OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Iris Study

It hardly seems possible that this is the last challenge from the More Nature Study Book 3 Spring Splendor series! This season has gone by so very fast. Let's all make an effort to get outside this week and view some garden flowers whether they are in our own backyard, at a near-by park, or at a garden nursery. Take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy this last spring challenge outdoors with your family...fifteen minutes can be squeezed in first thing in the morning or right after lunch if that works for your schedule.

Thank you so much to all the participants who have shared their outdoor adventures this season through the links of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Keep sending in your entries! We will be taking a little break from the challenges until June 8, 2012 and then we will start our Summer Sizzle series of challenges at that time. The new ebook is available and ready for you to download in preparation for a summer of enriching nature study. I hope to see some summertime entries from all the OHC families!


More Nature Study Book 3
Garden Flower - Blue Flag Iris

“Each iris flower has three side doors leading to the nectar wells; and the bees, in order to get the nectar, must brush off the pollen dust on their backs” Handbook of Nature Study

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read Lesson 157 in the Handbook of Nature Study (pages 571-574). View the diagram on page 573 showing the parts of the iris labeled. 
• View these YouTube videos: Blue Flag and Iris and Bee. 
• Advanced Study: You can determine what kind of native irises you have in your area by viewing the maps at the bottom of this page: USDA Iris.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• This lesson is valuable for learning about wild irises and garden irises as well. Take your outdoor time for this challenge and view an iris if possible. The lesson also suggests that observations of the flower can take place inside but the viewing of the bee visiting the iris is the most interesting way to learn about this flower. You may need to file this study away until you can visit an iris in person. 
• Alternate activity: Spend time watching insects and flowers in your garden or at a near-by park. Use the information about the iris and the information you learned in the Poppy-Buttercup Challenge to make comparisons between flowers. Remember to use proper flower part vocabulary in your conversation. Ebook Users: You can use the Spring Flower notebook page if you would like as part of this challenge. 
• Watch any pollinators in your yard and observe their behavior.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Allow time for a nature journal entry where your child can sketch and record their iris study or complete a coloring page. This site may be helpful in carefully drawing the iris and labeling its parts: The Iris Flower (USDA). Advanced Study: Use colored pencils and draw your iris in your nature journal (see an example HERE). How about a video?
•  Discuss any pollinators you viewed as part of this challenge and record any interesting thoughts in your nature journal. See the list of questions above. 
•  Advanced Study: If you live in the United States, you can use this website to determine what plants and pollinators you have in your neighborhood: Pollinator Partnership. View your guide to determine five plants that you can add to your garden to encourage pollinators to visit. If you already have native plants, make a list of them in your nature journal. Alternate activity: Record information in your nature journal for one native iris to your area.

Additional Activities:
Great Sunflower Project: If you enjoy watching bees visit your garden flowers, you may be interested in participating in this citizen science project. It is simple enough for even very young children to get involved with and it doesn’t take a lot of time. Click over to their website to learn more.

Blue Iris Time Lapse video (for fun).



Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

More Nature Study #3 Garden Snail Study

Image Source: Flickr

More Nature Study Book 3
Snail Study

“Perchance if those who speak so glibly of a ‘snail’s pace’ should study it, they would not sneer at it, for, carefully observed, it seems to be one of the most wonderful methods of locomotion ever devised by animal….The snail carries his dwelling with him, and retires within it in time of danger. He can climb on any smooth surface.”
Handbook of Nature Study 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 416-422 (Lesson 106). There are lots of interesting details about the snail’s life history and its behavior. Highlight a few things you can share with your children.
• Choose a few of the suggested activities to use as part of your snail study.
• YouTube videos for preparation and building interest: Garden Snail Video (excellent), Escargot, and Two Garden Snails and this one (preview) Garden Snail. 

