Botany and Nature Work Leaf Collecting and Tree Activities

We've been keeping quite busy around here!  One thing we started last week was our leaf collection.  Then it ended up being 100 degrees this week, so we took a week off from outdoor nature work.  But, we will be back at it next week.

The goal is to identify all the trees in our yard.  Which there are a LOT of. I am pretty sure we have about 10 different types, and that's without heading over to my IL's who have a few more.  Living out in the country has its perks for leaf collecting :).

We started out reading the book Tell Me, Tree by Gail Gibbons.  We also read I Can Name 50 Trees Today from Dr. Seuss.  Both are good, but Tell Me, Tree was our favorite.  This allowed us to discuss that the trees are different in their leaves, bark, and seeds.  

Then we headed outside to collect leaves, needles, pine cones and acorns.

We also observed lots of things about the trees-like how the needles grew out of the branches.  

And took a good look at the sap on the trees.  

The next day we explored the leaves we collected.  We made playdough prints.  

We also put some in wax paper, somehow we don't have photos.

We did leaf rubbings.  This is my example.  I enjoy 'helping' :).

Mustang giving it a try.

I was going to have them match leaves to our Botany work.  But, before I could suggest it, Mustang had already started.  Yay!

For the little girls, we got out our fall sensory bin.  It's been a bit of a mess around here!

And, for Mini Cooper's cutting practice I found this great printable on Education.com.  I can't link you to the exact page, so search preschool, science, trees.  She loves to cut and paste, so this was a great fit for her!!

We have more to do with our leaf learning.  I would like to have Mustang and maybe Charger do a book of leaves and rubbings and identify them.  Should be a good project for the year.  

What have you been up to in your nature studies?  I'd love to hear your ideas!!

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless,

Lisa

Wordless Wednesday Nature Walk: A couple caterpillars

This post is linked up at 5minutesformom and A Beautiful Mess.

The Garden!

We finally planted our garden!!

Last Tuesday evening, the entire family headed outside to the plot that Daddy had tilled up for us. We brought our little packs of seeds, the hoe and a trowel. Mustang insisted we also bring along a shovel-which we did not use.

My parents had a garden when I was a kid and so did my IL's {MIL still does}, but this was the first garden for my hubby and I. Yep, after 10 years of marriage we are finally gardeners. I felt a bit strange being a farm wife without a garden, because that's what farmer's wives do-dontcha know? They grow stuff and can stuff and bake stuff. Or at least that's what I read once. Oh and they sew, too. I have a garden-step one.

We planted sunflowers {Mustang brought these home from grandma's}, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, snow peas and watermelon. After taking a quick poll, I realized that I am the only person here that likes veggies, so I am the one who picked what we planted. We do plan to add tomatoes and peppers, but you need plants for those and I havent picked them up yet.

It just so happens that we were learning about Davy Crockett and pioneers. I explained to Mustang and Charger that pioneers planted their own food. Mustang was quick to point out that Daddy had corn planted in the fields. I think the kids think we are pioneers :).

The cucumbers, lettuce, peas, and sunflowers are all already sprouting just 7 days later. It was so exciting to go out and see little green leaves sticking out of the ground!! I will try to get some updated pictures soon. God Bless!

Nature Walk: The Lost Pictures

Remember the pictures I thought were lost on my fried laptop? Well I was only 1/2 right. Turns out, I uploaded some of them and then forgot where I saved them-still lost but thankfully now found. So I can still share them with you!! This means we will be going back in time, but the photos are beautiful, so believe me its worth it! Hopefully, I will still get the sequencing cards done one of these days!




The white peach tree. I love how the branches that have buds are red!



A half developed pine cone. I seriously had never seen a pine cone in its growing stages. I think these nature walks are just as much for myself as for the kids!




The Bradford Pear Tree in full bloom. Mesmerizing. I felt like I was in the presence of God.




And my favorite, the apple blossoms. I could have taken pictures all day. Actually I did. These were my favorites. I hope you enjoyed them all! God Bless

Nature Walk: Peonies and Pear Trees

I had intended for many of these to be part of sequence cards, showing the budding and flowering of many trees and flowers in our yard. Sadly, the best of my pictures are on my laptop hard-drive which bit the dust last week {my Photoshop is also on that computer}. But, there were still some beautiful things to see in this walk.


It's amazing to see how quickly things change, too. These pictures are from the 15th of April and not one of the flowers are still in bloom.

This is a Peony Tree. Beautiful!!




One of the apple trees. I dont remember what kind :(.



The other apple tree. It had the most amazing buds, I hope I can recover my pictures and show you in the future. I am told we have 2 kinds of apple trees, a pear tree, and two different kinds of peach trees and that they all produce fruit! I am looking forward to this fall!!




This is a Bradford Pear tree. It doesnt produce pears, but man is it beautiful. Sadly it is past its prime in these shots, but it is still pretty!





A flower on the huge Lilac bush in the yard. I LOVE the smell of Lilacs. For a week I had freshly cut Lilac blossoms in Mason jars on my kitchen window sill. It was Heavenly!



The bud of our first Iris, which are now in full bloom throughout the yard. Iris are one of my favorite flowers. I am sure you will see them on our next nature walk.



And my favorite picture for the week-which I think I might link up on My3Boybarian's Sweet Shot Tuesday...on Wednesday. A little closer this week ;).

We hope you enjoyed this walk. God bless!!

Nature Walk: Budding Trees and Walking Sticks

We took this nature walk 2 weeks ago as we were on spring break this past week.



Our Crocus now in full bloom. Beautiful!



We found a new plant growing up in the yard. Grandma told us they are Naked Ladies.




The buds on the trees get bigger and more beautiful each week!



And Mustang found this walking stick. I was afraid she would hit herself or ME in the head with it, but she did well, and man did she love playing with it!

Looking at these pictures I am just amazed at how different each of these plants looks now! I think after this week, I might do a progression on these plants...and I feel some life-cycle cards in my future. God Bless!

Nature Walk: Clover and Caterpillars

Oh my it was a BEA-U-TIFUL week!! I know so well why it is that Charlotte Mason and others think you should learn outside, touching, feeling, smelling, looking. It is so much more effective and fun!

We did not have any 'formal' school inside this week, so this will be our entire wrap up post. But, I can honestly say that I know the kids learned something this week. I love homeschooling!

In honor of St. Patrick, we searched for clover. We only found 3 leaf clovers :)




One morning, Daddy came in to tell us that he had found the first Spring flower! We went out and looked. Then we came back in and researched our purple beauty. A Crocus.


We also found a second Crocus almost ready to flower.


When we went back out the next day, it had indeed flowered.



We found buds on another tree



And the Iris have started growing too! I love Iris and cant wait until we have flowers on them.



Later that day, Daddy brought this little guy inside for a quick look!



And a couple of my favorite photos from the week:





We are supposed to get snow this weekend, so we will probably be back to inside work. A good balance of each is best, I suppose. God Bless!