OHC More Nature Study Book #4 - Mouse Study

More Nature Study Book #4
Summer Mammal Study - Mouse

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 224-228 (Lesson 55). Additional information for more advanced students can be found at: Animal Diversity Web. Note: The Handbook of Nature Study includes quite a bit of information on trapping mice-this may not be appropriate in every family.
• Listen to Burgess Book of Animals Chapter 15-Deer Mouse and Field Mouse or Chapter 18-Pocket Mouse and House Mouse.
• Optional Online Listening (or MP3 download or PDF): Thorton Burgess’ Whitefoot the Woodmouse.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• This is one of those challenges that is hard to plan ahead of time for direct observation of the topic. If you have access to a real mouse to observe, use the suggestions for the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study.
• If you don’t have access to a mouse, use your outdoor time to observe any mammal and compare it using information you know about a mouse: teeth, feet, tail, color, size, behavior, diet.
• Remember: You are always successful in the Outdoor Hour Challenge if you take time to be outside with your children for a few minutes each week. You can use your outdoor time this week to sit on a blanket in the shade, read about mice, and then make a few notes in your nature journal. Snacks are always welcome during the Outdoor Hour Challenge as well and you can see OHC Challenge #10 for more ideas for a nature study/picnic activity.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Complete a nature journal entry with any information you learned from your mouse study. You can sketch any signs of mice that you observed in your yard like tracks, scat, or a mouse hole. You can also click this link, click and print the image of the house mouse to include in your notebook: Nature.CA—House Mouse or you can color the page for the Whitefooted Mouse in this ebook.
• If you observed any other mammal and would like to follow-up with more nature study, you can check the list of previous mammal Outdoor Hour Challenges for more information using the Handbook of Nature Study. You may wish to use the free Mammal Notebook Page available on my blog.
• Advanced Study: Research the Rodentia order and the Muridae family. Record your results in your nature journal.

Additional Links:

• Optional activity: You may wish to complete an Owl Pellet dissection as part of this study. Many times the owl pellets include mouse bones that your child can identify as part of this study. Please see my Outdoor Hour Challenge for Owls for more information (Summer Nature Study 2010 ebook). You can see our family’s owl dissection here with a good look at the mouse bones: Raptors of the Night.
• Sources for owl pellets: Home Science Tools or Acorn Naturalists

More Helpful Links:
Owl Pellet Bone Chart (free printable)


If you haven't taken my Handbook of Nature Study survey yet, I would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to give your thoughts on the direction of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Thank you for your input!

Handbook of Nature Study Survey


All the summer challenges for 2012 are included in the new More Nature Study Book #4 Summer Sizzle ebook. The challenges in the ebook are the same challenges that will post every Friday here on my blog. If you want to follow along with notebook pages and coloring pages, click over and learn more about the ebook.



 

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 - 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.

 

Garden Update and Nature Journal Tutorial-Window Frame

When we started our front yard remodel in 2010 I had no idea how much joy this space was going to bring to our lives. Each week it is a new palette of colors. The plants are really filling in this spring and new critters are moving in as well. Here are some glimpses into our garden and then a nature journal entry tutorial for you to give a try.

Butterfly bushes, Yarrow, and Lavender - April 2012

Lavender is the main blooming plant on display right now. The bees love it and so do we!


Along with the lavender is the forsythia, which contrasts so well with the lavender.


The poppies are just beginning to show signs of flower buds and they are just waiting to tip their "hats" and show their blazing orange colors.



This is something new this week....a critter is making a home under my big rock! They have pulled the landscape material back and exposed a little space to hide in right there alongside my front path. I wonder who it is?



I still really enjoy watching our butterfly "fly" around in the breeze. It adds a little bit of whimsy to our front yard.

Nature Journal Tutorial- Window Frame

This project may at first appear to be a little complicated but I encourage you to give it a try. The finished project is so fun to look at and remember your nature time.

Supplies:
Nature Journal
Pen
Watercolor pencils and brush


Begin by sketching a frame that includes both pages in your nature journal.


