Outdoor Play

A spontaneous nature discovery sidetracked us for a few minutes when we noticed a butterfly as it was emerging from its chrysalis. It was hanging on the door stoop at a house where my son has a dog walking job. On his way in the door, he looked down and saw what looked like a […]

Just an example of “embracing the light bulb moments of discovery”– We walked outside with the camera in hand to photograph a full rainbow that was stretched across our neighborhood. While we were out there, a mama mockingbird kept flying back and forth between the holly tree and the top of the basketball goal, fussing […]

Fall beckons us to go outside and enjoy the beautiful cool weather and the changes in nature all around us. When we take a moment or two to observe and experience the wonder of it all, inspiration always appears. Fall Nature Journal Keeping a fall nature journal can be as simple as a pre-made notebook […]

The day after our very rainy day, the sky looked like this. Only one little cotton-ball cloud in a deep blue sky. The sky seemed bigger and more open without the blanket of rain clouds. We saw our shadows, which were not there the day before. The water had dried, and the ground felt smooth […]

Even a Rainy Day Calls for Nature Study We looked out the window at the fog covering the mountains, and the blanket of clouds covering the earth. It’s raining cats and dogs today, and even the dog won’t go out without his raincoat. J-man put a jar out on the steps this morning to see […]

My husband found an unusual caterpillar outside our back door, so of course he brought it inside for all of us to see (homeschool dads are the best, aren’t they?) After everyone had a chance to gently touch it and watch it scoot quickly along, we put it back where Daddy found it, and decided to try […]

A Change in Perspective Our Maypop (passion flower) vine is loaded with fruit. When the boys and I check on it, we notice the leaves are all chewed up, and we take a closer look. Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar The vine is covered with caterpillars, who seem very hungry indeed.They are all actively eating and exploring […]

The most fun thing about planting new flowers is seeing all the wiggly worms uncovered when we digs the holes. Each one gets named: Kevin, Bob, Wendell, George, Danny . . . And then they are carefully placed back into the holes So that they can do their work in the soil. {Linking up with Oregon Cottage for […]

You never know what might be hiding when you stop to smell the flowers . . . We discovered that this leaf bug is a katydid.

Exploring Vegetable Flowers Seeing the changes in the garden is so much fun. Our garden is giving us so many opportunities for learning–not only about agriculture, but also lots of nature study. Discovering that our vegetable plants have flowers, too, has been a surprise. The boys are observing the changes in the plants each day. […]