Nature Journals

The children have been doing their Nature Study on Fridays. However, today is rained all day. These are their nature journal entries from last week. So far, I have not been giving them a specific topic to draw/write about. Their assignment is to go outside and find something to draw in their journals. Then they have to describe what they drew. They are not allowed to play until they complete their journal entry.

This week, Sierra drew Dandelions and a Ladybug.

Andrew drew a young Cedar Tree and a Dandelion Seed Head.

You can read about Dandelions pages 531 - 535 in Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Also below are some websites to check out.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html

Nature Journals

This week the children started their Nature Journals. This is something that I have been wanting to add to our day but I could never figure out how to fit it in. On Monday, the weather was nice and I sent the older two children out with the Nature bag and instructions. Their instructions were to sit outside for at least 20 min. and find something to draw in their journals. It could be as simple as a tree or more complex like an animal. I told them to pay attention to the sights and sounds of things around them and be prepare to tell me about their time outside. I was completely surprised by what Sierra and Andrew drew in their journals. Also, they stayed outside for over 2 hours drawing, writing, and exploring. I am excited about implementing more Nature Study days. If you have every wanted to start a Nature Study or Nature Journal, just do it. I thought about it and made it complicated for way to long. Once, I made it simple and just sent the children outside it fell into place.

This is Sierra's first journal page. She drew the inside and outside of a Black Walnut and she drew a weed by the creek.
This is Sierra's second journal entry. It is a drawing of a wild rose bush.

This is Andrew's first journal entry. He did a leaf drawing and a leaf rubbing. This week we will be researching to find out what kind of leaf he found.

This is Andrew's second journal entry. He drew a walnut and a rock.

This is a picture of the rock Andrew found and drew in his journal.

These are pictures that Sierra took while she and Andrew were outside doing their Nature Journals.

First Nature Study

Saturday, we did our first Nature Study. We were on the way to get Sierra some shoes, and we stopped by Chick-fil-a. As we were eating our biscuits in the car, we noticed a bird hopped onto the hood of the van. He continued to hop all the way up to the windshield as if he wanted to say, "Hey, my friends and I would enjoy some breakfast." I didn't think Sparrows and or Wrens ate biscuits. However, I was proved wrong. We tossed out bits of our biscuit to watch the birds grab a bite and retreat to the bushes nearby. One bird got a large piece of biscuit and flew further away from the other birds. We guessed that he realized the had his breakfast platter and wanted to eat in solitude. The birds were very polite. You could tell they were not Blue Jays or Crows because they took turns. After about 5 minutes, all the birds were full and our study was over. This study was not planned, we didn't have our camera, or our sketch books but we witnessed nature in action. We could not have asked for a better Nature Study.