Sketch your subject. I chose this butterfly bush sample to sketch. Just for fun I made it extend outside the frame.


Now you can add water to your sketch, a title, and a little detail sketch if you wish. Add some fun lettering along the one side...add a date (which I did after taking this photo) and you are finished.

I would love to see your version of this nature journal idea. Send them to harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com. You can find more of my Nature Journal Ideas on Squidoo. I also wrote this entry that might help you get started: 3 Tips for Nature Journals When You Think You Can't Sketch.




Jami's Tuesday Garden Party meme is open from Tuesday to Thursday so there is still time for you to jump in and participate!

Learning About Wool - More Nature Study

More Nature Study Book 2 - Sheep/Wool Study

Since we don't have access to a sheep to observe up close, we opted to study wool instead. Mr. B was not all that excited about this particular challenge but once we started we had some fun with it. We did notice some sheep in a pasture over the weekend but that was about as close as we got to a real sheep.

• We started off with the video on YouTube showing how wool is made and we also watched a few videos on shearing sheep. This led to a few more videos on spinning yarn from the wool roving. Now we have more of an appreciation for the wool yarn that goes into our hats and scarves. 
• With new interest, Mr. B completed his research into the Artiodactyla order and Bovidae family of animals, finishing off with a written narration of his investigation. Links found in the original challenge. If you want an interesting discussion, try to find some information online that discusses the Artiodactyla order and whales. It led to some interesting thoughts in our home. (You can Google "Cetartiodactyla".)
• Lastly we looked at wool under the microscope...amazing to see up close. I encourage you to give it a try if you have a microscope. 

Sometimes our nature study is not of the outdoor variety but I knew that when I included sheep in this series of challenges. We chose a rainy day to complete this study and it was fun to think about wool when we were out on our snowshoe hike recently. Nature study can connect many real life experiences if we give it a chance. I look forward to seeing if any other families took this challenge and found a way to make it successful with their family.

If you want to look at other mammal using the Outdoor Hour Challenges, you can find a list here on this page: Outdoor Hour Challenges - Mammals 

You may also be interested in another Winter Mammal Challenge found here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

OHC More Nature Study Book 2 - Sheep/Wool

More Nature Study Book 2
Sheep and Wool Study

Inside Preparation Work: 
1. Read pages 270-274 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 66). Since most of us do not have access to a real sheep to study up close, use this information as preparation for any future encounters with sheep. For this challenge you can spend time learning about how man uses the sheep’s wool to make fabric. Make sure to have at least one item made of wool for the children to observe (or a ball of wool yarn will work as well).
2. View these videos on YouTube.com: Sheep Dogs in Training and How It Is Made-Wool.

Outdoor Hour Time: 
If you have the ability to observe a real sheep and make direct observations, this is the best way to learn about sheep. If you don’t have access to sheep, there are several alternative ideas.
1. Take a walk outdoors wearing a wool hat, sweater, mittens, coat, or scarf. Enjoy the warmth and be grateful for sheep.
2. Observe another mammal and compare it to the sheep: size, fur/hair/wool, feet, teeth, eyes, tail.

Follow-Up Activity: 
1. Spend a few minutes after your outdoor time to review your experience. If you found anything of interest, make sure to talk about it and look up any additional information in the Handbook of Nature Study or at your next library visit.
2. View wool and hair with a hand lens. You can sketch what you see in your nature journal or on the back of the sheep notebook page. Ebook users: Complete the sheep notebook page with information from the Handbook of Nature Study.



3. Advanced study: The Handbook of Nature Study suggests writing about the method by which wool is made into cloth. Research at the library or on the internet and then give a summary.
4. Advanced study: Research the Artiodactyla order and Bovidae family of mammals (links below). Use resources from your public library or the internet.






Additional Links: 

• Sheep Notebook Page on Homeschool Share 
• Sheep coloring pages to print 
• Wikipedia articles: Sheep, Artiodactyla and Bovidae. (Please note: All Wikipedia articles have references to evolution.) 
• Additional sheep information (child friendly): All About Sheep For Kids 

Make sure to share your January blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

You can see our family study here: Wool Study. 

