Monday, April 21, 2008

A Study of Garden Flowers


Lilacs are in full bloom near a local winery.


Our family's focus area for nature study this spring term is garden flowers. We began our study by making a list of flowers that are covered in the Handbook of Nature Study. As the weeks are going by, we will be examining closely the garden flowers we have in our own yard.

Yesterday my daughter planted a variety of flower seeds to be sprouted for our garden boxes. This will be our "laboratory" in a few weeks where we will observe the plants as they grow and blossom and also observe the insects that will be attracted to them.
"People have always admired the wild flowers that grow in the weeds and meadows, and have wanted to be able to bring them near their homes. And so when someone would see a flower that he thought especially beautiful growing in field or forest, he would take it from its native home and plant it in a garden. If others admired it, they would ask for seeds, roots, or cuttings' and thus the plant would come to many gardens."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 546
Nature study brings an increased awareness of what is all around us everyday. We do not need to go far to find something interesting to learn about. The Handbook of Nature Study has helped us look at the details with eyes of understanding.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom