Showing posts with label Nature explorers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature explorers. Show all posts

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Nature Explorers: Habitat

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Finally. We made it outside. It’s good to be back with this lesson included in our week. My pictures may look like it was a glorious time, but as any mom can tell you . . . sometimes getting everyone out of the door can be slightly difficult and keeping everyone happy can be even more difficult. (I only tell you this, because I want you to realize that I am a REAL person. It looks like we do a lot in our week, but remember that I just like to take a lot of pictures.) Thankfully, our outing was just outside our backdoor and we were able to get home in time before everyone fell apart.

Nature Explorers . . . . Habitat.

View Habitat

We played Habitat Bingo that Jennifer created and discussed all of the different habitats, what animals would live there, what their homes would look like, and what food they might eat.

FYI: various habitats include oceans, forests, fields, ponds, swamps, your home, etc. A habitat is a place where a plant or animal lives.

Nature Explorers Habitat 001

We got out of our PJ’s and entered the great outdoors. It was a REALLY sunny day.

Nature Explorers Habitat 006

Nature Explorers Habitat 005


The first habitat we discovered was under the bark of this tree that fell down in a storm. The boys discovered ants.

Nature Explorers Habitat 004

On our return, this same log provided exercise for a Daddy Long Legs.

Nature Explorers Habitat 015

Mr. Smackdown found a leftover dinner from some lucky insect.

Nature Explorers Habitat 007

We discovered a bird’s nest.

Nature Explorers Habitat 009

Acorns were found and collected, in the same place that we turned over a log to discover fungus, ants, and rolly-polly’s.

View under the log

Despite the thorns, a slightly different habitat was found in the woods . . . a miniature wetland. The boys had to work together to get out of this particular prickly situation.

Nature Explorers Habitat 008

And what would be an adventure, without a bit of climbing?

Nature Explorers Habitat 014

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Nature Explorers--From Flower to Seed

Though I LOVE being outside and observing God's creation, I am HORRIBLE about incorporating recess into our day.  To be honest, it is hard work getting everyone out of pajamas (Yes, we stay in our PJ's most of the day) and out the door in a timely fashion.  In fact, the boys will say to me, "Are we going somewhere?" or "Who is coming over?" if they find me taking a shower or putting adult clothes on.  Sad but true.)

Therefore, I am incredibly thankful of my most recent blogging discovery.  Let me introduce Blissful Moments.

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Jennifer, the writer of this blog, creates science lesson plans each week.  Much like Carisa at 1+1+1=1, encourages and holds me accountable to playing and learning with my Tots, now Jennifer helps me enjoy nature with my children and provides an easy lesson plan for me to follow.  Each week, just like Tot School, I can link up and share with other moms who are doing the same thing.  We can encourage and learn from eachother.

On the day I chose to do science, we all went outside.  (I stayed in my pj's, but the boys got dressed.)  With camera in hand and Mr. Smiley in the stroller, we gathered blooming, dried, and dead flowers for our experience with science. We were going to study plants from "flower to seed."

Along the way, we spotted this butterfly having her morning cuppa'. 



This is our collection of various flowers around our house and in the garden.  The boys began by tearing the flowers apart.  It really hurt my eyes to do this to God's beautiful creation, but the boys delighted in destroying the flowers and learning what parts were actually in the flower.



Mr. Smackdown singled out the sunflower and took the flower apart layer by layer, seperating the parts as he went.





 

 

Mr. Me-Too also had fun.  But he is only 3 and well . . . he is 3.  But he did have fun cutting up the flowers and entertaining Mr. Smiley at times.





And while our dissection occured, Mr. Smiley entertained himself by discovering how his brother's Big Wheel worked.  He made plenty of race car sounds and enjoyed steering his new vehicle.




I know that Jennifer's blog will bless our family.  I already saw the blessing, kind of, of doing this simple science lesson.  Yesterday, I gave Mr. Smackdown our old digital camera.  It became his quest to go on a nature quest and capture God's creation in action.  Ummm . . . . he took over 400 pictures. 

Like mother, like son.