals-Finally!

These are some feathers we found on our front lawn under a big tree. We are not sure what kind of bird feathers they are but they were very, very soft. We spent our Outdoor Hour listening to birds and trying to spot them. Our feeders have slowed down a bit in the last few weeks with the changing weather. The most predominant birds in our backyard feeders are Western scrub jays and House sparrows at this time of year.

My son was telling me about the flock of robins that were perched in the tree outside his window yesterday after our snowstorm. He thought there must have been dozens of them.

We have a resident robin that sits in the very top of our tree outside the front window and he sings and sings and sings very early in the morning…starting just about this time of year.

Here is what our robin sounds like in the morning:
Robin at Learn Bird Songs

We read through the information in the Handbook of Nature Study and found most of it was new to us. How could we be so uninformed about a bird we practically see very day?

“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

This statement in the introduction to robins made me stop and think about all of our bird studies. The point is well made that birding is more than just learning to identify birds. Careful study of any particular bird helps us to learn so much about *all* birds and it gives us skills we can use with all birds. We took special interest in the schedule of robin study in the lesson given for robins. This is another example of how to expand nature study to really get the most out of it. My boys were not particularly interested in studying robins so I think we will skip the in-depth study but we will apply the principles to a bird that does interest them.

This week some of us decided to use the coloring page from Cornell to complete in our nature journal and Mr. B (youngest son) decided to just free-hand draw a robin to include in his binder. I like to use the coloring page and then add my own interesting facts as well.

We will be moving on to the House finch later in the week and I will share that study when we are finished.

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Barb — 2 Comments

Early Spring Wildflowers (Part 3)

Popcorn flower
(found in the meadow, sunny location)

“There should be from first to last a steady growth in the intelligence of the child as to the places where certain plants grow. He finds hepaticas and trilliums in the woods, daisies and buttercups in the sunny fields, mullein on the dry hillsides, cattails in the swamp, and water lilies floating on the pond. This may all be taught by simply asking the pupils questions relating to the soil and the special conditions of the locality where they found the flowers they bring to school. ”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 458

We are adding a few new flowers to our list of early spring wildflowers along our walking trail. I am also updating a few photos to ones taken with my older camera with the better macro lens.

Chickweed…..now I see it everywhere! Even in our backyard!
(along the trail)

Spring Beauty
(along the trail)

Unidentified as of today.
(along the trail in the shade…very low to the ground with interesting leaf shape)

Fiddleneck
(sunny areas)

Here is another photo of Fiddleneck

And another Fiddleneck.

We found a whole patch of Miner’s Lettuce.
(growing in patches along the path…moist areas)

The California poppies are just beginning to bloom on our hiking trail.
(sunny hillside, along the trail)

Common Owl’s Clover
(Note to self: This was on the walking trail and not the Red Shack Trail. Growing along side the trail and on a sunny hillside.)

These flowers are all from last week’s hikes. I am trying my best to keep current.

We had a snowstorm yesterday morning! It all melted rather quickly though and today we were back to our spring like weather.

Tomorrow I will try to post about our bird study and then on Wednesday we will share a garden flower study from the Handbook of Nature Study.

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Barb — 11 Comments

How to Make a Plant Press

If you didn’t catch my video on how to make a simple flower press last year, I wanted to post it again.

We have been using our press just about every day this week and it is an easy way to press your flowers that you are learning about for your Wednesday Flower Study lessons. It only takes a few days in the press and then the flowers are ready for your nature journal. Let you kids watch the video and have them make it for themselves…it really is that easy.

Here is the link to YouTube: Flower Press

Or you can watch it here on the blog.

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Barb — 8 Comments

Violets are Blue? How about Purple?

We began our study by reading the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study. Wow! If you are the least bit interested in violets and you get the chance, you must read the information in the Handbook of Nature Study, pages 476-479. This section is jam-packed with information about violets but also about more general ideas for a nature portfolio (we would call it a nature journal).

“To make this work of the greatest use and interest, each pupil should make a portfolio of the violets of the locality. This may be in the form of pressed and mounted specimens, or of water-color drawings. In either case, the leaf, leafstalk, flower, flower stalk, and rootstock should be shown, and each blossom should be neatly labeled with name, locality, and date. From the nature-study standpoint, a portfolio of drawings is the more desirable, since from making the drawings the pupils become more observant of the differences in structure and color which distinguish the species. Such a portfolio may be a beautiful object…..Each drawing may be followed by a page containing notes by the pupil and some appropriate quotation from botany, poetry, or other literature.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 478

The variety of violets that grow in our yard is extremely fragrant. It is hard to imagine that such a sweet, strong smell comes from such a delicate little bloom.

Our violets grow in a shady, moist area of our yard, mostly around the edges of our deck. They spread easily to other shady areas as well and it is always a joy to see them sprout up in new places.

We carefully observed whether our violets had the leaf stalks come directly from the underground rootstocks or if they came from a common stem as suggested in the Handbook. We observed that the leaves were smooth and glossy. We looked at the sepals and petals.

We looked into the opening that leads to the nectar-spur. We found the tiny undevelped flowers that will produce seeds down near the rootstalk that are meant for self-pollination. So many things we would have never thought to look for all on our own.

As I suspected, I was the only one who wanted to actually watercolor in their nature journal. I allow the boys the freedom to choose how to follow up their nature study.

We pressed a leaf and a flower for my son’s nature journal binder.

I love working with watercolor pencils….such an easy way to get a great effect in your nature journal.

It felt so good to be out in the garden this morning. The sun was warm and it was great to spend time with the boys. Our hands got a little dirty in the soil and that is oh, so good after a long winter. I look forward to seeing what you come up with for your Wednesday Flower Study.

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Barb — 7 Comments

Wednesday Flower Study-An Invitation For You

After writing yesterday’s post about flowers, I had the brainstorm to start with a Wednesday Flower Study each week.

I have been reading through the Handbook of Nature Study’s section on plants…especially wildflowers, weeds, and garden flowers and I realized that we have a long list of flowers that we need to include in our nature journals.

“The only right way to begin plant study with young children is through awakening their interest in and love for flowers.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 453

So in order to make myself accountable and to include you in the study, I have outlined a schedule of flowers to include over the next few weeks. Please feel free to make your own list of flowers using the Handbook of Nature Study.

Here is our list:

Flowers Blooming Already or That We Can Study Right Now
Violet (page 476) Finished 3/18/09. Here is a LINK.
Buttercup (page 516) Finished 4/27/09. Here is a LINK.
Tulip (page 552) Finished 4/1/09. Here is a LINK.
California Poppy (page 531) Finished 4/8/09. Here is a LINK.
Petunias (page 581) Finished 4/20/09. Here is a LINK.
Mullein (page 537) Finished 5/5/09. Here is a LINK.
Dandelion (page 531) Finished 3/25/09. Here is a LINK.

Flowers that We’ll Study in Addition to Those Above
Bleeding Heart (page 558) Finished 4/15/09. Here is a LINK.
Bachelor’s Buttons (page 578)Finished 5/20/09. Here is a LINK.
Sweet Peas (page 588) Finished 5/27/09. Here is a LINK.
Queen Anne’s Lace (page 542) Finished 6/3/09. Here is a LINK.

I think that should keep us busy for a few weeks. I realize that everyone’s list will be different and I look forward to seeing what your family finds to study.

I think we will start with the violet this week and perhaps the dandelion as well.

We will read through the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study and then use the observation ideas to go out and really take a look at our violets.There are a lot of ideas for nature study in the Handbook section on violets but first and foremost we will just enjoy the beauty and fragrance as we begin our flower study this week.

I am going to try to get the boys to join me for nature journal entries as well. One son has switched over to pressing flowers for his nature journal and one son would rather take photos so you will get to see a variety of types of nature journals as we go through the next few weeks.

Here is a link to wildflower coloring pages if you are interested in including something like that in your nature journal or as a way to see how to sketch them yourselves.
Wildflower Coloring Pages

So pick one flower this week and get started!

One flower, one tree, one bird at a time. It works.

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Barb — 11 Comments

Early Spring Wildflowers (Post 2)

The hillside is beginning to burst open in flowers this week making our daily walk such a feast for the eyes. Everyday now it seems that there is something new to discover.

This unique white flower has me puzzled.
EDIT: Vera helped me out with this one…it is chickweed !

Here is another photo of the plant and its blooms.

This tiny white flower is blooming right in the middle of the pathway. It is about 1 or 2 inches high at the most. I really need to take my field guide with me and try to identify this one as well.

This one has me stumped….grrrr. I know it has to be something fairly common because I notice along the trail in a couple different of areas. I am going to take a better look today and see if I can figure it out.
Edit: Georgiaberry suggested that this may be Spring Beauty and I am going to check it out today.

Okay, this has been one frustrating post for me. I really want to identify all the flowers this year and so far I have more questions than answers. Maybe I should hire myself a botanist to go on the trail with me and have them teach me all the names of the plants. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Expect a garden post soon…our yard is waking up. I read through the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study on plants….wildflowers, weeds, and garden flowers and I made a list of those flowers were are going to study this spring. I will share those plants that we have included and maybe you will like to join us over the next few weeks or whenever you have these particular flowers blooming in your area.

I just had a great idea…..how about since we finished our Winter Wednesday activities, we start a Wednesday Flower Day study? That will hold me accountable to keep up our family’s studies and anyone can join us that wants to have a little structure. I will post about it tomorrow.

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Barb — 8 Comments

They Don’t Call it the Golden State for Nothing

What a gift I received yesterday.

We were out on our afternoon hike and we rounded the bend and we all immediately stopped in our tracks. The view had changed from the day before. The hills in the distance were a bright orange…..with California poppies.

I tried to zoom in as much as I could to show it more clearly but this was the best I could do.

Overnight the hillside had transformed into a carpet of golden poppies.

I have lived within two miles of this wonder and have never seen it so beautiful in 29 years.

Amazing.

