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Showing posts with label nature studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature studies. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Things I Learned on Pikes Peak
Today's adventure was a drive to the summit of Pikes Peak. It was sunny at the top, above the clouds!
Did you know? "Pikes Peak" has no apostrophe in the name! (Misplaced apostrophes are one of my pet peeves. But I found it interesting that there is officially none in the name of the mountain!)
We met a yellow-bellied marmot along the road! He was kind enough to pose for a picture... but he declined rolling over to show us his yellow belly!
Did you know? The words to America the Beautiful were inspired by the view from Pikes Peak. There is a monument about it on the summit.
Did you know? "Pikes Peak" has no apostrophe in the name! (Misplaced apostrophes are one of my pet peeves. But I found it interesting that there is officially none in the name of the mountain!)
We met a yellow-bellied marmot along the road! He was kind enough to pose for a picture... but he declined rolling over to show us his yellow belly!
Did you know? The words to America the Beautiful were inspired by the view from Pikes Peak. There is a monument about it on the summit.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Learning on a Hike
We haven't done a lot of formal nature studies over the years, but I'm always amazed at the things we learn just by being observant. Recently my family went on an afternoon hike while we were out camping. We didn't take along nature journals to make notes and drawings, but I did take the camera. I snapped pictures of the things we wondered about.
I thought the yellow violets were so sweet. Later I looked them up in a wildflower book and discovered that there actually 5 different kinds of yellow violets in the western United States, and I determined that this particular kind is the Stream Violet.
My daughter caught a little frog along a stream. Or is it a toad? Yeah, I think it's a toad. We learned about the difference between frogs and toads earlier this year, but we should probably look it up again just to refresh our memories.
What kind of bird dropped this feather? I have no idea! Maybe we need a bird book, too. The feather almost looks polka-dotted.
Then we picked up this pretty piece of quartz. I recognized it... but my daughter is sure we need a rock book, too!
What kind of animal left this behind? Elk? Moose? Don't tell me we need a poop book! Oh, wait. We already have one! Really, we do! I'll tell you about it some other time. (I just can't find it right now, which is why I'm not sure whether it's elk or moose.)
Look close! Can you see the gold flakes in the stream? We wondered if it was real gold. Perhaps we ought to research that, too!
Isn't learning fun?
I thought the yellow violets were so sweet. Later I looked them up in a wildflower book and discovered that there actually 5 different kinds of yellow violets in the western United States, and I determined that this particular kind is the Stream Violet.
My daughter caught a little frog along a stream. Or is it a toad? Yeah, I think it's a toad. We learned about the difference between frogs and toads earlier this year, but we should probably look it up again just to refresh our memories.
What kind of bird dropped this feather? I have no idea! Maybe we need a bird book, too. The feather almost looks polka-dotted.
Then we picked up this pretty piece of quartz. I recognized it... but my daughter is sure we need a rock book, too!
What kind of animal left this behind? Elk? Moose? Don't tell me we need a poop book! Oh, wait. We already have one! Really, we do! I'll tell you about it some other time. (I just can't find it right now, which is why I'm not sure whether it's elk or moose.)
Look close! Can you see the gold flakes in the stream? We wondered if it was real gold. Perhaps we ought to research that, too!Isn't learning fun?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
10 Things Your Kids Can Learn While Camping
In our family we like to say that learning is not just for school time, but rather learning is a lifestyle. My husband and I take advantage of opportunities to teach our children as we go about our daily lives.
One of our favorite family activities is camping. I posted about our most recent camping trip at Ramblin' Roads... but for this post I thought it would be neat to share a few of the educational benefits we have discovered while camping:
What does your family like to do for fun and education?
"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
One of our favorite family activities is camping. I posted about our most recent camping trip at Ramblin' Roads... but for this post I thought it would be neat to share a few of the educational benefits we have discovered while camping:- Nature Studies
- Survival Skills
- Primitive Cooking
- Physical Education (hiking, biking, pumping and carrying water...)
- Exploration and Discovery
- Socialization (They always meet any other kids whose families are camping at the same time!)
- Reading (A very relaxing way to spend a lazy afternoon at the campground, when electronics aren't an option!)
- Photography
- Astronomy
- Meteorology
What does your family like to do for fun and education?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Geocaching
With warmer weather my family is beginning to think of more outdoor activities. One of our favorite extracurricular activities as a family is Geocaching. Have you heard of it?
Basically, it's a high-tech "treasure-hunting" game, using the internet and a GPS. The "treasure" (or cache) is usually some kind of well-labeled, weather-proof container hidden in an accessible area, often out in the wilderness. The cache always contains a logbook for finders to sign, and usually a collection of trade items for finders to swap with. The kids love the trading aspect and enjoy seeing what is in each cache we find.
Sound fun? To get started, log on to Geocaching.com and put in your zip code. That will bring up all the caches in your area. They are rated as to difficulty. Then you can enter the coordinates into a hand-held GPS unit and off you go!
We like to choose caches that are off the beaten path, and our favorites have been those that include a short hike. We have been Geocachers since 2002 and aren't nearly as active as some, but we love to try to hit at least a few caches each summer.
Basically, it's a high-tech "treasure-hunting" game, using the internet and a GPS. The "treasure" (or cache) is usually some kind of well-labeled, weather-proof container hidden in an accessible area, often out in the wilderness. The cache always contains a logbook for finders to sign, and usually a collection of trade items for finders to swap with. The kids love the trading aspect and enjoy seeing what is in each cache we find.
Sound fun? To get started, log on to Geocaching.com and put in your zip code. That will bring up all the caches in your area. They are rated as to difficulty. Then you can enter the coordinates into a hand-held GPS unit and off you go!We like to choose caches that are off the beaten path, and our favorites have been those that include a short hike. We have been Geocachers since 2002 and aren't nearly as active as some, but we love to try to hit at least a few caches each summer.
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