Chipmunks or Squirrels? Our Study Using the Outdoor Hour Challenge

When you spend as much time outdoors as our family does, you eventually come across squirrels and chipmunks. Squirrels are an everyday occurrence in our yard but we do not see chipmunks at all. Chipmunks sometimes find us when we are out hiking, always when you stop to eat a picnic at Yosemite. I think the Chipmunk study as part of the More Nature Study series of Outdoor Hour Challenges will be one that is on-going since we were unable this week to observe any up close.

This past summer we had an experience where we thought we had seen chipmunks but turns out they too were squirrels.



This little rodent was very curious about us as we sat on the granite rock taking a rest after a long hot hike. He was not afraid of us in the least bit, begging a bite of our granola bars. We know better than to feed wild animals but he didn't understand that people food is not good for him and insisted that he investigate our pack from the inside out.



We thought he was a chipmunk because of the stripes but when we got home and pulled up the field guide we realized he was a Golden-mantled ground squirrel. Our book says he is "medium sized" but we thought he was rather small compared to our other squirrels that we observe in our backyard, the Western gray squirrel and the Fox squirrel.



So how can we tell in the future that what we see IS a chipmunk? They have stripes on their head and our little ground squirrel does not.

Interesting facts:

• Traditional hibernator- subject of much research on hibernation.
• Eats leaves and seeds of grasses, occasionally eats nuts, roots, bulbs, and other underground plant parts.
• Lives in the coniferous forest at elevations of 5,200 to 12,500 feet.
• It is prey for hawks, jays, foxes, bobcats, and coyote.
• Has cheek pouches for carrying food.
• Digs shallow burrows (up to 100 feet) with hidden openings.
• Cleans itself by rolling in the dirt.

Since we don't have chipmunks in our neighborhood but we know we see them all the time when we are at Yosemite. Sounds like a good reason to take the drive soon!

OHC More Nature Study #6 Chipmunks

"While the chipmunk is a good runner and jumper, it is not so able a climber as is the red squirrel, and it naturally stays nearer the ground."
Handbook of Nature Study page 239




OHC More Nature Study #6
Chipmunks


Inside Preparation Work:

• Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 239-241 (Lesson 58). Take note of the differences between a squirrel and a chipmunk.
• Listen to Chp. 6 in The Burgess Animal Book For Children: Striped Chipmunk and His Cousins.
• View this website that has simple information for chipmunks and squirrels: Backyard Nature: Squirrels.
• Optional YouTube video: Chipmunk in Slow Motion.

Golden Treasury of Natural History from 1952

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Go on a chipmunk hunt! Spend a few minutes of your Outdoor Hour time for this challenge looking for chipmunks. Chipmunks and squirrels are diurnal, or active during the day.
• If you observe a squirrel instead of a chipmunk, make some observations and comparisons. Compare color, stripes, tail, and behavior. 

Golden Treasury of Natural History from 1952 - love the expression

Follow-Up Activity:

• Give the opportunity for discussion and follow-up to your chipmunk hunt. Complete a notebook page (ebook users), a nature journal page, and/or the coloring page (ebook users only) for you nature journal.
• Advanced Follow-Up: Compare a chipmunk and a squirrel by careful observation. Subjects can include: stripes, tails, behavior, diet, size, voice.
• Advanced Follow-Up: Research and record in your nature journal about the method the chipmunk uses for building his home. There is a notebook page in the ebook to record your study.

Additional Links:
Chipmunk Lapbook and Unit Study on HomeschoolShare.com
For Advanced Study: Chipmunks 101 on Squidoo.com


Make sure to share your entry with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Please jump in even if this is your very first OHC. All you need to do is share the link to your blog entry. Easy as pie. 







Now for our Giveaway!


The winner of the Circle Time - Plan The Best Part of Your Day is Kelsey from Mud Puddles.
Congratulations!

