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Outdoor Hour Challenge #30 Weeds and Seeds

I don’t know about you but my garden has lots of weeds right now. It is going to take some serious effort to clean it up since I guess I have neglected it lately. This brought to mind a great idea for a challenge this week. Hopefully, you have some weed in your yard….or am I the only one?


I had already decided to introduce the idea of seed saving and then with all the weeds, I came up with a sort of combination challenge.

1. Weed study using the Handbook of Nature Study
2. Observing and collecting seeds.

As the flowers start to fade and dry, I try to gather a few of the heads to collect the seeds from. There are some flowers that are easier to get the seeds from and some that seem to not make it through the winter. I have saved a few seeds in the past by collecting the seeds and then pouring them all into a paper bag to sow in the spring. We will consider this a challenge-wide experiment to see what we can collect, save, and then what eventually grows.

Marigolds are an easy first flower to save the seeds from and I collect lots of the seeds and put them into an envelope for sprouting next spring. This pile is about six marigold blooms. They actually need to be a bit drier before I collect them but you get the idea how many seeds there are potentially in a small number of flower heads from the size of this pile.

Hollyhocks work well too but you have to remember they don’t bloom their first year so they are a long term plant in your garden.

I have never tried Morning glories but I am going to give it a shot this year and see how it goes.

If you want more information on saving seeds, there is a link below in the challenge that you can read.

Outdoor Hour Challenge #30
Weeds and Seeds  

1. This week we are going to have a two-part assignment.
Part 1: Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 512-513 on beginning a weed study. This is a terrific section to read aloud before your outdoor time this week. [Note: If it offends your family to say that “nature is the great farmer”, please feel free to insert God’s name in place of the word nature.] Skim down the table of contents in the weed section and see if you recognize any weeds from your area and read at least the introduction material to yourself before your outdoor time.

“A weed is a plant growing where we wish something else to grow, and a plant may, therefore, be a weed in some locations and not in others.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 512

Part 2: Spend your 15-20 minutes of outdoor time with your children in your own yard or on your own street. Pay attention to two opportunities this week. First, look for some weeds growing in your own garden, yard, or along your street. Remind your children of the definition of a weed and see if they can apply it to your local plants. Secondly, see if you can find any seeds to collect and to observe and possibly save to grow next year.

Here is a website for more information on collecting and saving seeds from your garden.
Saving Seeds

Possible seeds to look for that are easy to find and grow:

  • Sunflowers
  • Dandelions
  • Marigolds
  • Cosmos
  • Zinnias

Optional Activity:
If you want to really find some seeds and you have access to a little open ground like a pasture, meadow, or field, try this activity.

Sock Seeds
They say this activity works best in late summer or early fall.

2. After your outdoor time, spend a few minutes discussing anything you found of interest. Topics might include the weeds you observed, the beginnings of the change in the plants and trees in your neighborhood for the autumn season, or the change in weather if you have any. If you are completing the Sock Seed project, spend some time examining your socks before you plant them in the soil. Use a magnifying lens to get a closer look.

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.

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Late Summer Sunflower Study: Outdoor Hour Challenge #29

We studied composite flowers earlier in the year so it was fun to compare those flowers with the sunflower from our garden.

We also shared some of our nature journal entries with the sunflowers sketched in.

Now we were ready to go through Anna Comstock’s directions for a more intensified study of the sunflower. If you take the time to go through this study, you are going to learn many fascinating and amazing things about the ordinary sunflower. The design of the Creator is all over this flower…I think we could go through this study again next year and still find loads of things to be amazed by.

