One Year Nature Study Adventure - Week 4



Week 2 Nature Adventure



Week 4 Nature Adventure



Each week we visit the same place first on our nature walk. We have a few spots that we make sure to photograph each time so that we can come home and compare the photos and see just how much everything has changed. The kids are noticing quite a bit of difference each week. I love that they are enjoying this nature adventure as much as I am. 

 The trees and bushes had an amazing rainbow of colors to show off. How many colors do you see?

We did find that our tree had changed but not a great deal. There are some leaves that are beginning to change color and the grass around the tree has begun to change to a dull brown.

Of course, the kids believe that our weekly trips to the nature center is for our nature study, but other moms will understand that it's only a cover for my true reason to get the kids out somewhere beautiful each week. It's the perfect photo op location for busy kids who are tired of mom snapping pictures all the time. 

With large trees and things to climb on the kids are constantly saying, "Mom, take my picture" "Mom, look at me." So it works perfect! And of course as a photographer, I am in heaven with such beautiful surroundings, and kiddos, to photograph each week. 

The wind was quite strong and had blown all the pond moss across to one side. If we had not been aware of where the pond waters began from previous trips, we could have easily mistaken the moss for swampy grass land and walked right into the pond. In fact Lady Bug's friend she brought along just about walked right into the pond not noticing that she was about to step into water and not on land.

The kids all decided to pose as explorers. Again, mom knows that in the right setting, kids want their picture taken. Especially if it shows them doing something cool or dangerous!

After learning about the monarch butterfly and the milk weed that the monarch caterpillar eats on previous trips, Wild Thing has been very interested in the milk weed plant each time we go on our nature walk.
With the wind blowing so much it was fun to watch the cotton like plant blowing around.

We decided to make our way down to the creek this time. We had not been able to get down to the creek or anywhere near it due to the recent flooding. It was simply too full and fast moving to risk getting close at all. So this time the kids had a great time investigating the river bank. Since the flooding is done and the river is back to normal, we will probably add this spot into our nature walks each week.

One the last bit of our nature walk we were please to see four deer off in the woods. The deer were only about maybe 25-30 feet out. They didn't run off but were very watchful of us and each move we made.
The deer were kind enough to stick around for almost 15 minutes before they decided to leave.

My kiddos! We have the explorer (Wild Thing) the curious one (Little Man) and a pre-teen (My Lady Bug).
Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!
 

 

We had a nice nature walk, even though the temperature dropped into the low *50's that day. Just last weekend we were camping in *80 degree weather, this weekend it dropped *30 degrees and there was even snow in Denver! This is Colorado and snow is a normal here, but not at the beginning of October! The first snow is usually saved for the end of October.

Another weekly adventure in our year long nature study is complete. I am hoping to get some kind of binder and start printing out pictures from our nature walks and putting together a nature adenture log of sorts. I think it will be a great way to see the changes side by side but to also have a great photo journal for us all of our year in nature.

Weekend camping trip also known as our three day nature study!





Sunset at camp over the lake.

We did not get to our nature center this weekend for our nature study adventure, instead we had a three day nature adventure while camping at the lake.



We did not get to observe our tree or see the changes in our favorite spots but we enjoyed discovering plants and cactus that do not grow near our home or at our nature center. 


I loved this cactus plant, I'm not sure of the name, but it was so interesting.  

The kids were not quite as excited about the different plants and cactus as they were about the lake and time with their cousins. But I was impressed with them, so I made sure to take pictures and we will look them up this week and learn a bit more about these cactus and plants. 

One of my favorites was the sunsets over the lake, they really were beautiful. I enjoy the sunsets over the mountains each night and the sunrises on the plains behind our home each morning, but I have to say that watching the sunset/sunrise over the water is absolutely beautiful.

Much of the plant life and flowers had already begun to wilt and turn, but I did find a few that were still bright and colorful. They were a welcome sight as camping in a very desert like area is very brown and colorless, with the exception of the lake and the few trees that manage to survive the summer heat.

Being out on the water is what I look forward to the most. And as every year, I love the sight of all the boats lined up along the docks. I did not have a chance to walk along the docks to the end and photograph the sail boats but the view from the water was still impressive.



We enjoyed our camping trip, the last one until next spring and summer.  Of course the kids are already asking when we can go back and to be honest, I too am ready for another trip. But since the nights are getting colder, I think I'd want to find a nice little log cabin to rent for a weekend. Actually, one of the things I hope to do within the next few years, is to rent a cozy log cabin up in the mountains and have an old fashioned Christmas with my family.

Do you enjoy camping? What are your favorite camping activities?

Me? Obviously we do enjoy camping, and my favorite part is simply being outdoors for a few days! And watching the kids be free and happy away from the city and the walls of our home.

Week 2 One Year Nature Study Adventure and Weekly Wrap Up Combo Post!

As we planned, we once again took a trip out to our nature center for week 2 of our one year nature study adventure. This week we went to the nature center with our little homeschool play group. While there the kids discovered these little monarch caterpillars. After seeing the beautiful monarch butterfly last week and learning about them the kids were thrilled to see the caterpillars before changing into a butterfly.

Even with only a week, to the day, between visits the changes happening were already noticeable. The grass was already changing colors and the trees had even begun to drop their leaves.

Our tree was still standing tall and quite beautiful. Here we did not see much change just yet. Though we are curious and excited to see how much it changes throughout the course of this coming year.

This week the kids were able to see a few turtles basking in the sun on a rock out in the pond, and a few hawks flying nearby, and plenty of little bugs. We were also able to observe the evidence of the recent flooding of the creek. Of course this opened some good conversations on the effects of flooding to even the littlest creatures.

Week 2 of our nature study adventure was a success. The kids enjoyed the trip as did I, and we are all anticipating our trip this coming week. I wonder what changes we will see this time.

Praying For:
Continued progress for health issues with one of my kiddos. We have seen improvement in the last few weeks and I am praying that we will continue to see progress!

Thankful For:
My family. I am thankful I have a wonderful husband who works so hard to care for us, and so that I can  stay home with my kiddos. And I'm thankful for my little kiddos. Even when they drive me crazy!

New This Week:
The kids have begun Kung Fu lessons two days a week and are really enjoying them. The classes are free though the homeschool enrichment program Lady Bug and Wild Thing go to each week. The free part is mama's favorite! I have been very happy with how much the kids have learned and able to do so far. I really like that they are learning not just the moves but how to use them in a self-defense situation. Even my little one is learning how to defend himself. Luckily, the instructor has made it very clear none of the moves are to be used on siblings or friends. Trust me, with these boys, that was an important rule he gave!

With our homeschool lessons each day, the enrichment program one day a week, Wild Thing's cub scouts, and our homeschool fun club, we are pretty busy. And people think homeschool families are unsocialized!
 Ha!

In Our Homeschool This Week:


(not my picture)


We also had a nice time with our homeschool fun club. We are meeting twice a week and so far the kids have met some fun new homeschool kids. We are planning some great tours for our fun club in the coming months. At the moment I am in the process of setting up tours at a local news station, the newspaper, humane society, and even a local trash company.

We are trying something new in our homeschool for the next few weeks.
Homeschooling has many challenges. Homeschooling three kids has triple the challenges. Most of which are easily dealt with or figured out, but lately trying to get all of our school done each day has been a bit challenging. So we tried something new this week. The kids all did their math and reading then we spent the rest of the day on history. We read from Story of the World, by Susan Bauer, and did some activities to go along with what we read. I think/hope that spending our day on less subjects but more time with each subject we do, will prove to work well for us all.

What were looking forward to:
One last camping trip before the cooler weather hits. Camping may be the one most enjoyed summer activity in our family. The kids have an absolute blast each time we go camping and are always begging to go back! I'm looking forward to sitting on the lake beach and playing in the water with the kiddos, and of course enjoying the late night camp fires and marshmallows.

We have yet another busy week ahead so I am praying for a smooth and enjoyable week ahead.

Year Long Nature Adventure- Week 1

We have begun our year long nature adventure. Yesterday, we made a trip to the little nature center nearby to enjoy the afternoon as well as get some ideas of where we want our main focus to be for this nature adventure.   

We have decided will try to see as much of the trails as we can on each visit but we will make sure to always spend some time along one of the main trails.

We also took a few pictures in places that we intend of photographing on each trip, so that we can see the changes year round.

Kids think it's just so we can see changes in nature, I suggested it so I can show the changes in my kiddos.

Shh, don't tell!

 Along the trail, we were greeted by a few of the nature center's residents. We saw a few bunnies, a snake, beetles, grasshoppers, and lots of birds, but we were all mesmerized by this beautiful monarch butterfly.
 In fact, the kids thought it was impressive how the plant they (monarch butterfly) eat is what protected them from being eaten themselves. As caterpillars they eat the milkweed plant, which is poisonous. That toxin stays in their system so when they become butterflies they taste terrible to those that would eat them.

Wild Thing was thrilled to find a few milkweed plants on the ground to open up and look at.

We have enjoyed seeing these plants at different times of the year. But we are excited to spend the next year watching this plant closely and seeing all the tiny little changes it makes in a years time.

This is it!

This is "our" tree!

This is the tree the kids choose to focus on this year.

We will make sure to get a picture of this tree each time and watch the changes very close. The kids are also  going to bring a sketch book a few times throughout the year and draw the tree and the surrounding area.

This tree has been one of my favorite trees for years.

It's a huge and beautiful grandfather cotton wood tree, that is over 150 years old.