Yosemite National Park - Hikes and Wildflowers

Evening Primrose

Up until last year I would not have know what this flower was called but we focused on it during the Summer Series of challenges last year. There is something wonderful about being able to name a flower or tree or bird, making it a part of your world. You can own it.



We took two hikes in Yosemite while camping this week, one new and one familiar. We drove up Tioga Road towards Tuolumne Meadows and stopped at Yosemite Creek. We hiked down the creek about two miles, enjoying the sound of water running over the rocks. This creek eventually filters down to fill Yosemite Falls...the iconic waterfall that so many come to see from all over the world. This time of year it is not much more than a small stream coming over the top but come next spring it will be a torrent.



Here is another view of Yosemite Creek which right now is lined with wildflowers. We stopped and took a break sitting on rocks as we took in the sights and sounds of the wilderness. We only saw two other people hiking on this trail the whole afternoon we were out there. It is an amazing experience to have this spot of the wild all to yourself.



Well, unless you count the insects. These Ranger's buttons had a variety of insects enjoying the summer sunshine. We couldn't name these critters but it was interesting to watch them do their work.



This trail was also home to quite a few trees that showed signs of bear scratchings. The bark on this cedar tree was roughed up by bear's claws.



I started calling these "bear curls" since they were where the bear had pulled the tree bark down making it twist into curls. Interesting? I think so.



We also spotted this HUGE fungus on the side of another tree...really high up. Can you believe the size of it? Amazing to see!



The second hike we took was to Taft Point which is off Glacier Point Road. It is a favorite hike for the boys since there are lots of boulders to climb and the view once you get to the point is incredible....and high.



Here is a shot of the boys at the railing which is right at the edge of the cliffs....sorry no photos of the view to the valley or over across the valley to Yosemite Falls since my camera batteries were both dead. I broke my camera when we were at the Grand Tetons and I now have it duct taped shut but the battery door opens up and somehow the battery drains down very fast. I am in the market for a new point and shoot.



The hike was highlighted by a slithering Rubber boa crossing the trail right in front of us. He was about 24-30 inches long and not in a very big hurry. We were able to get a really good look at him. Funny thing is we were just talking about how we never see snakes while in Yosemite and then we saw this one....weird.



Okay, so if you are not into snakes, how about a pretty wildflower? This is Monkshood and I have only seen in two places at Yosemite so I was happy to catch it in bloom. The yellow in the background is Arrowleaf groundsel.



We spent some time in the Valley walking the paths under the trees and I was on the look out for some thistles in preparation for the up-coming thistle challenge. I was pleased to find both milkweed and thistles growing right together along the trail. The thistles are in a variety of stages of life...some blooming, some going to seeds, and some getting very dry.



Guess who came along for us to observe? Mr. Dragonfly was enjoying the Bull thistles right along with us. So very pretty to look at!



Here is another insect coming to feast on the thistles...this one was very buzzy and I took a quick photo and then got out of his way.



The Showy milkweed is all producing large seed pods and we found this milkweed beetle crawling on one of the pods. These pods are amazing to see and touch...just like velvet.



So this is my new wildflower for the trip. We identified this lovely lavender flower as Sierra lessingia. We read in our field guide that Mary Curry (of Curry Village) called it Summer Lavender and I would agree with her that because it grows in such large patches in the flat spots along roads and in the valley, it looks like clouds of lavender. I love learning something new and now I can name that pretty flower that grows so profusely this time of year in the Valley.

So there you have our hikes and wildflowers, bears and beetles, dragonflies and snakes. So many things to enjoy and learn about when you get the opportunity to get to know a place....

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Grizzly Bears at Grand Teton National Park

I keep forgetting that I wanted to post these photos from my son's camera. We were driving through the national park at sunset and we thought at first that we saw a bison. At second glance we realized it was a bear.


A grizzly bear!

I stopped the car alongside the road...we were the first ones to see it. My son stepped outside the car to get a photo. I made him stay right by the car and none of the rest of us got out. We were not really close but I immediately saw that this was a mama with a cub. A minute later I saw a second cub. By this time there were several cars stopped on the side of the road and they were REALLY close to the bear.

