March 22, 2009 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 4 Comments
naming a few tiny wildflowers
When given the choice of a wildflower to learn more about, Cecily chose the Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica). It certainly is pervasive this time of year, with some lawns looking as if they are dusted with snow due to their coverage.
Our favorite wildflower book, Wildflowers of Arkansas by Carl Hunter, 1988, places the Spring Beauty as part of the purslane family (Portulacaceae), and gives is this information:
Annual or perennial herbs, usually with fleshy leaves. Flowers are bisexual, with radial symmetry, a calyx of 2 sepals, corolla of 4-6 petals, and stamens of variable number. The fruits have no subdivisions within and usually contain several seeds; the fruit often splits by means of a lid that breaks away from the top of the fruit. . . some members such as the commonly cultivated Moss Rose or Portulaca are ornamentals.
Well, alright, below is a very close up photo which illustrates the parts of the complete and bisexual flower of the Spring Beauty.
complete bisexual flower of the Spring Beauty
When I was peering at these flowers with a hand lens (here is the one I like, a loupe from the Private Eye) I saw a wonderfully clear illustration of the maturing flower and the changes it undergoes – a concept that is very clearly and beautifully discussed in the Handbook of Nature Study, see the nasturtium entry and I think also the delphinium entry. On the left is a young flower, just exposing its fresh and pollen filled anthers (the male parts). At the top right is a more mature flower, who has exhausted its pollen and allowed its anthers to bend back, exposing its pollen receiving stigma (the female parts). In the lower right is a nice profile view of the stigma. So in a vast lawn of Spring Beauty, flowers would be at all stages of development, both giving and receiving pollen. And I’ll bet that if we were to find an illustration of the Spring Beauty photographed with a UV filter (you know, to see like insects do) it would show those pale pink veins and yellow spots as part of a distinct pattern.
bulb of the Spring Beauty
And finally, here is the hidden underside of the Spring Beauty. We dug a clump, flipped it over on a metal screen, and gently rinsed it until the bulb was revealed. This one is over an inch across – alot bigger than I thought it would be.
Do you want to join in the Wednesday Flower Study? Go to the Handbook of Nature Study blog and read about it.
January 30, 2009 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 1 Comment
So we have been on several walks lately – including this one with my nieces and teenage sister to the pond near our house. We netted 5 wonderful minnows which are thriving in my aquarium, and we go here regularly and net duckweed to feed to our goldfish and koi. They love the stuff. I hadn’t found a thing that could produce any enthusiasm for drawing in the nature journal, until we came upon a dead bird – a white throated sparrow that had flown into a window. In combination with the the Outdoor Hour’s creation of a Flickr group for nature journal drawings, this produced an excellent drawing session. She responds to any opportunity to show her work to others.
She also experimented with using some watercolor crayons to draw the picture, then use a wet brush to blend the colors. I am not enthralled with this booklike journal we are using. I prefer our old method of using a three-ring binder, but she feels like it is a “real” journal, and that the things we put in it are important and permanent, unlike our everyday use of reams and reams !!! of paper. She draws all day long – from her imagination – but is not as eager to draw from life.
She did a great job with this drawing. I think the bird feet in particular are fantastic, and as she was drawing them she asked some questions about bird feet (”Mom, do all birds have four toes?” Hmm, I’m not sure . . .) but in any case the drawing definitely led to some thinking.
I think this captures the spindly-ness of the feet rather well. You can see how she drew the picture first in pencil, then went back to highlight some color with the watercolor crayon.
The reading for this challenge included ‘The correlation of nature study with drawing’ – of course “They learned to draw because they liked to make pictures of the living objects which they had studied,” and ‘The correlation of nature study with language work.’
This is where Comstock used an analogy that crystallized a concept for me.
. . .the purpose of a language is, after all, merely to convey ideas . . . A conveyance naturally should be fitted for the load it is to carry, and if the pupil acquires the load first he is very likely to construct a conveyance that will be adequate. How often the conveyance is made perfect through much effort and polished through agony of spirit and the load entirely forgotten!
Charlotte Mason said something which I cannot find to quote – but it was that ideas should come first, and facts will follow.
We must lovingly and persistently pile on a load, so they are naturally able to build the conveyance that is needed. They must need the conveyance. A-ha!
January 13, 2009 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 2 Comments
Above is a maple tree in various stages of being girdled by honeysuckle vine. Honeysuckle is so brittle, I am surprised that it could make this kind of impact on the maple.
One word for something we heard: chirping.
Two words for something we saw: blowing trees.
Three words for something we felt: cold smooth rock.
We walked about with the Winter Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt/Senses Check List, a free download from Hearts and Trees. The kids love these lists.
From the Handbook of Nature Study, I noted the following:
The direct questioning method, if not employed with discretion, becomes tiresome to both pupil and teacher. If the questions do not inspire the child to investigate, they are useless.
Oh, truer words were never written! Abandoning the line of questioning is so hard to do! How will my children learn biology and love nature if they do not listen to my instructions and observe X bird and Y seed pod right now, today, on this walk??!!??
There is a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. (and this is my nod to the approach of MLK Day as well) that I butcher on a fairly regular basis. It is something like this: If you would have faith, take the first step, even though you cannot see the entire staircase. Or the short version, in my mind, is Step out in faith.
The thing is, I do believe that learning is an exchange between the child, my children and indeed all human beings, no matter the age, and the world. I need to not get in the way. I want to be with them as it is happening. Joyfully, they want me to be there. So my goal is to share, share the outdoor experience, share information, share discovery.
Observations in nature happen over time, a long time. Seeing “winter” takes several winters, they have only had a few.
January 7, 2009 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 1 Comment
This year for Christmas gifts I made quite a bit of granola and granola bars. The granola bars in particular got a very positive response, so I am recording the recipe here – where I will be able to find it next time I want to make some.
Now, granola bars are basically granola plus a binder. And granola is whatever you want it to be. I think oats are a must have, but anything else is personal. This batch had half quick oats, because someone bought the wrong kind at the grocery – please only use “old fashioned” if you are making granola! The quick oats were fine in these bars (***remember, mixed with regular, old fashioned oats, not all on their own***), but I wouldn’t choose to make the bars this way. I was just trying to use up some otherwise useless oats – no one likes instant oatmeal – yuck. (I have tried both the expensive brands of rolled oats like arrowhead mills and just the store brands, and in granola it really doesn’t make much difference. However in oatmeal, the pricey brands are worth it, so I save my fancy oats for oatmeal, and buy the cheap kind of old fashioned oats when I make granola. My daughter loves oatmeal, which she called ‘oakmeal’ when she was younger, and I remember once making instant brown sugar oatmeal, and her returning the bowl, saying that “These oaks aren’t very good.” She is a bit of an oatmeal snob.) I also used whole flax seed, because I had some, but I usually include sesame seeds, and I didn’t this time because I have run out. I’d like to try adding dried apricot and dried apple, but I never have any on hand, so haven’t made those versions yet.
So I think any granola recipe would work, just add the binder – with one note – don’t add sugar or oil when you make the granola. There is plenty of sweet and fat in the binder. Although, to keep on with yet more exceptions, if you are using dried cranberries, you might want to add a little (maybe half or 1/3 of the amount called for) extra sugar, because they are rather tart. Unless you are using cherry flavored dried cranberries, which are very sweet. But I digress (can you tell that I tried a lot of different versions of granola and granola bars over the holiday season?). . .
Granola Bars
First start the granola – it will take a while to get really toasty. Toast the oats on their own for about 15 minutes, then add the nuts and coconut, and whatever seeds you have if you want, and toast for another 15 minutes or so. Set the timer to remind you to stir/check the mixture every 5 minutes. It tastes best if you get it really golden brown and toasty, but the coconut and nuts can burn if you forget and leave it for even a few minutes. Add the fruit after you finish toasting the oat mixture.
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 c shredded coconut (I used angel flake because that was what I had on hand)
up to 1 cup seeds (sesame, flax, sunflower – any that strike your fancy, or all)
1 cup dried fruit
When the toasting is complete, put all into a large heatproof bowl. Metal would be the safest.
In a medium sauce pan, stir together
1/2 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/2 t salt
1 tsp vanilla
Bring to a boil over low-medium heat, and allow to boil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. If it doesn’t boil long enough, the bars will still be delicious, but may fall apart a bit.
Take the honey mix off the heat and let it cool a little, 5 minutes or so. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS STUFF – IT IS A 3RD DEGREE BURN WAITING TO HAPPEN – NO KIDS SHOULD BE UNDERFOOT WHEN YOU ARE COOKING THIS OR POURING THE SYRUP INTO THE BOWL. OK, I’m serious, just be careful.
Pour the syrup onto the granola and turn with a wooden spoon until it is well covered. Pour mixture into an 8″ square pan, lined with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of wrap over the top, then press down firmly until the stuff is flat and packed into the pan.
Cool in the fridge, then take from the pan and slice with a big strong knife (see the pic above). It is worth the trouble to wrap each bar with plastic wrap, so you can grab one and slip it in your pocket. Much better than fast food when you are caught away from home and longing for a snack.
January 5, 2009 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 2 Comments
A mysterious feather . . .
I have the Outdoor Hour Challenge to thank for trying Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study, a lovely book, and I can’t imagine why I didn’t think I would like it . . .
So we went on our walk in the woods behind our house on a very overcast and warm winter day. We encountered several areas of bird poop scattered on the leaves, and after visually inspecting one of these area for a long minute, I was enormously gratified when Cecily slowly looked up, straight up, to see what I knew was there, a branch that the birds had been using for their roost. As I said there were several areas, and I was suprised to see that the branches above them were so varied in both size and height. Whatever these birds were aren’t too picky.
According to Cecily this feather is a clue to the identity of the birds. I think it is a turkey buzzard feather, but I don’t think that is the kind of poop we saw, because, well, I think such a big bird should have bigger poop. . .
This is a curious feather and she drew it in our nature journal. It is quite large and strong, and near the tip it doesn’t have a gentle taper, but juts aside at a rather abrupt angle, which she noticed as a unique feature.
the bird poop
So here is the bird poop
the branch
and, imagine you are looking up, and here is the branch they were probably using as a roost.
We also saw a really cool giant gall on the trunk of a young oak tree. This is on the trail so we walk by it all the time, but I have never taken a picture before. Probably because I just got a new camera for Christmas (thanks Nanny). Here is the tree front and back.
Alright, time to go take care of the chickens, I’m logging off.
December 30, 2008 - Posted by Georgiaberry - 3 Comments
So, I am in the back yard, having a restful moment, doing a little listening meditation. Picking out one sound and then another from the actual cacophony that is a quiet winter afternoon deep in the country. Assorted calling birds, rustling leaves, chattering squirrels, and a deep underlying hum. A hum you can feel in your bones – a very deep hum. A hum that sends my brain a signal “look up” and I do and there above me is a tree full of bees. Buzzing, humming bees, flitting from flower to flower, busily going about their little bee lives. A very pleasant thing to watch and hear.
Except it is but two days after Christmas and not time yet for Spring. Two Springs in
one calendar year? If it were just an early blooming tree, it would be curious, but add in the bees and it is downright disturbing. Adding in the bees you get flowers+bees which = a system. A system is nature working, not just a freakishly early blooming tree. This system, going about its work with no care for the calendar, indicates true Spring as far as I am concerned.
I just want the world to be aware that 2008 had two Springs! Consider yourselves warned informed.