I did not get a shot of the whole tree, but it is absolutely gorgeous and massive. And according to the kids it's the best tree to climb! They all love spending time in the tree each time we visit!

The pond. (or one of them)

This is the one we will be observing the most throughout the year. This pond often has many turtles sunbathing on the rocks as well quite a few other active creatures that call this their home.

Wild Thing was really hoping to find some frogs or toads and maybe even catch one.

He was very disappointed that he did not find any.

This toad/frog obsession comes after finding baby toads on our porch night after night for the last few weeks.  

This little dock, at one time looked out over a fairly full little pond. Now it looks out over some low marshy ground. But it's still quite a busy place for many animals.

The kids spent time looking over the edge, and begging walk through the marsh, to find any little animals or creatures they could. They didn't see any animals here, but the kids were discovered by some pesky mosquito's.

Fall is on its way!

I found proof!

We had a nice time on our first year long nature adventure walk. We all enjoy being outdoors and are very excited knowing that we are going to make a trip each week to the nature center. Depending on days and times we go we will make sure to take advantage of the little nature center there and talk with some park rangers and learn even more than what we will on our own.

As important as it is to spend time reading, writing, and learning math, I do think this nature study adventure may be just as important if not more in some ways. Not only for the learning and love of nature but for the kids, and myself, to spend time outdoors away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and the house. And probably the most important is for the kids to just be outside where kids are the most free and creative.

Our weekly nature adventure posts will  (hopefully) be weekly. So join us on our year long nature adventure.

Oh, and I almost forgot. We decided to stop for an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen after our trip to the nature center. A nice cool way to end the trip.

Year long nature adventure...

     I have decided, after talking to the kids, that we are going to begin a nature study adventure to last an entire year. I can not take credit for the idea, I have been enjoying a blog that had posted about their year long pond study. Yet, after reading these posts, I just kept thinking to myself how much my kids would enjoy something like that. So, the plan is that this Friday we will begin our one-year nature study.

My homeschool playgroup has a nature hike this Friday at a nearby nature center. Along the way the kids and I will decide which location we want to be our "study spot". We will observe and enjoy more than that one spot, but I would like us to really focus on one area so that we can notice even the tiny little changes that will occur in a years time.

I am thinking that we will keep it very simple and take some pictures, maybe do a few crafty type things, a little journaling (mainly drawings and such) and possibly even have my oldest write up a blog post here and there about our adventures with this nature study. Though I would like for us to really just spend time in nature and enjoy God's beautiful gifts to us. I am picturing my kiddos on their bellies looking over the bridge into the stream, or sitting at the edge of the pond looking for frogs and turtles.

As we begin this, I am making a promise to myself to make sure we get out each week for our nature adventure. Even if we go and simply watch for the birds, and the other many animals that call the nature center home, the time spent just observing will be a wonderful experience for the kids as well as myself.


If you were to do a one year study, what would it be?
With kids, without kids, either way, what would you love to spend each week doing and learning?

Ready for fall!

I have never been one to enjoy the hot weather. This fair skin, red-head, does not do well in the heat! Not-At-All! I do believe I was never intended to live where the temps, at any point, make it above *80! Nope, not me! I think I would do quite well in, say, Alaska, Greenland, maybe Iceland!  Ok, well maybe not somewhere quite so cold, but I could definitely handle cooler temps year round! Unfortunately the rest of my little family enjoys the warmer weather.  

The last few days have been fairly hot, for Colorado, and have been sitting in the high 90's. Since we live out on the plains (desert like if you ask me) it gets pretty warm. And with very few trees to help shade the house we basically bake for much of the summer. 

With my patience of the heat just about gone, I have been thinking of fall quite often. Fall is my favorite time of year! I love having the windows open and feeling that cool crisp air blowing through the house. And I love being able to play outside with the kiddos until sundown and not burning up in the sun or being eaten up by swarms of Mosquitos. 

With the excitement of fall inching closer and closer, I have been thinking about and craving pumpkin bread. I decided that tonight instead of waiting for fall, we were going to make some pumpkin bread. So even as we heated up the already warm house with the baking of bread, it is a welcome sweet smell. Now, we are going to enjoy our fresh hot pumpkin bread...in front of the air conditioner. 

 

Who else is ready for fall? 

What is your favorite season and why? 

Weekly Wrap- Up

 

Praying for:

Strength and healing for a loved one.

Thankful for:

My family. Even on the rough days when we all get on each others nerves, I know I am blessed to have my own little family. 

I am also thankful I live in a country where I am free (for now at least) to homeschool my children. 

In our school this week:

As this was our second week of school we still took things slow. Even so, the kids did pretty well this week. Everyone is still adjusting to getting back into a daily routine and school work. 

My daughter is enjoying having her math lesson from a cd on the computer. She listens/watches the lesson and takes notes during the instruction part, then works the lesson problems on her own. So far she like this better. I still help her with the math problems when needed, and work with her to correct any missed problems, but having the lesson on the computer is quite nice for us both. 

My 9 year old son, skipped school for a day to go enjoy a local air show with his grandma, grandpa, and great grandpa. I let him take a camera of mine to take pictures. He came back with nearly 150 pictures and video of all the different planes. I was quite impressed by some of his pictures! He did a great job. 

He even has some of his photos featured over at, "Photography Amature Favorites". Take a peek. 

My youngest (5 years) has also done very well lately. He practiced his letters in a pan of cornmeal, did a little math, and read another entire book. He is reading daily out of a beginning readers book, but the other day he picked up a library book and read the whole thing. It was a little Clifford readers book, but I was pleased at how well he did! He is really enjoying this whole reading thing. 



The boys were learning about the body's muscles this week. Sit-ups and push-ups were on the daily agenda for finding different muscles. Wild Thing even made a human man doing push-ups out of the math counting blocks.



In our home this week:

The suffering of allergies is at its peak! No fun at all!

Also, we have been welcoming a new addition to the family, a little kitten. Last Sunday we ended up at the pound for their free adoption day for cats. We have talked about finding a little cat for Lady Bug for awhile. Partially because we promised after our cat, Chester, passed away last year, we would get another one, but also to give Lady Bug something to focus her energy on. Our hope is that it will help with some of her anxiety!  So far she's been so busy with kitty that she seems to be a little more relaxed. I am happy that the kitten is fitting in fairly well. The dog wants to play with kitty, but the kitty is not very interested in playing yet, at least not with the dog. Lucky, our large Maine Coon cat, is slowly accepting the kitten as part of the family. For the most part he just ignores the kitten but occasionally we will find him next to the kitten just watching. 

Changes made lately: 

I have now made it just over a month with no caffeine. No coffee and no soda! Some days have been harder than others, but to be honest it has not been as difficult as I expected. Correction, the first week was rough but after that it wasn't too bad! 

I intend to keep on this no caffeine and no soda road! It's much healthier  and I find that I am drinking far more water, also a healthy habit! 

Changes needed:

This mama has done well with the no caffeine and no soda, but I have been meaning to get out and walking or running again, but have only managed to make it out a few times. My goal was to get up early enough to spend 20 minutes doing some yoga, and then 45 minutes outside walking. This would probably be much easier if I managed to make it to bed before midnight or one in the morning. 

This week I am going to work on getting up so that I can spend the needed time on me! 

What I'm reading: 

Three books at the moment.

"A Charlotte Mason Companion, Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning" by Karen Andreola

A great book for those wishing to homeschool with more living books and natural learning when it comes to writing, grammar, and spelling. 

It's a wonderful book, especially for new homeschoolers. It offers great tips and ideas for home learning. 

"The Well Trained Mind, A Guide to Classical Education at Home"

By Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

This is another wonderful homeschool resource. Full of tips and ideas on how to home educate. I have just opened the book so I can not tell you much, other that what I have heard from others. And what I have heard form others is that it is a wonderful book. 

The last one is just for fun, "When the Morning Comes" By Cindy Woodsmall. I have found that I enjoy the Amish fictional stories, and this one I found at the library book sale for $.50, a great deal I couldn't pass up! So far, it's a great story. The Amish stories always have a great message of faith, love, and acceptance of others. 

What the kids are reading:

Lady Bug has started, "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was one of my favorites as a kid, and I feel it's one of those must read books. 

My 9 year old, who has struggled more with reading, has been enjoying the "Amelia Bedelia" books. The books are cute funny stories where Amelia takes everything very literally. So when Mr. Rogers gets frustrated with her and tells her to hit the road, she walks outside, picks up a stick, and literally hits the road. We have all enjoyed these short stories. 

My youngest, has been reading a few pages each day from, "I Can Read It, Book 1" that we bought from Sonlight years ago. Though he occasionally grabs another book and just starts reading. 

I am so happy that all of my children are now reading. I feel as though now, they have so much more available to them. 

If I can teach them nothing more than to love and honor God, and to read, I would be ok! 

Favorite Quote this week:

For those of you on Facebook, I created a FB page all about homeschooling. Nothing fancy, just for fun. I have posted so far 25 tips for homeschooling, as well as a few homeschool myths. Take a peek and see what you think. 

Homeschooling Ain't For Wimps!  

**Please note,
I am having some issues with my blog cooperating with me, may just be my computer.
So if links are not working or if things apper odd, I apologize.
I am working, in all my spare time, to get it fixed.

*And if you noticed, I had already forgotten the new screen names for the kiddos, so I am just going to use the old screen names from now on.
Daughter- Lady Bug
Middle son- Wild Thing
Youngest son- Little Man