getting back into a routine

Today we actually went out and did some nature study!

We took our classroom to the pond and sat on the dock with our pencils and our nature journals – here is what I saw

Two boys sitting on the edge of the dock drawing the view

A sweet boy filling in his picture of a deer by the pond

 

Here they are all comfortable adding some color to their pics - 

Here is my quick and simple sketch of the trees behind the pond – I was “helping”

Hope we get into a routine with this nature study – we are sure enjoying our day to day nature study right here in our backyard!

Some more favorites

Most of these were taken by Jacob – a few by mom!  Taken about 2 blocks from our house at the park.

some new finds

Study of Bamboo

We have lots of this very close! In our backyard!

So I thought I would start simple and the kids journaled about the bamboo in our yard - this week.

Here is what we learned about bamboo:

Bamboo fiber comes from the bamboo plant, a member of the grass family native to cold mountains as well as hot tropical regions across East Asia through to northern Australia, and west to India and the Himalaya , sub-Saharan Africa , and the Americas from the southeast of the United States south to Argentina and Chile, They are of economic and high cultural significance in East Asia and South East Asia where they are used extensively in gardens, as a building material as well as a food source. In Africa , bamboo fibers have traditionally been used in handicrafts and art, from basket weaving to bag making. Bamboo is very quick growing and does not usually require the use of pesticides and herbicides to thrive. The process of making unbleached bamboo fiber is very light on chemicals that could potentially harm the environment.

Next we may have to find something to make with our bamboo!!

New Year : Restart

Okay, we are going to restart our nature blog. I am excited, while we had a crazy 2009 - we had tons of living nature study! I hope to share some pics and events, but at least we will share what we are doing starting today. I hope this is a year of some great nature studying! The kids love it and so do I! I am looking forward to following along with THIS blog. Hope you enjoy our journey!!