One look at the image on my son's camera and I could see it was a grizzly bear. We didn't try to get better photos or get any closer. I really just wanted to give the bears their space.

Grand Teton National Park - Grizzly Bears July 2011

You can see in this photo that other people were not using good judgement and they were way too close to the bears. These are really big bears and I know that there is nothing like a mama bear protecting her cubs....

It was a wonderful experience to see these creatures in their natural environment. The cubs were sort of playing with each other as they romped through the meadow. The mama was walking with that bear sort of swagger that is so distinctive. Amazing to see just how big they are in real life.

Just another Wyoming experience...

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Wyoming in the Summer - Roadtrip

Roadtrip - California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah

Mr. A loved driving across the Nevada landscape and setting the cruise control at 75 MPH. This was his first real roadtrip where he did a lot of the driving for us. I enjoyed sitting in the passenger seat and soaking in the big skies and the distant mountains still iced with snow.

Although we enjoyed the whole trip, the star of the show was most definitely the Grand Tetons. We were able to swing a room at the Jackson Lake Lodge for part of our trip and it was great home base. It was everything a lodge should be and more.


Wyoming landscapes...sun, clouds, and terrain are quick to change.

My sons were both feeling crummy with colds when we were in the middle of our trip so the long hiking days we planned had to be adjusted. Instead, we drove one day up into Yellowstone National Park and did a quick circle tour of some interesting spots in the southern part of the park.



We walked on the boardwalks around the Lower Geyser Basin. It was a fairly active day and we got to see a couple of geysers spout that don't regularly put on a show. In fact, we got caught in the spray of one geyser....that was a first.



I spent time on the lookout for interesting wildflowers which were abundant during our trip. This Elk Thistle was interesting and beautiful as it grew alongside the boardwalk.



Our one hike of the day was down the switchback trail to the brink of Lower Yellowstone Falls. The flow was at a near record high when we were there and it was roaring down the canyon. Amazing to stand right at the edge of where the water falls over the rocks!

It was a quick Yellowstone trip but we soaked in the wonderful landscapes and made some great memories. We headed back into Grand Teton Park and alongside the road near the Jackson Lake Lodge we spotted a mama grizzly bear and her two cubs. We stopped across the road and down a little to watch the cubs playing in the meadow. This was a first for our family....we have seen lots of black bears but these were our very first grizzly bears. We didn't stay long since we really didn't want to disrupt them but I have to admit very exciting to see this in the wild.



One night we drove up Signal Mountain and watched the sunset over Jackson Lake. As sunset grew closer, the group of us up there got larger. I was pleased that most of us were there to sit quietly and watch with cameras in hand. The one thing about going to national parks is that you realize there are many people visiting from outside the U.S. They have come clear around the world to see what we have in our own backyards. It gives you fresh eyes to think about what you have and need to appreciate.

Those clouds in the sunset photo above turned into thunderheads and by bedtime it was quite a show. We watched from our room window as the sky came alive and the thunder was louder than I have ever heard before...almost like explosions. It rained just a little and then the storm disappeared. Perfect Wyoming experience for the boys!





When morning dawned, the skies were clear and the sun was warm. On our way out of the park we stopped to enjoy the reflection of the mountains in the lake in the early morning light. Breathtaking!



When we stopped to take the reflection photos, I noticed these huge seed clouds at my feet. We looked them up in our guide and identified them as Yellow salsify. The flowers look much like dandelions but the seeds heads are much larger. I had my son put his hand in the photo so you could see how large they are.

Our road trip is over for the summer and we have packed in some great family memories. The boys enjoyed the wildlife and the great food we enjoyed on our trip. I packed breakfast and lunch but we ate our dinners in restaurants. The most memorable meal ended with fresh homemade huckleberry pie. I am going to dream of that slice of heaven for a very long time to come.

It is nice to be home, back to my garden but it is always refreshing to get out on the open road and see some new and exciting things. I have a couple more posts to share with other aspects of our trip so stay tuned.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom