A Wildflower Nature Study

There's a spot just inland of us that boasts the most beautiful meadows of wildflowers.  We look forward to visiting it every year, and after such a wet winter we knew it would be amazing. This year the creek was flowing and full of tadpoles,  the fields were carpeted with yellow, purple, white, and blue flowers, and we were basically in wildflower heaven.

Bouquet of Tidy Tips, Lupine, Owl Clover, and Blue Eyes. A Wildflower Nature Study!

A Love of Nature and Learning

Visiting and interacting with beautiful places is the best way I know how to instill a love of learning in my girls.  I don't put any expectations on what they will take away from the experience, but rather provide what I can to make the most of it.  I do my part by equally being involved with the wonder around us.  

One of my daughters really enjoys capturing the beauty of the day with her camera.  My other daughter can sit and watch the flowers blow in the breeze for hours, listening to the bugs and observing things others may pass by.  I really love learning the names of the plants and flowers and birds, etc.  I feel like I've made a new friend when I learn the name of a flower.  And then I can introduce my new friend to my girls so they can now be friends too.  

We also all enjoy drawing and painting in our nature journals and enjoying the moment with each other and our nature loving friends, who always make our adventures that much richer.

A patch of Goldenfields and Tidy Tips.  Sunbonnet by Blue Corduroy.

To get the most our of our outdoor adventure, I like to follow up where I see more information would really round out our experience.  Since this particular adventure was mostly about admiring the wildflowers, we took some time the next day to study the parts of a flower.  We  might find poems about springtime, or be inspired to write a poem ourselves. Or we may find out a handy medicinal use for our flower, or that it is even edible.  

The books we used this particular day were a handful of local wildflower guides and a few nature book staples:

Chumash Ethnobotany by Jan Timbrook.

 How the Chumash People of Southern California used the local plants for medicine, food, etc.  I didn't know that Chia Seeds came from a Sage plant, and that they grow here and that the Native Indians used them as a quick and lasting energy source of protein.

California Spring Wildflowers by Philip A. Munz.

A large variety of plants, organized by color which I find very helpful.  Includes photographs and simple line drawings.

Central Coast Wildflowers by Mary Coffeen.

Mary has an intimate knowledge with the Central Coast and her love for it shows in her beautiful descriptions.  I would use this book for her memories alone!  Organized by habitat which I found very helpful.

Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman.

My go to nature book!  This book covers basically everything and is so simple, in a good way.  We always gain a concrete base of knowledge we can then build upon where interest leads.  The simple drawings are also always inspiring for our nature art journaling.

Drawing and Painting Plants by Christina Brode.  

Not only is this book filled with amazing tips on how to draw what we find.  It is also an incredible botany study book.  It teaches us how to identify plants by learning parts of a flower,  leaf and fruit identification, vein patterns and more.

Botanicum by Katie Scott and Kathy Willis.

 Talk about flower art inspiration!  This book is stunning!

I've added plant and flower names to my knowledge base, one or two at a time.  And as the years add up, I'm so happy to discover how many my girls and I have learned!  I also am finding that the more time we spend observing nature, the more we crave it.  And how wonderful it is that this is something my daughters and I can do and enjoy together!

Natural Color :: a Book Review

Natural dyeing has slowly crept onto my radar over the last few years.  With all the amazing projects I've seen with simple easter egg natural dyeing, and shibori indigo dyeing, I've definitely had it on my mental list of crafts to try.  

What I didn't realize until I read "Natural Color" by Sasha Duer was the deeper impact underlying the fun process of making colors from your own backyard.  The idea of "slow" fashion, and how our manufactured clothing is colored with chemical dyes that cover the largest organ of our body (skin), and how that can be compared to fast food choices verses cooking with real life-giving ingredients.  This idea added a whole new dimension to my desire for natural color.  Now, not only do I want to dye a linen pillowcase a pretty color, but to lay my head on something dyed with lavender sounds like a wonderful way to sleep!  And the possibilities are endless. 

"Natural Color" by Sasha Duer was a beautiful introduction to the process of natural dying complete with specific projects to get you started and such lovely pictures along the way.  She shares recipes by season so that whenever you plan on foraging, you'll have plenty of materials for extracting color.  The idea of creating beautiful colors from avocado pits, mint, aloe, eucalyptus, redwood pinecones, pomegranates, and loquat leaves amazes me.

Dyeing has also felt so daunting with all it's chemistry.  Sasha Duer explains the plant dying process very thoroughly, from gathering your plant materials to caring for your dyed fabric.  She talks about the different fibers, waters, and mordants (aids the dye in sticking to the fiber) and explains thoroughly yet simply.

With Ginger's new love for spinning wool, we though the perfect place to get started would be to dye some of her homespun fibers.  Because this new craft was so daunting to me, we though we would start with the most basic of projects and move forward from there.  

We chose to use Loquat leaves.  There are lots of trees in our neighborhood and believe it or not, "Natural Color" informed us that these loquat leaves would produce a beautiful coppery/ peachy color.

After foraging, we washed the leaves and then cut them into smaller pieces.  We then simmered the leaves in filtered water for a half hour.  After the water cooled, we put in her washed and rinsed fiber and let sit in the dye bath over night.

The results were such a soft pastel color. My one mistake was to send the pretty balls of yarn off to the Grandmother's without taking a picture first. Our next project we hope to graduate to experimenting with mordants that have the potential to drastically alter and/or enrich our color results.

I received "Natural Color" by Sasha Duer from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Nature Journaling and Foraging Elderberries

This year we are going to be studying the science (or is it the art) of wild edible and medicinal foraging in our homeschool.  I'm slowly gathering resources to support and guide us through.  But to start with, we had to learn the rules of foraging.

RULES OF FORAGING

• Never forage closer than 100 feet from a road or parking lot
• Never collect from areas treated with herbicides
• POSITIVELY identify ALL plants
• Avoid burning plants, smoke may irritate
• Teach children thoroughly

As we discover new plants we will be adding them to our nature journals. Each plant and each experience will warrant different journal entries.  Here are a few ideas if we don't know where to start:

JOURNAL ENTRY IDEAS

• Drawing! Probably always a drawing. It will help us see our specimen in more detail not to mention remind us in the future of what the specific plants look like.
• Labeling of botanical parts, learning new terms as we go.
• Health benefits of each plant or part.
• Which parts are edible, which parts are poisneous. 
• How to use or prepare edible and medicinal portions of plants.
• Recipes we use or want to use
• Locations of where we found the plants, or may be likely to find the plants.
• A narrative about an actual experience in finding or preparing the plant.
• A poem either of our own, or by a famous author that speaks to us about the plant.
• Scientific vocabulary terms that apply

A few nature journaling books that might also help get you started are: 

Keeping a Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie

The Laws Guide to Nature Journaling and Drawing by John Muir Laws

Drawing and Painting Plants by Christina Brodie 

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden

Our First Lesson: Elderberries

What perfect timing, as our school year was about to begin, that my friend gets word from her friend that the elderberries on her parents property were ripe and ready! We had a great tour of a section of their 100+ acres and collected from the many elderberry bushes/trees scattered throughout the property.  We got to touch, see, smell, and taste first hand this magnificent wild medicinal edible, always making sure to only harvest the ripe berries, and leaving plenty for the birds.

Elderberries have been called a complete medical chest unto themselves.  They are high in vitamin C and iron and strengthen your immune system.  The berries work to remove viruses from the body and remove deep congestion, whether it be in the lungs, kidneys, or joints.

Foraging and Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi and Wendy Hollender has a gorgeous botanical print of this powerhouse along with an elderberry syrup recipe on their Botanical Arts Press website.

I've begun collecting resources and information on foraging and using wild foods on my Pinterest board Wild Weeds.  And am still in search of more helpful books and guides to learn from.  If you have any favorites, please share!

The Flower Workshop:: a book review

                                                                                       Photos courtesy of Ruby Waechtler of Native Fern

I have an eleven year old daughter who will find a bouquet's worth of flowers in a dry field.  She knows the names of all our local wildflowers, and will do anything to help out in my friends florist shop.  She even had her own flower garden in the front yard for a while, but just couldn't remember to water it.  She prefers to forage.

She studies the Sunset's Western Garden Book and our local wildflower field guide like it's her job.

When I saw "The Flower Workshop" by Ariella Chezar, I knew my flower lover would be intrigued.  The photographs are stunning.  And Ariella's loose organic style, using foraged materials and home grown blooms is right in line with my daughter's idea of a dream bouquet.

From gorgeous photos, to flower identification, to specific seasonal how-to's, this book is perfect for the casual flower admirer to a more seasoned flower artist.

Another beautiful flower book my daughter has in her growing collection is "The Flower Recipe Book" by Alethea Harampolis. Again, beautiful, inspiring photos, with step by step directions to create lovely bouquets.

With a growing collection of resources, my little flower lover is gradually educating herself in all things floral!  And what a blessing to have such beautiful resources to choose from.

I received "The Flower Workshop" book from Blogging for Books for this review.  This blog post does contain affiliate links, if you choose to purchase, a bit comes back my way at no additional cost to you.  I appreciate your support in this way.

Just add Watercoloring: and Other Great Art Books

A lot of our homeschool involves art.  We can't help ourselves.  Thankfully all three of us learn well this way, so it's an easy tool for me to use in presenting lessons.  We use art in our history lessons, drawing characters and scenes, we use art in our nature journals, and just this morning, Ginger got our her colored pencils to help with her math fraction work that was puzzling her.

Most of the time, I let the girls experiment with their art supplies and skills, but every now and then it's fun to sit down and intentionally try some new techniques with them.  I didn't hesitate when I was offered the book "Just Add Watercolor" from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.  This is a beautiful little hard back book!  Filled with "inspiration and painting techniques from contemporary artists", it really has endless ideas and tips for us to feast on.

Each page has a fabulous painting on it, while the opposite page teaches us about the artist, the style and techniques used, visual elements employed, and even a quick tip on how to try this method yourself.

This sweet book didn't make us feel all confined to watercoloring either.  Ruby enjoyed finding subject matter to practice her drawing skills as well.  What better way to learn art, then from the masters!

My favorites on our art/nature journal shelf at the moment are:

Just add Watercolor by Helen Birch

Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes

Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman

Animalium by Katie Scott and Jenny Broom

This blog does contain affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase, a bit comes back my way at no additional cost to you.  I appreciate your support in this way.

 

10 Best Animal Lovers Read Aloud Classic Books for Kids

So many books and not enough time!  I love this feeling.  Having an endless supply of so many wonderful books on my reading list.  But what if you don't have a list?  What if you have a kid who loves to read, but keeps reading that same old series about the boy who is sassy to his parents and is always disobedient, and you know there's better books out there, you just can't think of any right now.

Here's a list of books for the young animal lovers out there.   Books where the main character either makes a friend with an animal, or the main character is an animal.  Either way, if you love animals, this is a good place to start. Perfect for the kids who are proficient at reading chapter books, maybe about grades 2 to 6 (although every kid is so individual in their reading skills, so you be the best judge here).  Also very suitable for a family read aloud.  I love those cozy moments when we're all snuggled up together listening to the same story. I have other book lists if your looking for more ideas.

Misty of Chincoteague

Written by Marguerite Henry in 1947.  Picturesquely set in the small island town of Chincoteague, Virginia.  The story of the Beebe family catching and raising a filly born to a wild horse.  A Newbery Honor Book.  An especially wonderful book for any one who's horse crazy, like my girls. Another bonus is that there are many more books by M. Henry about Misty.

Old Yeller

Written by Fred Gipson in 1956.  Received a Newbery Honor.  While young Travis' father leaves the family ranch to go off on a cattle drive, Travis reluctantly takes in an old dingy yellow dog who has wandered onto the ranch uninvited.  Through many attempts by Travis to get rid of this dog, they become close friends, with many wonderful times together. This book is a tear jerker though, because Old Yeller contracts rabies from an infected wolf, and Travis is forced to kill him to prevent any harm to his family.  Ending on a good note, this book walks the reader through the many emotions of being friends with an animal.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children (Dover Children's Classics)

Written by Thomas Burgess in 1919. Gently teaches the lessons of conversation and a love of wildlife through the fascinating subject of bird life.  The readers learn about the birds' physical appearance, behavior, eating and nesting habits, songs and calls via the characters of Jenny Wren, Melody the Wood Thrush, Spooky the Screech Owl and dozens of other common birds.

Rascal

Written by Sterling North in 1963.  A Newbery Honor Book.  Set in 1918, Sterling finds himself the caretaker of a baby raccoon. A year in the life of a boy and his raccoon, Rascal enjoys such comforts as sleeping in Sterling's bed and attending the county fair.  As Rascal ages, though, Sterling notices that the raccoon is having normal springtime urges and needs a different environment than Sterling can provide.

The Jungle Book (Dover Children's Evergreen Classics)

Written by Rudyard Kipling, first published in magazines in 1893. The Jungle Book is a collection of five tales that are fables, using animals with human characteristics (anthropomorphic) to give moral lessons. The most popular being the adventures of an abandoned "man cub" named Mowgli who is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle.  Mowgli befriends a bear and a black panther and together they fight their enemy the tiger.  

Poppy (The Poppy Stories)

Written by Avi in 1995. Set in Dimwood Forest, a family of mice inhabit an abandoned farmhouse. The young mouse, Poppy,  discovers that her family must relocate to where there is a more abundant food supply.  However, the family is refused permission from the tyrannical owl Ocax to move to the new area.  Poppy befriends the porcupine Ereth and together they devise a plan to battle the evil owl.  The first in a series of books about Poppy.  

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Written by Marguerite Henry in 1945.  Another book for the horse lovers! The schoolmaster, Justin Morgan, takes two colts as payment for an old debt.  Justin enlists a bit of help to train the horses from his student Joel Gross. The younger of the two grows into a small but sturdy workhorse who becomes one of the greatest breeding stallions of all times.  Marguerite Henry wrote many more award winning children books about horses. 