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Go on a snail trail hunt! Although snails are nocturnal, you can look for snail trails during the day which may lead you to some snails hiding in moist places like pond areas or near the garden. Continuous trails are from slugs while trails with breaks belong to snails. Snail trails will glisten in the sun or shine at night with a flashlight.
• If you find a snail or a snail shell, make careful observations. If you have a container, gather a snail for more indoor observations. Use a magnifying lens to view the snail’s eyes or other body parts. Handle the snail carefully and wash your hands afterwards. Use the suggestions from Lesson 106 to guide your careful study of the snail.

Follow-Up Activities:

• If you found a snail, record your observations in your nature journal. Describe the color, size, and behavior of your snail. Put it into a clear container with some leaf litter and source of moisture like a can lid filled with a bit of water. Put in some bits of lettuce and watch the snail eat. Watch the snail as it climbs the clear walls, observing the underside of the snail.
• If you found an empty snail shell, take careful notes of its appearance. Advanced study: Identify the type of snail you found. Draw your snail shell in your nature journal. (See link below.)
• Advanced study: Research the Phyllum of Mollusca. Record your findings in your nature journal along with a list of other mollusks.
• Advanced study: Develop a question about snails that you can answer by observation. Design an activity or experiment to answer your question. Carry out your activity and then record your results in your nature journal. For example: How fast does a snail crawl? How does it eat? How does a snail protect itself? How does a snail react to light? Ebook users: Notebook page included in the ebook.

Additional Links:

• Excellent website with images of land snails (UK based but relevant to the US as well).
• Snails are Easy to Draw
• Read about snails and color a snail online at Enchanted Learning
• Moon Snails (aquatic snails) on YouTube.com 

Don't forget to share your May OHC blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in March are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.




This is an awesome and fun YouTube video: Snail Art

Learing about Vines With Nature Study

Vine Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Our world is full of vines...I never noticed how many vines there are in our neighborhood until we focused on vines for the past few weeks during our outdoor time. The vine above is a Common sulphur pea that grows wild in our area and is a native plant. I always just call them sweet peas. These are growing on our hiking trail and they don't bloom very long since they are on the sunny dry side of the trail. They are a delight while they last.


Blackberry vines - This tangle is right alongside our walking trail. They don't get a lot of water here on the dry side of the hill so they aren't very sweet and plump. The wild critters benefit from these patches of blackberries.

I think these are Himalayan blackberries and are an invasive species in our part of the world. I have them in my yard...creeping in wherever I don't whack them back or chomp them down. I keep a very small manageable patch in my front yard for the birds and for my own early morning picking pleasure in the summer. Nothing like a freshly picked, sun-warmed blackberry for your breakfast.  


Sweet peas - These are the purple-pink sweet peas that grow wild alongside the walking trail. They come back year after year. I am cultivating a nice patch of them in my backyard, hoping they will fill in a spot with their brightly colored flowers. We read in the Handbook of Nature Study that studying the sweet pea should be a garden lesson so we will save it for the summer. (We did a previous sweet pea study and you can read it here along with my little video.)


English ivy - This is a vine that grows over and through our fence from our neighbor's yard. We spend quite a bit of time cutting it back since we really don't want ivy taking over our yard. It is pretty and green but that is about all I can say nice about it.



Hedge bind weed - We have this growing under our birdfeeder. We are watching it grow and then in a few weeks after it has bloomed we will pull it all out. (I am keeping just a few of the hedge bindweed plants on the advice of a fellow gardener who told me it could quickly take over.) We did a previous study of this plant here: Hedge Bindweed if you want to take a look.


Vetch - This was the plant that led to a complete afternoon of study. We actually have two varieties of vetch along our hiking trail. The one above is Hairy vetch and then we also have Spring vetch.


The spring vetch almost looks like a small sweet pea (same family, different genus). It took some time to find information on these two vetches because neither plant was in our wildflowers field guide. I presume this is because they are non-native plants. We found this interesting because these two plants are seen everywhere in our area. I have started keeping track in my nature journal of native vs. non-native plants...interesting exercise.

We decided we needed to keep this as an on-going nature study and we will be watching as the hedge bindweed and sweet peas in our garden as they mature over the next few weeks. We have had fun noticing if plants twine in clockwise or counter clockwise directions. It becomes sort of an obsession. Keeping a focus always adds an enjoyable layer to our outdoor time and nature study.