“…while at the center lie the buds, arranged in an exquisite pattern of circling radii, cut by radii circling in the opposite direction; and at the very center the buds are covered with the green spear-points of their bracts.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

“All this flower has to do is to hold its banner aloft as a sign to the world, especially the insect world, that here is to be found pollen in plenty, and nectar for the probing.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 575

“But the stems are very solid and firm, and the bend is as stiff as the elbow of a stovepipe, and after examining it, we are sure that this bend is made with the connivance of the stem, rather than despite it.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

“They finally become loosened, and as the great stem is assaulted by the winds of autumn, the bended heads shake out their seed and scatter them far afield.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

We followed the book’s directions and found examples of each of the kinds of florets as described on page 577 in the Observations section. We learned so much just by trying to find each of the different kinds and then really examining them. If you need more help, there is a diagram on page 575. We learned about the “community”of flowers that make up the sunflower heads.

Here is one of my nature journal entries that features my sunflowers. This summer has been filled with lots of sunflower times and I enjoy going back through my journal and seeing their progress.

It is a sad time when the sunflowers are finishing up their life cycle. I am going to be gathering a few handfuls of seeds to save for next year’s garden. The flower heads will be left out in the garden for the birds to feast on and then later this fall, we will do our garden clean up and pull out the remains. This is the first year that we have had finches all summer eating the leaves of our sunflowers. It is amazing that those tiny birds can sit on the leaves and the leaves don’t bend over. The finches must be truly lightweight to accomplish this.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their sunflower study this week. If you didn’t get a chance to do it this year, there is always next year! Plan ahead!

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Squeezing Some More Fun Into the Last Days of Summer

There is nothing more refreshing than soaking your toes in the crystal clear water of mountain lake. It is one of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day. We started out at our house with the temperatures at around 97 degrees and by the time we drove the one hour trek up and over the mountain it was around 82 degrees and breezy at the lake. As the afternoon wore on, it cooled to a perfect 78 degrees.

We had some beach time, a long walk, and then we grilled up some dinner.

Someone had piled the rocks up at the lake’s edge and it captured my attention as I waded along the edge. A lone duck swam by and decided to get in the photo for all of us to enjoy.

The pinecones are littering the forest floor and you can see how dry this area is in the summer. Not much rain falls here in this season except for the occasional late afternoon thundershower. Many of the forest animals use the pinecones for food. This forest is mostly Jeffrey Pines and Lodge Pole pines.

We had a late afternoon bbq/picnic that was yummy. The best part of our bbq according to the boys was the marshmallow roast. Afterwards, the skewers were used for a little sword fighting…of course.

I am still working on drawing trees in my nature journal. Each time they look a little different but not quite right yet. 🙂 I will not let it stop me from trying though since I still love the memory attached to each imperfect tree I draw.

We saw many Brewer’s blackbirds with their “distinctive yellow eye”. The other bird that we observed in an unusually large number was the American robin. The robins were actually being chased by the Golden mantled ground squirrels that were running around gathering seeds. As we were eating our dinner, three white headed woodpeckers were climbing up and around a tree just across the path.

The leaves on this aspen looking like jewels fluttering in the breeze. The leaves have the slightest hint of yellow, letting us know that fall is coming quickly.

I am really surprised to see that the aspen tree is not included in the Handbook of Nature Study. I found a great additional resource for California residents to use as a supplement to the Handbook. It is called, California Forests and Woolands: A Natural History by Verna R. Johnston. I love to read the narrative style of this author and the sections are the perfect length to read out loud to the family after a nature walk. I highly recommend it to California residents.

In this additional resource, it has a wonderful description of the aspen tree starting on page 140.

“The most widespread tree in North America, Quaking Aspen in California occupies a narrow zone through the high elevations at 6,000 to 9,000 feet, from San Bernardino Mountains of southern California to the Oregon border. It’s airy, sun-dappled groves enfold white trunks supporting leaves that shimmer in the slightest wind on their slender, flattened leaf stalks.”

The end of another great afternoon was spent watching the creek from the bridge. We were observing the crayfish (crawdads) in the creek and some small little fish. In a few weeks, this creek will be filled with spawning Kokanee salmon that swim upstream. Can you see our reflection in the water in the photo above?

I just hate to see the days getting shorter and shorter. We spent some time outside last evening on our back deck just taking in the sounds and sights of the darkness of the late summer twilight. We heard an owl screeching in a tree in our yard and we saw two shooting stars. The air was warm and we were feeling a little melancholy about the changing of the seasons. My husband and I are both very much summer people so when the change to fall hits we feel it acutely.

We are busy squeezing as much summer into our days as possible.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge #29: Sunflower Study

“ Probably most people, the world over, believe that sunflowers twist their stems so that their blossoms face the sun all day. This belief shows the utter contentment of most people with a pretty theory.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

I completely enjoyed reading this section of then Handbook. I actually learned many things that are now firmly implanted in my memory thanks to Anna Comstock and our own investigation of our garden sunflowers.

This week I hoped the challenge would be a follow up to our early summer’s planting of sunflowers. I know many of you have sunflowers happily growing in your yards so this challenge is for you.

If you didn’t plant sunflowers or they didn’t grow for some reason, check you local florist for a sunflower you can purchase and then observe in your kitchen and then dissect as the week goes by. I saw loads of sunflowers being sold at our local farmers market so be creative and see if you can find an actual sunflower to observe this week or next week.

“The sunflower is not a single flower, but is a large number of flowers living together; and each little flower, or floret, as it is called, has its own work to do.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

Outdoor Hour Challenge #29
Sunflower Study

1. This week we will complete a study sunflowers. Read in the Handbook of Nature Study about sunflowers on page 574-578. I can’t think of a better way to study sunflowers than to follow Anna Comstock’s suggestions in this section of her book. Read the narrative and then go over the observations suggestions and decide how your family will complete this challenge.

2. Make sure to spend 15-20 minutes of outdoor time this week with your children. If you planted sunflowers at the beginning of the summer, check on their progress. Observe your sunflowers in the garden. Afterwards, follow the directions from the Handbook of Nature Study for a study of sunflowers. Anna Comstock suggests bringing one sunflower inside for closer observation. If you do not have sunflowers in your garden, check your local florist, farmers market, or with your neighbors who may have a sunflower to share.

3. Give the opportunity for a nature journal entry. Your sunflower can supply the inspiration for this week’s journal entry. You may also wish to check out some of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings for further inspiration.
Here is a link:
http://www.vggallery.com/misc/sunflowers.htm
https://naturestudyhomeschool.com/2009/07/new-outdoor-hour-challenge-ebook-garden_27.html

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.

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

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Nature Study in the Teen Years

Just a word about nature study with older students.

Honestly, as my children are getting older, they are having to dig deeper to find something they are interested in learning about but the desire is still there. I am feeling the need to spend even more time with them outdoors as they reach their teen and teen+ years, stepping up the observations and learning.

They are becoming more confident in skills like using binoculars, using a field guide, knowing what plants grow in what environments, knowing what berries are edible, identifying birds by their flight patterns, making connections.

 

Last week we took our regular trip to the pond. Normally they get right to the business of scooping up water and critters and talking in excited voices about what they are finding. But this time I noticed a different atmosphere, a feeling of “we’ve been here and done that” sort of attitude. I had to quickly remind myself that this is their normal reaction anymore to just about everything. I think they are not interested in something because they don’t appear to be too excited on the outside. But later on in the day when they are talking to their dad, they relate a the whole experience in a different light. Apparently the outside of a teenager doesn’t accurately reflect the inside at all times.

So if you have older children and they appear to not be interested at first, don’t give up. It may be that they just aren’t showing it outwardly but inside the experiences are deeply affecting them. Don’t give up. I am not going to stop offering time outdoors with my boys.

Not all of our time will be nature study but just time to spend exploring together and sharing experiences. Our two favorite outdoor activities right now are bike riding and hiking. It sort of evens out the field in my opinion. They can lead me along and find things to show me and I can follow along and see what their eyes see. It is a great way to get to know your teens better.

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Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: Good Habits Edition

The carnival has rolled around to my neck of the woods again and I am excited to share some great entries for this edition’s theme: Habit Training.

I thought I would start off the carnival with a few of my favorite quotes from Charlotte Mason on habit training. Enjoy the quotes and then enjoy the rest of the carnival!

“Whether habits are planned and created conscientiously, or allowed to be haphazardly filled in by chance, they are habits all the same. Habit rules ninety-nine percent of everything we do.”
volume one, page 110
“Habits of mind become physical reality on brain tissue and that’s why habit is so powerful. It isn’t all in the mind, it’s physical, too.”
volume one, page 114
“It takes a few weeks of work to build a new habit. Once the habit is in place, it must be guarded diligently to prevent a reversion to the old ways, but keeping watch is not stressful or difficult once the new habit is secure.”
volume one, page 121
“One last word about habit–the point of training children to have good habits is so that they’ll do things without being nagged or scolded. Then the mother isn’t constantly chasing them down with a barrage of commands and reminders. She can leave them alone to thrive in their own way once habit has secured a boundary for them to grow in.”
volume 1, page 134

What is a Habit? How do you get started?Princess Momma shares some great beginning ideas for habit training. If you are just starting out with the idea of habit training in your family, you will be interested in reading her entry. She even includes some ideas for habits that toddlers can work on. Charlotte Mason on Habits
Dawn shares with everyone her entry on Habitry (read her entry to see what she means) I enjoyed reading her thoughts on how focusing on one habit also encompasses others at the same time. Cheerfulness, respectfulness, and kindness seem to all go together. Read about her new habit of early rising too.

The Habit of Habits. Isn’t that a great title? Andrea shares her thoughts on getting in the habit of working on habits. Love it.
The Great Habit of Completing Chores
Erin writes in her entry about the practical ways to work on the habit of instilling good habits. She says, “While chores are the physical outworking of the habit, the underlying fruit is unmistakable. Obedience, responsibility, cheerfulness, diligence, attention, just to name a few.”You will want to be sure to read her entry, Smooth and Easy Days.

Keri has some great advice and some practical examples showing how she involves her whole family in habit training. Her entry will explain their system for chores (and a little incentive): Charlotte Mason Habit Training.

This is the third entry that should inspire some great ideas in the habit of completing chores. Shanna shares her flip cards and a chart for all of us to see. Kid’s Chore Chart


Working on Habits as a Family
Rachael share on her blog how her husband has helped her lay the foundation for the habit of reading aloud together as a family. She shares a list of books they have been able to read because they have stuck with this habit for five years. Don’t miss the last photo in this entry, it will warm your heart. The Habit of Reading Aloud

Rachael also shares a very nice poem about habits that you might like to use for copywork or to just share out loud with your children. Who Am I?

Ann at As They Rise Up shares her thoughts on habits. She realizes that good and bad habits start with her. I admire a woman who is honest in her thinking. Here is her entry on habits, Habits Begin at Home.

Working on habits together must be a common thread in homeschooling families, especially with moms. Elisabeth shares her entry, Forming Habits in Ourselves, on her blog, Treasuring the Moments.

Cindy shares her family’s attempts to make occupying yourself a habit. She shares some great ideas and ways to get started if you are interested in developing this habit in your family too.Habit Training-Occupying Yourself

Amanda from Hearts and Trees share her thoughts on the habit of imagining…yes, imagining. I was interested to read what Charlotte Mason had to say about this unusual habit. Here is Amanda’s entry: The Habit of Imagining
Reaping the Rewards of Good Habits
Sonya from Simply Charlotte Mason, shares an entry titled, Discipline Brings Freedom. I can’t think of a better way to keep motivated in our endeavors to create good habits than the experiences she shares in this entry. She shows how putting down a new “habit rail” brings more freedom to your life.

I have a little different situation since my children are older and therefore have spent a lot more time working on good habits. My post, A Season of Reaping, shares my thoughts as I contemplate what sorts of habits older children need to refine. We will be discussing and making goals together as a family.

Shannon’s children are quite a bit younger than mine and she is already seeing the fruits of habit training. Here is her entry, Habit Training, on her blog Song of My Heart. Also in her entry are her family’s current habit training goals.

What a fantastic carnival and we even had a theme! Please leave a comment and let us know how you liked this carnival and if you would like to continue having a specific theme for each carnival in the future.

This is the last Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival that I will be presiding over. I am passing the torch of responsibility over to Jamie at Rose Cottage. She has graciously offered to take the lead in keeping this carnival going for all of us. I have become stretched too thin over the last months and felt the need to take something off my plate. As much as I love leading this carnival, it was something that I could easily pass on to someone without too much trouble. I want to publicly thank Jamie for her excitement and enthusiasm at handling the carnivals in the future.

We hope that it is a smooth transition but if there are any problems, please feel free to email me anytime if you have a question or concern. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

The next carnival will be hosted by Sonya at Simply Charlotte Mason. If you would like to submit an entry, wait a few days to see whether there is going to be a theme or not. It will be posted on the carnival website.

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival Submissions

Thank you to everyone who made this edition of the carnival a success. I hope everyone has gained something from reading the entries. I know that I have been inspired to try some new things with my family.

Sincerely,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Challenge #27 Insect Round-Up

I know this week we were supposed to be looking for bees but I have a favor to ask.

I decided that I have far too many unidentified insects and I might as well just post the photos here and let anyone who has any idea what they are, please let me know the names or at least a direction.

I am *so happy* that we are finishing up our focus on insects because I get very frustrated with not knowing particular names. I know I should be happy to have had the experience with observing them and also the time to browse through my insect field guide and on the internet. My boys are content with just spotting and observing. I am not content.

Here are the photos:

This one is a shiny blue and there seems to be lots of them crawling in the garden. I find them mostly under the leaves of my green beans and strawberries.

This guy is fairly good size and has a beautiful red splotch on his back.

I know I see these all the time but I don’t have any idea what they are called. They are the biggest of the bunch.
EDIT: Bordered Plant Bug or Largus succinctus
(Thanks to Dana!)

This one is sort of like the blue one but still different.

This one has a round body and is really black and blue iridescent.

This one I thought at first was a spider but it only has six legs. The legs and the antennae are striped and he was carrying that black thing as he climbed around on the butterfly bush. He was very fast. (You may need to click the photo to enlarge it.)
EDIT: Some sort of Assassin Bug
(Thanks to Dana!)

Okay, that is my collection of photos that I have yet to identify. As you can tell, I see a lot of insects when I am out watering in the garden.

We didn’t see a single bee today when we went outside but the boys knew where to go look so I know they have been observing them in the garden. One son says that he always sees bees in the lavender and the other said he thinks they are always on the butterfly bush. I think just knowing where to look for the bees is valuable. I am not worried….the bees will be back later I am sure.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge #28 Dragonflies and Damselflies

Dragonfly in Our Backyard

This summer has been filled with lots of dragonflies and damselflies and it has made me more aware of the variety of life we have all around us that we sometimes forget to notice.

Here is a great website that will help you with your state’s dragonfly and damselfly identification. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/index.htm
I learned how to tell a dragonfly from a damselfly this summer. Here are some facts that should help you in your identification.

Dragonflies

  1. Generally strong fliers
  2. Eyes touch on top of the head
  3. Fore-wings and hind-wings are of different shape
  4. At rest, the wings are held away from the body at an angle of approximately 180°

Damselflies

  1. A weak, fluttery flight
  2. Eyes are well separated
  3. Fore-wings and hind-wings are of similar shape
  4. At rest, the wings are held close to the body


Outdoor Hour Challenge #28
Focus on Insects-Dragonflies and Damselflies

1. This week read about dragonflies and damselflies in the Handbook of Nature Study, pages 401-408. You also may enjoy reading page 400-401 about the insects of the brook and pond. Remember our focus right now is on insects so if you don’t find a dragonfly or a damselfly to observe, you can always look for other insects to study.

“A pond without dragonflies darting about it, or without the exquisitely iridescent damsel flies clinging to the leaves of its border would be a lonely place indeed.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 401

2. Your 15-20 minutes of outdoor time this week can be spent looking for insects. If you have access to a pond, this would be a great week to make a short trip to the pond’s edge to make some observations. If you are sticking close to home and in your own backyard, look for any insects that you can observe. Remember to look under rocks (carefully if you live in snake country), under logs, on tree trunks, on the backsides of leaves, inside a flower, in a flowering bush or tree, and even in your window sill.

3. Give the opportunity for a nature journal entry. Dragonflies and damselflies are lots of fun to draw. Here is a website that tells you step by step how to draw a dragonfly…try it together as a family.
http://artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw-a-dragonfly/ (or you could just Google “how to draw a dragonfly”)

4. If you are keeping a running list of insects you have observed during this focus period, add any new insect names to your list. This is our last week to focus on insects in the Outdoor Hour Challenges. It might be enjoyable to take a few minutes this week to review the insects you have learned about and observed during the last seven weeks with your children. If you have a list of insects that you have observed, make sure it is complete before we move on to something new next week.

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Hummingbird Moth or White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Another gift this morning….a hummingbird moth or a white-lined sphinx moth.

I heard this guy in the skylight of the kitchen last night but I couldn’t get him to come down so I could see what sort of moth he was. This morning as I was sipping my morning cup of coffee, he buzzed right over to collect some nectar from the vase of flowers on my kitchen table. Can you believe that? We all watched as he hovered around the flowers and then up over the table. This was our first experience with a hummingbird moth and it was fantastic.

He flew up to the ceiling and landed in the corner. Please excuse the really ugly background for this beautiful moth. We re in the middle remodeling our living room and he landed right in the dusty corner where we are sheetrocking….of course.

I pulled out my Handbook of Nature Study and I was surprised to find that there is a complete section on hummingbird and sphinx moths, pages 320-325.

“The have long, rather narrow, strong wings which enable them to fly with extraordinary rapidity. …Their colors show most harmonious combinations and most exquisite contrasts; the pattern, although often complex, shows perfect refinement…..Most of the sphinx moths have remarkably long tongues, which are sometimes twice the length of the body.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 321

This was a very interesting insect to read about and I will be on the look out now for more of them. I read in the Handbook that they especially like petunias, morning glories, and nasturtiums which are all planted in my new garden from the spring!

Another gift….thank you.

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Nature Study as We Go About Our Everyday Life

This week we had some new and interesting things come our way for nature study. We seem to find things. We saw this field of wildflowers along the bike trail in our local area. The field was so pretty in the early morning light and I couldn’t resist taking a few photos.

My son found this moth in the bathroom and called me in to get a photo of the “pretty moth” on the wall. Cool.

We visited the pond this week and we brought home some water, plants, and some fish. This snail came along for the ride.

This is something else new for me…not sure what it is. The fruit looks sort of like a cherry. Isn’t it frustrating when you just don’t know what you want to know? I will try to figure it out and come back and edit. This was in the parking lot where I was waiting for the boys.

Edit: Thanks everyone….rose hips! The bush is so big and I didn’t realize it was a rose but I am sure that everyone is right….rose hips. Thanks again.

The cutest thing we saw this week was a squirrel eating walnuts from our tree. He had such a long bushy tail and he didn’t mind that we watched him as he nibbled. There are plenty of nuts for everyone. My son discovered the squirrel while he was in the backyard working on a project.

We had a lot of incidental nature study this week. I love that when it happens.