Nature Project: Week Six

Wow! Week Six already? That means summer is flying right on by and before we know it the crisp fall nights and then days will begin. I already can see how much darker it is now than it was a week ago. Honestly I didn't think we were six weeks into summer yet. I really feel a fire lit under me now to get the most out of our limited summer.

All that being said, week six also means a new activity. The title of this week was called "Handy Plants". We learned a little bit about seeds and pollination. Concepts that I think the boys sort of understood but sort of didn't. The actual activity component is a bit more of a wait and see kind of thing so I am hoping over the next few weeks the boys will get a better understanding.

The activity was actually kind of fun. The author suggested grabbing an old pair of wool socks or wool mitts and finding a place outdoors that would have flowers past blooming stage and grasses growing. The child puts the sock or mitt on their hand and runs it over the plants. The hope is that the wool of the sock or mitt will catch and grab the seeds.

Here are a few pix of us catching some seeds with out handy socks (which Daddy donated to the cause from his work sock pile):

Once you have picked up a nice bunch of seeds take the sock home and fill it with dirt and place on a tray. Water and wait. As you can see we modified a bit and put dirt in and then placed them on some more dirt in a planter. 

So now we will wait. I really hope that these sock seeds do something.

The little Q & A that was part of this chapter was a bit difficult for the boys to grasp. Pollination has to do with reproduction which is somewhat of a subject that once you get rolling you better be ready to answer the questions. As far as flowers are concerned though we learned that pollination happens when pollen reaches the pistil and inside the pistil the seeds are made. Now, I don't remember tons from high school biology but I happen to recall there being a stamen and I believe that is where the pollen falls off from. I'm pretty sure. Not 100%. More like 95%.

All in all it was a great day. Daddy went on the nature walk with us (it's a bit of a mini trek to get to the wildflower green space I had in mind). By the end we were sufficiently sun (and sweat) drenched and there was definitely some snoozing in the van on the way home.

The next two weeks will be about water (I've been noticing a theme where the activities are related two weeks in a row). Next week is specifically about water itself. What is water? That kind of thing. The boys have some interest already in the water system so I hope to expand on that. The following week is about Watering Holes and the animals that show up there (I am EXCITED about that one, special outing is in store that day).

Until next post :)

Together Again

On Sunday evening Viktor arrived home safe and sound after his week of fun. He was everything I expected: taller, smarter, stronger, wiser. He had a wonderful time bonding with his Grandparents. He came home with so many stories to tell of the people he met and the things he did. My mother had him draw a journal every day while he was there. From that I know he got to go on the quad with my dad, chop vegetables with my mum and had a very successful week of swimming lessons.

While he was away it was mostly business as normal here however Max did get a few extra treats. Like an adorable cooking set that was only $5!! He also helped me with all sorts of things. He really did rise to the challenge of being the biggest brother in the house (if only for a little while).

It is obvious I guess that in Vik's absence we decided to forgo the Nature Activity for week four. Well, not completely, but mostly. Last week's activity was about Ladybugs and while it would be nice to take the boys out to observe them, truth is that the boys just don't sit still quiet and long enough. We are working on it though. The other reasons was that the boys have seen a lot of Ladybugs. They are kind of old news to them. Tomorrow though before we do this week's activity we will read the Ladybug chapter and keep our eyes peeled while we do the new activity (of which is a little more exciting for the boys-I have a great place in mind to go to).

That is one of the nice things of nature, it is all synergy. Everything goes together.

One little exciting thing was that over the weekend Daddy and I shared our 5th Anniversary. To commemorate that I wrote and recorded a little song. You can all view it here :)

That is all for today. See you on Thursday for our Week Five activity called Handy Plants (this will be a fun one!)

Nature Project: Week Four

Since our activity (Sun Seekers) last Wednesday was rained out I made the initiative to enjoy whatever sun the rest of the week brought us. July in Manitoba delivered with heat, sun, and humidity. So, we enjoyed it. Several times actually.

 

Just a sampling of our sun seeking fun from last week: Getting sun screened up with Daddy for going on a trail walk (more on some awesome trails at a later date). Went on a loooong Sunday walk and hit a splash park on the way. Another day brought lots of play in our own backyard, including dinner al fresco. 

As I mentioned last week this week's activity would include Butterflies AND a field trip. I was stoked and planning this outing from the first time I skimmed the book's activities. Luckily for us our local Zoo added a Butterfly Garden as a new exhibit last year. For any more information on this truly lovely place please visit http://www.assiniboineparkzoo.ca/attractions/exhibits-info.php?entry_id=13917. 

For our experience though just keep on reading :)

We got up yesterday morning moderately early for us (that would be 8:30) and got gathered around and after a quick breakfast we were out the door. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is only a 15 minute drive away so it didn't take us long to get there. The Butterfly Garden is located within the Zoo so we figured we would take in a few other exhibits before we got to business...

My locator shot at the WRONG entrance.

My locator shot at the RIGHT entrance.

The peacocks wander around the whole zoo. This one was a real beauty. 

FYI: peacocks are nasty and greedy and like to stalk people for food. 

The boys LOVED seeing the Zebras. 

They are very into the Madagascar movies so seeing them was a real treat. 

Max kept calling them Marties. 

We didn't do the whole Zoo circuit but we did see Camels, Sea Eagles, Ocelots, and Tigers. We also saw the Lions. For the record watching a lion feeding while wearing a zebra print bag makes one feel just a smidgen' vulnerable. Just a smidgen'. 

It would have been nice to see more and get our admissions worth but it was getting hot and my bright idea of not bringing the stroller (just the carrier) was not so bright. So off we went to see the main purpose of our outing: Butterflies. 

The Butterfly exhibit is made up of two quonsets with a covering that resembles that of a greenhouse, but they weren't overly hot. They are joined by a gift shop that also houses the hatchery (we could actually see one breaking out of it's chrysalis).  External gardens made up the rest of the exhibit. It would have been nice to just be able to sit and soak it all in. Perhaps on a day to myself I will do that. 

While at the Butterfly Gardens we saw five different species and not one of them was our typical Painted Lady that we usually see in Manitoba (but apparently we have 155 different species in MB). I really wish I had some species names to add my pictures but alas I am no entomologist. If you follow me on Twitter though you may see that I have asked the Zoo and am hoping I can edit some names in here soon. 

This was the best picture I could get of this beautiful blue one. He just would not land. 

Kudos to my iPhone for actually snagging this so well. 

Oh and don't forget the ubiquitous Mammafly!

I am really happy that the book had this as an activity. I am not sure if it would have been something I would have thought of otherwise. Perhaps we would have wandered in on a possible trip to the Zoo but going there for the purpose of observing the Butterflies made it special. I know the boys enjoyed themselves. 

As far as the rest of the chapter on Butterflies we learned that they suck nectar through a straw like piece called a proboscis. We also learned that they are part of the insect family (six legs people). Another suggested activity was to make your own Butterfly Garden. Good thing I stumbled upon THIS! 

I am not sure what next week will bring. The book says that next up is Ladybugs but Vik is away all next week and I would hate to do the activity without him. Perhaps next week we will break and then reconvene the following week with TWO activities. I don't know.

But for now I shall bid you adieu until next post. 

Adieu.

Nature Project: Week Three

So, here we are, three weeks into the nature project. Surprise, surprise, we are still rolling.

At the end of last week's post I noted that the sun would be the focus, and boy did we get a lot of sun this past week. Despite the constant applying of sunscreen we are all rocking a nice tan. On Saturday we were out and about and it was HOT! On Sunday we celebrated Canada Day at the beach and it was HOTTER! On Monday we went for a lovely hike in the woods where it was EVEN HOTTER even with the threat of a thunderstorm. Would you believe that on Tuesday the mercury rose even higher to +40 humidex range? Well, believe it, and at that point we said to heck with going anywhere or doing anything except set up the A/C.

Then, on Wednesday, our day to enjoy the sun and look for other things in nature enjoying the sun, it rained. I welcomed the rain though. The earth needed it. The boys saw the cracks in the dry mud on our hike. They saw the leaves drying. I needed the rain too. It was unbearably hot. The rain cooled down the day and cooled the night even more so.

We also had a nature activity yesterday that didn't come from any book. It was a lesson that only nature could teach on it's own time. It is a lesson of the Circle of Life (sorry couldn't resist). My husband discovered late Tuesday night that my pet turtle of 23 years had died. Wednesday morning, although rainy, necessitated the disposing of his remains. We drove out to a river and my husband gently eased him into the water and in seconds the current grabbed him and took him down stream. I am sure he has provided back to the earth by now. I will miss you old pal.

I must say I smiled at the level of irony when I read the part of the activity asking about if the children could spy a reptile and it goes on to explain about reptiles. Why yes, yes they did spy a reptile. Yet not quite the context I am positive the author was suggesting.

Now. Back to the Sun.

Fun Fact! What is the Sun? It's a STAR! It is the closest to star to Earth and is in precisely the exact spot it needs to be as all life on Earth pretty much hinges on the Sun.

Tonight after Daddy gets home we will go on a bike ride. It wasn't near as hot today as earlier this week and with dusk nearing the Sun will soon be gone for the night. I think the Sun Seeking might need a do over. Perhaps a stroll tomorrow, or even just sitting in the back yard can bring some surprising things.

Next week I hope to have a special treat for our activity.
Two Words: Field Trip.
One Word: Butterflies.

Nature Project: Week Two

Welcome back to Week 2 of our Year Long Nature Project. This weeks activity was called "Antics". As I am sure you can guess it was all about Ants.

We started by reading the chapter together which had some interesting bits of information. Here are a few things that we learned:

-An entomologist is a scientist who studies bugs
-A true bug is an animal that can pierce and suck (mosquito was given as an example)
-Ants are part of the insect family (and NOT a true bug)
-Ants have three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen)
-Ants have six legs

The main activity of this week was observing how ants operate. That proved to be a bit of a challenge. Not in that we couldn't find Ants to observe but if you can picture a bunch of Ants scurrying around? Yeah, that was my kids. You have to sit still to observe.

Nevertheless we still got to see some Ants in action. We crushed up some crackers and placed them outside of the Ant hill in one of my front flower beds. A few Ants came out, gave things a sniff, but then didn't seem very interested. My husband suggested something sweeter so I had some leftover french toast from breaky. They didn't seem to hot on that either.

I was beginning to wonder if maybe we had disturbed their home too much and were more vested in fixing their home than gathering food. BUT then I saw an Ant. He was carrying a dead bug. Then we saw another Ant, also carrying a different dead bug. I think our Ants are on an Antkins (haha, Atkins) diet. They don't like the carbs. They are carnivores.

I was able to snag a picture of an Ant walking over the crackers but none took the bait.

At least we saw an Ant carrying something. 

The Q & A this weeks was asking how Ants smell. We discovered how Ants use two little Antennae to smell with. It was too bad we didn't get to observe much as the main activity outlined was to set out food, and a little enclosed space (with twigs) and watch how the Ants create a scent trail. If the boys were a few years older they probably would have been able to grasp the idea much better.

Overall we had a great time outside. The boys were sure up to their own little Antics :)

Up Next Week: THE SUN!

Year Long Nature Project

If you read this post you would have seen me mention an upcoming project. It is now the time to reveal. The project is based on this book...

 I purchased i love dirt: 52 activities to help you & your kids discover the wonders of nature last year from amazon and when it arrived I immediately loved it. Too bad it then went into my bookshelf and I sort of half forgot about it. The forward by Richard Louv discusses how many children today spend too much time indoors, between school, after school activities, computer time and television time. At the heart of it is the fact that natural outdoor free play is beneficial to a child both mentally and physically. There has been extensive research into the benefits of natural free play. The introduction speaks the same message as the forward in encouraging and promoting the ease of getting outdoors and interacting with the natural world around us. 

A few weeks ago I was shifting some books around and i love dirt sparked my interest again. I decided that seeing as how the book contains 52 activities (52 weeks in the year, coincidence???) and it is spread over the 4 seasons that it would make a great annual project. A regular thang. Each chapter is a new activity to immerse yourself in nature and to further appreciate it. There are also mini facts and ideas on how to broaden the activity in fun and creative ways. I looked at the calendar and it seemed only perfect to begin this project on the first day of summer, the summer solstice. 

Yesterday the solstice arrived as did our first project. Even though it was a mostly gloomy and rainy day I made it a promise to myself that rain or shine we would get out there and nature it up. So nature it up we did. 

Seeing has how the title of the book is i love dirt it was only fitting that our first activity was all about dirt. The author, Jennifer Ward, tells parents in this chapter all about the importance of getting dirty. She explains that dirt and mud are a great way to be creative and encourages parents to set aside specific outfits for playing in dirt and mud so as not to fear the mess. 

There are suggestions to make hills, walls, holes, shapes etc. She suggests adding water. What happens when you add water to dirt? Of course mud comes next with mud pies and painting with mud. While yesterday may have been our activity day I can see some definite dirt play coming up in the rest of the week. 

So outside we went with some digging tools and toys to play in the dirt...

And what did we find???

We found some roots growing up in the middle of the backyard. 

Obviously from the trees at the side of the yard but still on odd place to spring up. 

We also found an earthworm. We gently picked him up and placed him in another spot. 

This week's fact was about what makes up dirt. We learned (well I already knew but you get my drift) that dirt is a mix of broken rocks and broken down plant matter. I expanded on the fact that some dirt is more clay based and stickier while other dirt is more sand based and drier. Our own back yard is pretty much a black dirt mud hole so it was the perfect place :)

Overall, I would have to say that I forgot how something so simple as digging in the dirt could be so interesting. We also found a bug in there and other bits of things. Vik began imagining digging underground tunnels that he could walk inside and big holes underground. I'm sure those brain seeds were planted last week when we watched Planet Earth: Caves.

Since my plan is for this to be a weekly thing we will be exploring our next chapter next Wednesday then blogging about it on Thursday. Please be sure to check back in for next week's i love dirt activity.