Nature Study - Vegetable regrowth

We have been doing a lot more nature study this year. I enjoy it so much and the kids are starting to get on board with the idea. We try and talk nature walks once or twice a week. I don't always have the kids do entries in their nature journals, but they often do without prompting. We follow the monthly Outdoor Hour Challenges from Barb at Handbook of Nature Study. We try and pick a few each month that give us more of a purpose when going out on our walks.

Today we set up a simple experiment for following the growth (or not) of tuberous vegetables. This is a very simple set up, easy and fun to follow. This challenge was in the January Outdoor Hour newsletter. We picked five different root vegetables, turnip, radish, carrot, rutabaga, and yam. We cut off part of the bottom, pocked toothpicks around and set them in containers of water, with the base in the water. We got the instructions and notebook page from Hearts and Trees.

The kids used the notebook page to draw the set up. We will keep an eye out and note any changes we observe. We set the tray of containers on our nature table in front of a window. Hopefully at least some of them will sprout some growth.

Nature Study - Pond - January

Our weather has been very crazy this winter, with extreme highs and lows, not a lot of snow, but a few heavy rain storms. The last few weeks have been very cold with most nights below zero.

Today was a bit warmer, I think we made it to 20 degrees. We decided to do our monthly pond observation before we ran out of January days.

The wind was blowing hard on the big side of the lake. The snow was moving across the ice and we saw a few little twisters of snow.

Our pond side of the lake was much calmer. As you can see it is heavily iced over.

There was signs of our recent rain storm as the water from the river ran over the ice bringing a lot of debris with it. The ice was very irregular and you could see were some pieces of ice had pushed up over others.

Gabe loved the idea of walking on the ice and explored quite a bit out on the ice. The other guys weren't too sure although I assured them it was plenty thick enough. Dan finally did go out, but not too far. Hannah tried out the ice along the edge and Rachel stayed safely on land.

As we explored the area around the lake, we found very little signs of life. The wind had been blowing so maybe most animal tracks had been smoothed over. This little evergreen tree managed to push itself through the snow. We spotted some dried up fungi and a few very sad looking ferns.

This very interesting leaf print was very clear. I'm not sure how it was made. Perhaps a leaf was on the snow, causing the snow to melt underneath it and then was blown away. It was interesting however it was formed.

The highlight of the excursion was a little brook that runs into the pond. It was frozen over in most places, but there were a few holes open. This little waterfall was frozen in so many different little icicles and drops. You could hear and see the water still running underneath in places and right at the bottom of the falls was a sheet of ice that was very clear and you could see the water making its way to the pond.

One area showed a lot of grape vines strangling little trees and making a clear spot where it smothered out all other vegetation.

As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the van. Gabe wanted to walk across the ice. You can see all the windswept surfaces. It was a very beautiful scene and although we didn't see a lot, it was a fun outing.

Nature Study - Pond - December

December has been a very busy month for us and the days just zipped on by. We almost missed our pond study. Brian and the kids had gone skiing earlier, but when they got home we decided to venture out and see what was happening at the pond.

All was frozen over with just a dusting of snow that we received in the morning. It always amazes me how quickly changes occur usually because of the weather. All the water birds are gone and we heard very few song birds. It was cold and windy. Of course all the aquatic life has either gone into hibernation or is happily living under the ice. I'm hoping to get out on the ice next month and drill a hole or two and see what we can see.

There were lots of seeds from various plants. The red sumac seed heads are so pretty this time of year.

We spotted this weaver nest...most probably around here from an Oriole.

The acorn was tucked into this rotting tree. We did not place it here. Rachel and I thought it funny.

There were some fungus plants scattered around on trees and branches. This downed-tree was covered.

Now here is some evidence of life. A beaver must be visiting this tree. There was quite a pile of wood chips at the base.

Hannah and Dan spend most of their time throwing rocks on the ice trying to break it. It was much thicker than I thought it might be. Before long we will see Ice Fishermen frequenting the lake.

Nature Study - Pond - November

The weather was a bit drying toward the end of the summer into early fall this year. As a result, the water in our "pond" was down some. We decided to try and walk around our pond. Usually the water is too high and there are only a few places for us to get down to the waters edge.

As we walked along, we saw quite a few ducks, mostly Mallards, but a few others. We also saw this Heron enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

The Bittersweet berries were so colorful along the bridge.

A few of the many ducks we saw. We walked along slow and as quietly as we could, but with five of us, the ducks soon flew off as did the Heron.

Dan found this really fun hiding place under an overhanging tree. The tree would normally be dipping into the water.

We continued to walk around the waters edge exploring around the drift wood and fallen logs.

There were a lot of ferns and moss along the way.

The day was very still and the water reflected everything.

Mushrooms and other fungus doted the ground and trees.

Deer tracks were plentiful in the muddy spots.

The opposite end to where we usually explore was quite dry and the river coming into the pond was running much lower than usual.

Dan found a spot that was not very dry, sinking into the mud up to his knees. After quite a bit of coaching and a fair amount of tugging on his part, he was able to get out. I must say the other children were getting a lot of pleasure out of his predicament. He took it all in good humor and was laughing himself.

This mushroom was in a form of decay, but had the most beautiful colors.

 

After we made our way all the way around, we decided to drive up the road and check on the island that at certain times has a small land bridge that you can cross. We walked all the way around, encountering a few fisherman who were also taking advantage of the access. It was a beautiful day. We had quite the adventure and everyone had a great time.

Nature Study - Pond - October

This year I wanted to add a pond study to our nature study outings. I read about this on angelicscalliwags. They have been doing a weekly year long pond study. I love the idea of following one particular place through a year of seasonal changes. We are hoping to do ours study at least once a month. During better weather, we might make it more often.

Our pond is not really a pond, but an inlet area to a local reservoir. It is separated from the main body of water by a small causeway. It is very close to home and should work well for our study.

Today was more of a scouting mission and we did not do a lot of gathering or investigating, but we did find a few things. Hannah and Dan love that they can get right down to the water. Hannah collected some lily pads.

Rachel ventured to the other side and found a path down to the water. This is a regular fishing spot, so there are paths in several places, which will make for easy access to the water.

Rachel found this interesting plant. We took a sample and after keying it out, found it was a Buttonbush. The seed heads are very interesting.

This very tiny spider was walking along on top of the water. I had the camera on super-zoom and he was quite small, but we wanted to add him to the pictures.

Here is my and Rachel's journal entries for the day.

Nature Walk - The Island

Today was a cold (36 degrees,) breezy day. The sun came out this afternoon and we headed out for our weekly (we try) nature walk. We have had very little rain this last summer and fall and with not much in the way of snow runoff this spring, the reservoir near our home is much lower than usual. Because of this, there are areas at the reservoir that are now accessible. One is a little island that is usually, well, an island. Right now there is a land bridge between the shore and the island
.

It was fun to explore the little island.  There are a lot of pine, oak, birch and beech trees. We spotted a couple of campfires that I'm sure are from local fisherman that frequent the reservoir.  It is a lovely spot.

Rachel is my most dedicated nature study student.  She will explore, collect and sketch in her nature journal. I do not force the children to draw, but try and encourage them to notice things and make some observations.  We often come home with pockets full of rocks, cones, acorns, feathers, leaves and plants. Our nature studies are a work in progress.

Most of the trees along the shore look like this one.  Most of the time, these roots are dangling in the water, but this year they are high and dry.

Gabe found all sorts of obstacles to practice his Parkour moves on.

Gabe is my most reluctant nature study student, in the traditional sense.  He doesn't like to sketch but he does take some incredible photos. He has a great eye for detail, motion and light and is quite diligent; taking picture after picture until he gets the shot he likes. As always, he takes what we are doing and makes it his own. The above shot is an example of several photos he took today.

Surprisingly, with our recent cold weather, there were still a few flowers blossoming.

The reservoir was so beautiful today.  Soon the lake will be frozen and dotted with ice fishermen, but until then, we will enjoy our nature walks there.

This is my nature journal entry.  I am not good at sketching, but have been trying to let go of my need to have it look just so. I've read in several places this week about fear being a major stumbling block to creativity, so...no more fear, just enjoyment in doing the best I can.