Charlotte's Web (Trophy Newbery)

Written by E.B. White in 1952.  The story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.  When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte tries to persuade the farmer to let him live by writing messages in her web praising Wilbur. A fun tale, complete with trips to the fair and buttermilk baths.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Written by Beverly Cleary in 1965.  It's Ralph the mouse's lucky day when young Keith comes to stay at the Inn where Ralph lives.  Keith has a shiny miniature motorcycle just the right size for Ralph to ride. Oh! The adventures Ralph has!  Three more books in this series and you're going to want to read them all!

Henry and Ribsy (Henry Huggins)

Written by Beverly Cleary in 1954. Henry's dad makes a deal with him.  If Henry can get his cat chasing, food stealing dog to behave for two months, then Henry can go with his dad on a fishing trip.  Henry thinks this is going to be easy, but he hasn't figured on Ribsy's sense for trouble making.  Written in true Beverly Cleary hilarious fashion.  Four more books on Henry's adventures to enjoy! 

Many of these books start off a series that will keep your little reader busy and excited for the next story!  Most of these books can be found at your local library, thrift shop, or your own book shelves.  Each title here is an affiliate link to Amazon where, if you choose to purchase, a bit comes back my way at no additional cost to you.  I appreciate your support in this way.

10 Best Ocean Lovers Read Aloud Classics

Even before I lived by the ocean, I was always captivated by any story that took place in or near the sea.  There's just something so mysterious, vast, and adventurous about it.  Here is a collection of our favorite ocean classics that you may want to add to your summer reading list this year.  Most likely, they're already on your bookshelf, at Grandma's house or in your local library.  These books are suitable for upper elementary aged kids and older to read themselves, or to be read out loud to younger listeners.  Let them take you away to tropical islands, adventure, and lots and lots of water. I have other book lists if your looking for more ideas.

Moby Dick: or The White Whale (Oxford Illustrated Classics)

By Herman Melville

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Moby Dick by Geraldine McCaughrean (I recommend this version for the kids, it's written very well and true to the original text by Herman Melville but more suitable for children and with beautiful pictures).  Captain Ahab sails the seas in his relentless hunt for his enemy the white whale, Moby Dick. (3rd grade and up)

Treasure Island

By Robert Louis Stevenson

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  A classic tale of buried treasure, pirates, mutiny, tropical islands and X marks the spot.  Long John Silver as a main character in a plot full of action, and a study of morality. (5th grade and up)

The Swiss Family Robinson

By Johann David Wyss

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Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss.  Shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island, the Swiss Family Robinson have learn how to survive amongst dangers and delights in their new world.  Also, so fun to read first and then watch the movie! (5th grade and up)

Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling, Holling C. 1st (first) Edition [Hardcover(1941/9/9)]

By Holling C. Holling

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Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling.  The story of a hand carved little canoe, made by an Indian boy and it's journey through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.  A fabulous study of the geography and history from that region.  A Caldecott Honor book. (3rd grade and up)

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea

By Jules Verne

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20,000 League's Under the Sea by Jules Vernes.  A classic science fiction novel of Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus.  This story is about their adventures as they travel around the world underwater and the companions they meet. Ginger is reading this one right now, and keeps me up to date on the amazing adventures happening under the sea. (5th grade and up)

The White Seal

By Rudyard Kipling

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The White Seal by Rudyard Kipling.  Such a sweet story of a rare white seal, and his search for a new home for his large family of seals.  Many fun facts about the lives of seals and how their environment is affected by man.  This is one of the many stories that make up the complete Jungle Book. (3rd grade and up)

Island of the Blue Dolphins

By Scott O'Dell

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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.  The story of an Indian girl, Karana, and how she lived alone for many years on an island off the coast of California, watching season after season for a boat to come take her away. While she is there she learns how to survive by making shelter, making weapons, and fighting the wild dogs on the island.  A story full of adventure and natural beauty.  Winner of the Newberry Award. (5th grade and up)

The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader' (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 5)

By C. S. Lewis

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis.  Book five in the series The Chronicles of Narnia, a fantastic tale of a king and his companions on a voyage beyond all known lands.  As they sail further and further towards the worlds end, they come across many challenges and adventures. (3rd grade and up)

The Cruise of the Arctic Star

By Scott O'Dell

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The Cruise of the Arctic Star by Scott O'Dell.  A true story of the author and his crew as they sail up the coast of California.  We loved the historical anecdotes told about the places they cruised through on their voyage. (5th grade and up)

The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (Great Illustrated Classics)

By Daniel Defoe

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Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe.  The only survivor of a shipwreck, he is cast on shore of a tropical island.  He encounters cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued after 28 years of living on the island.  He acquires a companion, Friday, who becomes his humble and devoted slave.  A tale of survival and providence. (5th grade and up)

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