Don't forget to share your Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Vine Study

More Nature Study Book 3
Vine Study - Sweet peas, Hedge bindweed, and Dodder

Vines: Plants that have the habit of climbing upon other plants or upon sides of houses. Stems of vines are not strong enough to stand alone, seeking support to help get their leaves up into the life-giving sunlight. Some vines climb by twisting their stems around the support plant while others have special “holders” which are called tendrils. 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read these pages in the Handbook of Nature Study to prepare you for this week’s challenge. 1. Sweet Pea: 588-590 (Lesson 164) *vines with tendrils. 2. Hedge Bindweed: 518-520 (Lesson 137) *twining vines. 3. The Dodder or Love Vine: 520-522 (Lesson 138) *tendrils with sucker.
• If you would like to start your sweet peas from seed, follow the instructions in Lesson 164. This study could then continue into the summer months and end in a study of the sweet pea flower using Lesson 164.
• Read this page and view the images: How Vines Climb. You can watch these videos on YouTube: Twining Motion of Vines, Morning Glory Stop Motion, Time Lapse of Cucumber Tendril (Beware: 1812 Overture plays loudly.)

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Use your outdoor time for this challenge to explore your yard and neighborhood looking for vines of any kind. Don’t worry if you can’t find a sweet pea, dodder, or hedge bindweed but apply your knowledge and vocabulary to any vines you do find. 
• Make sure to observe closely how the vine climbs. If the vine is a twining vine, note which direction the vine wraps itself around the support plant. If the vine has tendrils, note their color, size, and direction.
• Optional: Plant sweet pea or morning glory seeds for your own vines to observe over the next few months.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Follow up your outdoor time with the opportunity to record an entry in your nature journal with your vine observations. Ebook Users: You can use the vocabulary found on the chart in the ebook.
• Advanced study: Research more vines and how they climb (How Plants Climb). Summarize your information in your nature journal.
• Advanced study: Make your own time lapse video of a vine twining or using its tendrils.
• If you planted sweet pea or morning glory seeds, continue to record their growth over the next few months in your nature journal.

Don't forget to share your May blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

Our Spring Fern Nature Study

Taken May 3, 2012

We actually started our fern nature study way back in January during our Silent Nature Winter Walk.

This week we walked the same trail to view our ferns. We tried to remember how many ferns there were back in January and there seems to be more ferns now and they are larger. Comparing photos I think we are correct.

Magnificent ferns on our hiking trail.

I was interested in the Western sword fern but Mr. B was interested in the California Maidenhair fern. Both are plants that we have looked at closely before. The Maidenhair fern is interesting because it has a black stem and looks like lace...sometimes you have to look twice because you think the green parts are floating in air but really they are attached with delicate black stems.

More Nature Study Book #3 Fern Study Notebook Page

We had a field guide to consult and to glean a few new facts from. Mr. B did a nature journal page for the California Maidenhair fern from our hiking trail. He thought the stalk was a purple/black...I will have to look closer the next time we hike down the trail.

California Maidenhair Fern - March 2010 (Best photo I have that shows the stalk.)

Now do you want to see some of our California wildflowers from further up the trail? We were busy this time stopping and noting all the colorful flowers there are right now.

This is a colorful time of year in our part of the world.

I am keeping a running list of wildflowers seen on this particular trail for the whole year of 2012.

Keeping a list...nothing fancy about this page in my journal.

I just add to my list in my nature journal when we get back from our hike. It is interesting to see the patterns and successions of blooms.

Making fern prints with ink. See link below.

We will be revisiting ferns again this summer as we visit several spots in California that have ferns. I think it will be fun to add to our collection of fern prints that we started back in January.

It is not too late to join in with your own fern nature study..... If you own the More Nature Study Book #3 for spring, there are plenty of simple ideas to glean more information about your local ferns or prepare for the future when you may encounter ferns during your travels.




I am linking up to a new to me monthly meme at The Homeschool Scientist. Click over and join in.

Goat Nature Study? Where Are The Goats?