Posted on March 13, 2009 by Barb — 3 Comments

Keeping Our Sanity with Daily Nature Study

” 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….She (teacher/mother) finds, first of all, companionship with her children; and second, she finds that without planning or going on a far voyage, she has found health and strength.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 3

This week has had its ups and downs but by far the ups have outweighed the downs….thanks for the encouraging words and comments and your understanding.

This seemed like a perfect week to take a break from the Outdoor Hour Challenge writing and just get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine with my family.

We have made time to walk everyday and with each new day we observed something to let us know that spring is coming quickly.

We had a visitor in our backyard yesterday. This mourning dove stayed around long enough for us to really observe all his field marks. We saw the black stripe on the head, the spots on the wings, the black and white on the long tail, and if you click this photo and look at his feet….you will see how pink/purple they were.

In the spirit of trying to catalog the wildflowers on our daily hikes, I found this plant that is one of my particular favorites. It is actually one of a handful of wildflowers that I learned about as a child. Mule Ears look like sunflowers when they bloom.

Edit: I now think that this is not Mule Ears but is Arrowleaf Balsamroot.

Here is the beginnings of the bloom.

We have been watching this particular wildflower along the trail for a week or so now and it is popping out in blooms more everyday.

It is called Western Hound’s Tongue. I think it is funny that in this post I have Mule’s Ears and Hound’s Tongue…..aren’t those great names?

Here is a close-up of the blossom.

Here is another plant with a great name….

California Maidenhair Fern.
It is so pretty and if you look very closely, the stems are black.

Amanda had time to join us yesterday on our hike and it was great to spend an hour or so out exploring in the woods together.

As a busy young adult it is not always easy to make time to get outdoors but she said afterward that it was refreshing and encouraging to see all the signs of spring along the trail.

Here is a photo from the other day that I have to show you. The last big rainstorms washed a section of the trail away and exposed a lot of rock. Since we live in gold country, I sort of jokingly said that maybe there was some gold washed down along with the rocks.

My teen decided he was going to climb down and take a look. We didn’t find any gold but we did find quite a bit of really pretty quartz.

This week has truly been saved by two things: prayer and our outdoor time. Our outdoor time is even better when we spend time together…..relationships made stronger by shared experiences.

Hope you have a great week and I will hopefully have the computer situation under control and the next Outdoor Hour Challenge next Friday.

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Barb — Leave a comment

Early Spring Wildflowers (post 1)

I am trying to catalog the wildflowers we see during our daily hikes. This is going to be a project that takes some effort…there are already quite a few flowers blooming.

Sierra Shooting Star

Miner’s Lettuce in bloom

Here is a close-up.

Manzanita– not really a wildflower but a blooming shrub

Sweet Fennel

This is just starting to bloom and I could tell the minute I touched it from the fragrance what it was.

Sierra Saxifrage

That is it for today. I did see hounds tongue but I didn’t take a photo. …I will today and include it in the next post.

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Barb — 5 Comments

Desert Nature Study-Joshua Tree National Park and More

I wanted to share some more of the photos from our trip to the desert that we took a few weeks ago. The photo above is from Joshua Tree National Park. The scene is typical of what you will find as you hike along the trails of the park. It has taken me three trips to the desert to begin to develop a love for the animals and plants that live here. In this strange and wonderful landscape, you can find the most beautiful of things if you look carefully enough.

There really are blooming plants here and if you get the chance to get up close, you realize that there are bees and other insects as well as birds that are attracted to the color and fragrance.

I will admit that there are sections of the park that are more rock than anything else. My two boys couldn’t resist a good climb when they saw it.

When you get up close you see all the intricate patterns and designs of the desert plants. I believe this is some kind of cholla cactus.

Now here was something that surprised me and I examined it carefully for some time. Can you see all the different colors of lichen on this rock? There is a moss green, a grey-green, an orange and a soft yellow-green all living right here on the side of this rock. Beautiful.

Many times as we hike along we name the rock formations we see. The boys named this one “Whale Head”.

Not to be confused with “Whale’s Mouth”.

They keep me smiling…..and thinking.

We came across a wash on our hike and the wildflowers were already blooming. There are three different flowers blooming in this photo…two white and the desert sand verbena.

How about a video? (Why does it take so looooong for the videos to load onto Blogger anyway?)
This squirrel was entertaining us with his acrobatics…trying to get that certain pod to eat.

Here is what the squirrel was gathering to eat. This is a palo verde tree.

I took a lot of photos at the Living Desert Museum and I shared a lot of the butterfly and hummingbird photos already but here are a few more of the larger animals we saw that the boys spent a lot of time observing.

The giraffes…there were four of them.

The cheetahs..there were two of them. I love this photo….look at that face!

For some reason I threw our nature journals in my backpack and we took the opportunity in the afternoon to slow down and do some sketching at the museum. It was a great way to remember our time there.

What a great memory.

It was great way to end our stay at the museum. The desert holds so many interesting and surprising creations for us to learn about….a life time of learning just one plant and one bird and one animal at a time.

So whether you venture out in the national park or you stay in town and visit the Living Desert Museum….there is so much to enjoy as a family. Pick your adventure.

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!