No photos of goats but we did spy some awesome insects in the garden.

This week we were hoping to complete the Outdoor Hour Challenge Goat Study. 

We had every intention of finding a real live goat to observe for this challenge...we had several ideas but none of them panned out. We did the next best thing and prepared for the time the opportunity does arise. Mr. B is always up for a research project so this was agreeable to him.



We went through the challenge and narrowed the research to these few things:

1. Read in the Handbook of Nature Study about goats (lesson 65).
2. He viewed the videos linked in the Goat Study Challenge. His favorite? Fainting goats, of course!
3. Research and record information on ruminant animals (animals with four stomachs).

In my experience, after preparing for a particular nature study, we will have an opportunity to use our goat information in the near future. It always seems to work that way, maybe because we are looking for the opportunity with clear eyes.

We had our first swallowtails in the garden this week.

We have had plenty of outdoor time this week as we have worked in the garden, taken a long drive in vineyard country, and walked our trusty Kona dog ( who stood in for our mammal for this study).

Remember to send in your Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries completed in the month of May to the OHC Blog Carnival. Deadline for submitting will be 5/30/12.

Latest edition: April 2012: Spring Splendor

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Ferns

More Nature Study Book 3
Fern Study 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read pages 693-706 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lessons 192-195)). Highlight information on ferns that you would like to share with your children. After reading through the information, pick one aspect of the fern to focus on during your outdoor time (unfolding, fruiting, learning parts of the fern).
• View this animation: The Life Cycle of the Fern. This one is also interesting: YouTube: Time Lapse Fern Unfurling.
• Advanced preparation: YouTube: Fern Life Cycle (Give this one a chance. It starts off a little rough but covers the information very well for this challenge.) Fern Cycle—Animated (For Fun). For students who have a background with high school biology: Fern Life Cycle. 

Outdoor Hour Time:
Note:Take a hand lens and a way to carry a fern frond with you during your outdoor time.

• Ferns are in the section of the Handbook of Nature Study that covers Flowerless Plants. Use your outdoor time this week to go on a fern hunt or as an alternative, look for moss which is in the same section in the Handbook (Lesson 197). Make observations using a hand lens if you have one. Take photos of the location of your ferns or other subjects.
• Collect one frond of your fern (if appropriate). 

Follow-Up Activities:

• Allow time for a nature journal (notebook page provided in the ebook). If you would like to make this study into a year-long project, record your spring fern observations and mark your calendar to return in summer, autumn, and winter to view your fern’s changes.
• Use careful observation to view the sori on the back of your fern.
• Make ink prints of your fern frond in your nature journal. Step by step instructions are on my blog: Making Leaf Prints With Ink.
• Advanced study: Record the story of the fern in your nature journal. Ebook users: Optional: Fern coloring page. 

Additional Links:
Biology of a Swordfern (references to evolution)
Guide to Ferns (for Georgia but information that can apply anywhere)

Printable Parts of a Fern

Fern vocabulary

Backyard Ferns 

Don't forget to share your Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Dogwood Study

More Nature Study Book 3
Dogwood Study

“But when spring comes, these bud scales change their duties, and by rapid growth become four beautiful white or pinkish bracts which we call the dogwood flower.”
Handbook of Nature Study 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read pages 680-682 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 188). Read through the lesson for suggested observations for your outdoor time.
• View this video for more information: Briar Patch: The Dogwood Tree. You may also like to view these pages: Pacific Dogwood (western U.S.) and Flowering Dogwood (eastern U.S.) 

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Enjoy your outdoor time for this challenge looking for blooming trees. Spend a few minutes observing the colors of the blooms and look for any insect visitors. If appropriate, gather a leaf and a blossom to sketch in your nature journal. 
•  This is the perfect time to begin a year-long tree study. For ideas on how to get started, see this entry: Year-Long Tree Study. 
• If you have a dogwood to view up close, use a few of the lesson ideas to make careful observations. Look at the bark, the flowers, and the arrangement of the flowers on the branches. 
• Advanced study: Bring along your sketching supplies and sketch or watercolor the bracts and flowers. 

Follow-Up Activity:

• Take a few minutes to sketch your tree, the flower, the leaf, the bark, or fruit of your tree. You can use this website’s images as a reference for your drawing: Identifying Dogwood Trees (They call the bracts “petals” but otherwise this is a very good page.) Ebook Users: There is a notebook page and two coloring pages included in the ebook for your dogwood study. There is also a notebook page for any flowering tree. 
• Advanced study: Complete a nature journal entry for your dogwood or other blooming tree. Ebook users: There is a notebook page to complete using a field guide or the internet. 
• Advanced study: Find out what hardiness zone you live in: National Gardening Association. Read the list of trees that grow in your hardiness zone: TreeLink. Pick a tree from your zone list and do additional research. Record your findings in your nature journal. 

Additional links:

• Clare Walker Leslie’s Guide to Sketching Trees –Excellent printable resource 
• Find out when Arbor Day is in your state: Arbor Day Foundation 
• Other Blooming Tree Ideas: Spring Blooming Trees 

Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
 

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Goat Study

More Nature Study Book 3
Goat Study 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read pages 266-270 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 65). There is a lot of information on the history of goats and details about specific kinds of goats. Some of the activities in the lesson are outdated so my best suggestion is to cover the information as a preparation for future encounters with goats. Look for a petting zoo, a local farm, or a zoo that might have goats to observe in person. 
• Burgess Book of Animals Chapter 38: Read online or listen to the audio version online. 
• Acquire some goat’s milk or goat’s cheese to sample as part of your preparation or follow-up to this challenge. 

Outdoor Hour Time:

• This week spend some time outdoors observing mammals. The most important part of this challenge is to get outdoors and casually point out what a mammal is and keep your eyes out for a subject. This can be any mammal. (What is a mammal?) If you have access to a goat, use the suggestions from the lesson to make careful observations. 
•  Alternate field trip idea: Goats are related to the bison, antelope, gazelle, sheep, muskoxen, and cattle so if you have any of those mammals in a near-by zoo you can observe them and make some comparisons to the goat. 

 Follow-Up Activity: 

• Complete a nature journal entry recording the information you observed or learned about goats (Ebook users have two notebook pages to choose from). You can view this website and videos and use this for your goat observation: St. Louis Zoo Website: Info and three short videos. You can also print out some goat coloring book pages as an alternative follow-up activity. 
• Advanced study: Research and record the history of goats or research the different breeds of goats and the different types of goats (meat, dairy, fiber) using the additional links below. 
• Advanced study: Compare two breeds of goats. Record your results in your journal. 
• Advanced study: Research ruminant animals (animals with four stomachs). Here is a website to use as a reference: Digestive System of Goats. 

Additional Links:
Smithsonian Link: Goats (excellent information)

Fainting Goats on National Geographic

Breeds of Goats— Excellent research website

Breeds of Goats by Use

Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

 

Spring Wildflowers- California Poppy Nature Study

"One of the most interesting performances to watch that I know is the way this poppy takes off its cap before it bows to the world. Like magic the cap loosens around the base; it is then pushed off by the swelling, expanding petals until completely loosened, and finally drops off."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 563

Way back when I was planning the challenges for the More Nature Study Book #3, I had no way of knowing what perfect timing I would have with this particular Poppies and Buttercups Challenge. We were treated to two events this week in connection with our poppy study.



1. We took a day trip to Yosemite National Park and even though parts of the park still have quite a bit of snow, when we left the park through the southern El Portal entrance and out Hwy 140 there were millions of poppies blooming along the hills that run alongside the Merced River. It was breathtaking! I have lived in California all my life and I have never seen such a display of poppies...miles and miles of poppies in bloom.



2. The California Poppies in our front yard garden decided to start blooming on Monday. I am serious....Monday, right on cue! We took some time to closely observe the way the caps tip to reveal the petals (see the top photo in this entry). We marveled at the light shining through the bright orange petals. We peered into the inside flower parts and remembered Anna Botsford Comstock's remarks about sleeping inside a poppy. We observed the lacy leaves and decided to do some sketches and rubbings of the leaves in our nature journals. You can view a previous more thorough study of poppies in this blog entry: CA Poppies-Using the Handbook of Nature Study.

"The insects in California take advantage of the closing petals and often get a night's lodging within them, where they are cozily housed with plenty of pollen for supper and breakfast.."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 564

As part of the advanced study suggestions for this challenge, we are keeping a spring list of wildflowers in our nature journals.

Advanced Study Notebook Page - More Nature Study Book #3 Spring

Mr. B also completed an additional notebook page for the Hound's Tongue wildflower that we saw blooming this week on our hiking trail. This is one of the early wildflowers that we see in our local area. It's distinctive leaves make it an easy flower to identify. The flowers are almost blue which is unusual and beautiful.


I enjoyed the lupine on the way home from our Yosemite trip. We had a wonderful week of focusing on wildflowers, increasing our desire for spring to really come and stay in our part of the world.




Don't forget to share your Spring Nature Study blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.You can submit any entries from April to the carnival or directly to me if needed: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Spring Wildflowers: Poppies and Buttercups

More Nature Study Book 3
Spring Wildflowers - Poppies and Buttercups


Inside Preparation Work:

• Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 516-518 (Lesson 136) on the buttercup. Also, read pages 560-565 in the Handbook about the poppy and the California poppy (Lessons 154 and 155). Use the information to identify and then observe these flowers when you get the opportunity. If you don’t have these flowers in your area, use this challenge to find and view closely any flower in your spring world.
• View this page for some amazing images of buttercups: Close-Up View of 3 Buttercups. Ebook users: View poppy images on page 29. 
• Use this challenge to introduce the parts of a flower with the proper names. You can find information online HERE and HERE. There is a diagram in the Handbook of Nature Study on page 456. You can also refer to Garden Challenge #2. I encourage you to start using the flower part names as you observe flowers. 

Outdoor Hour Time:

• This week you can spend some of your outdoor time looking for spring flowers or flowering weeds. Part of this challenge is to start using the correct flower part names and that can be done with any flower you find. 
• Collect one or two flowers to bring inside to draw in your nature journal. 
• Advanced students: Complete your nature journal in the field. List as many of the flowers you observed as you can (Free printable list notebook page HERE). Use your field guide to identify any flowers you don’t know. Pick one to research later in the week.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Sketch or watercolor the flower you collected during your outdoor time. Make sure to add a date, flower name, and the location you collected the flower to your entry.
• Press your flower. You can refer to the Garden Flowers Challenge #3 for more information (which includes my YouTube video with instructions for a making a press: How to Make a Flower Press. 
• Advanced students: If you did not do so in the field, complete a nature journal entry for your flower, complete with flower parts labeled. Use a field guide or the internet to learn more about your flower. 
• Advanced students: Research more information on one of the flowers you observed during your outdoor time. 

Additional Links:
Slideshow for poppies (child friendly)

Buttercup coloring pages 

You can see our Spring Wildflower Study by clicking over to my follow-up blog entry:
Spring Wildflowers - CA Poppy Nature Study (and an additional wildflower too).

Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

 

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Robin Study

More Nature Study Book 3
Spring Bird and Robin Study

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 57-62 (Lesson 11) about the robin. There is so much information about the robin on these pages that it is a little overwhelming. I would read the information and mark any ideas or facts that you are interest in sharing with your child. You don’t have to cover everything this year...save some for next spring as well.
• Supplement the information from the Handbook with information on All About Birds. Make sure to listen to the robin’s song so you can recognize it when you are outdoors. View the videos on the Cornell website for more information: Robins.
• Younger Children: Read Burgess Bird Book Ch. 5 online or listen to an MP3 recording to hear the robin’s story.
• Refer to previous bird challenge: Red Birds and Spring Bird Study. If you do not see a robin this week, you can use the Spring Bird Study to learn more about any bird you see in your yard or neighborhood.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Spend time outdoors this week observing birds in your neighborhood. If you see a robin, remember some of the interesting things you can observe: the color, the beak, the way it eats, the way it hops, and its song. Encourage your child to be still, listen, and observe any bird that visits your yard. Remember the lesson objective, “To understand all we can about the life and ways of the robin.” You can apply that to any bird you see this week.

Follow-Up Activity:

• The Handbook of Nature Study has a whole series of questions that relate to the study of the robin. You can answer as many of them as possible or record your own thoughts and observations in your nature journal. Ebook users: Complete the American Robin notebook page or the optional robin coloring page.
• If you didn’t observe a robin but did see another bird, use the Handbook of Nature Study index or a field guide to look up the bird for more information. Record your observations in your nature journal or ebook users can complete the Spring Backyard Bird notebook page.
• Ebook users: Advanced study: Use your field guide to complete the American Robin notebook page.
• Advanced study: Use the link to Journey North (link below) to choose a topic to research for your robin follow-up study. Suggestions include: A Food Chain Mystery and Focus on Feathers.
• Advanced study: Use your field guide or the internet to learn more about the thrush family. Choose one other bird in this family and compare it to the American Robin.

Additional Websites:

• Here is an excellent supplemental printable on American Robins. (child friendly)
• American Robin—Journey North : Excellent website with loads of information about robins. You can take part in the citizen science project tracking robins in their migration. I highly recommend this website for additional information for children interested in birds and birding. For extra study, click the Will A Robin Choose Your Neighborhood? and follow the directions for a slideshow and printable.

You can read about our Spring Bird - Robin Study:
Robin Nature Study-Where Have They Gone?

Don't forget to share your entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
 

Buds and Catkins - Our Spring Nature Study

We still have plenty of tree buds to use in our nature study this week as part of the More Nature Study Book 3 study of Buds, Catkins, and Blossoms assignment. We went out after dinner last night to observe and gather some specimens for our study. Can I just say that we were intrigued with the variety we have right in our own backyard?

Mr. B and I both sketched buds into our nature journal. There has to be no better way to really see what a bud looks like than to try to sketch it in detail. Picking the correct color and seeing the different ways that buds are shaped lead to really truly *seeing* the subject.

Advanced Study Notebook Page from More Nature Study Book 3

Mr. B used the advanced notebook page from the ebook to try his hand at sketching an enlarged bud using the grid paper. He thought this was hard.....I think he just needs a little practice.

Sweet Gum Tree Bud

What a glorious bud he chose to sketch! This is the sweet gum tree bud...it looks like it is ready to burst open at any moment. We placed it in a glass of water to see if we could get it to open up in our window sill.

The vertical twig hanging down has our string on it...still no leaves.

We also observed the birch catkins we have on our backyard tree. This was the same tree we used in our twig study and we found the branch with the string marker. Not much of a change yet so we will continue to watch our twig as the season progresses.

New leaves on this twig of the birch tree and some catkins too.

Currently there are no tree blossoms in our yard. The plum is done and the pear and apple are not yet blossoming. We found a few more interesting things to gather and bring inside for our bud study.

Walnut Tree Twig with Buds

The most interesting thing from our study is the walnut tree twig with its unusual buds...both color and shape. We had never taken the time to really examine the walnut tree bud before so it was a surprise. It was a fun exercise to try to get the sketch right in my journal. It helps to know a little bit about twig anatomy so you notice all the important parts like the leaf scars and the lenticels.

Silver Maple Buds and Key

The maple tree buds are all burst open and you can see the keys in the image above. If you are interested in doing your own Spring Maple Tree Study, you can look back to a previous study we had here on this blog. You may wish to use the free printable: Spring Maple Tree Notebook Page

Birch Tree Catkin - April 2012

So this was another wonderful study with my teen. He did a little grumbling at first about doing the study this week since he thought there wasn't much to learn but as you see above once we got started there were many things to be interested in. If all that he gleaned from this study was that all tree buds are unique and we can identify trees from twigs and buds, then I am a happy mama.


Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk and Bud/Catkin/Blossom blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.You can submit entries directly to me if needed: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com