This thick vine is creeping its way up a great number of trees in the woods near me in Atlanta. Currently, it’s rather fuzzy and appears dead, but is it?
This is a poison ivy vine and can cause a rash even during winter months. Click here to learn more.
Do you think a vine might have caused the tree to grow in this manner?
May we never lose our sense of wonder.
Wonder by Bethel.
Teaching children science reawakened my sense of wonder. Watching them discover and explore the beauty and mysteries of creation was a blessing. There is no greater gift than to see the natural world through a child’s eyes.
“May we never lose our wonder,
Wide-eyed and mystified,
May we be just like a child,
Staring at the beauty of our king.”
Wonder Walkers is my new favorite book! “Only wonderstruck children, confronting nature’s gorgeous mysteries, could express themselves so intimately, creatively, and originally.” Kirkus Reviews
“Think and wonder, wonder and think.” Dr. Seuss
Recently I discovered a tree with “something” around the trunk. Anyone know what this growth might be? I wonder…. Is it living? Is it a disease? Why is it only on this tree? Is it safe to touch?
As I mentioned in a previous post, model asking wonder questions aloud for your children and encourage them to share their wonder questions with you. So that students can record their wonder questions on post-it notes, create a wonder wall or door.
Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5
Along my new favorite hiking trail, Big Creek Greenway, I discovered a plethora of animal tracks in the mud! What a great location for a field trip!
I recently posted about animal tracks in the snow. Click here to go to that post, but I am including additional resources here. Click here for a very informative resource about animal tracks. Although I wasn’t able to locate the track stamps that I used in my science lab, I found these on a search. Click here and here for track stamps. In the lab, children used them with ink, as well as in wet sand or mud (in shallow tubs) to learn how to identify tracks. Click here for a free printable animal track identification chart.
Click here for the Safeshare link for the following video.
I worked in a Christian school and always looked for opportunities to incorporate my faith. Click here for the poem, Footprints in the Sand.
I found a new place to walk, only a few miles from home, and oh what a glorious place! Although I walk for exercise, this was for my soul! Nothing makes me feel closer to God than to be in his creation! The people I met along the way, smiled, but didn’t speak. It was if everyone had lost themselves in the beauty around them.
According to Ask the Scientists, “There are several physical responses our bodies have to being in nature. Sitting outside can reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate, and decrease cortisol levels. When we are outside our body slows down, helping us feel peaceful and calm. Our minds work in a similar way. Spending time outside improves mood and reduces feelings of anxiety. Click here for the entire article.” The Japanese call the practice of “immersing your senses in the sights and sounds of a natural setting”, forest bathing.
As I walked along the path and saw evidence of animals, I remembered the story, In the Woods: Who’s been Here? Click here for information about this picture book.
Just as the children in this story searched for clues about the animals that were living in the woods, I saw evidence below of the creatures who inhabited this ecosystem.
This is one in a series of books. Other titles include:
In the Garden: Who’s Been Here?
In the Snow: Who’s Been Here?
Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here?
On a recent hike, the forest still looked like winter, but then I unexpectedly came upon a spring symphony. Click here to listen.
According to Charles Seabrook whose “Wild Georgia” column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If you’re near a temporary, rain-filled pond or large puddle in North Georgia’s woods this time of year, you may hear what sounds like quacking ducks. Actually, it’s probably frogs — wood frogs, to be exact. The 3-inch-long, brownish frogs, each marked by a distinctive black mask extending backward from the eye, are some of Georgia’s most amazing creatures. They appear seemingly from out of nowhere for a few days in January and February and congregate in the ponds at night to engage in their frenzied mating known as “explosive breeding.” Then they quickly disappear back into the woods, not to be seen again until the next breeding season.” As I approached in an attempt to see the frogs, the water became still and quiet!
High temperatures have only reached the fifties, but I am spotting signs of spring on my neighborhood walks – Lenten roses, daffodils, cherry blossoms, and camellias. Have you seen any early hints that spring is on its way?
During my neighborhood walks, I pass this American sycamore tree. These majestic deciduous trees grow more than 100 feet high and are usually planted as shade or specimen trees but should not be planted close to your home.
The tree is currently covered with round seed balls, similar in size to sweetgum balls on the bottom of the following photo, that will drop in the spring. Be cautious handling them.
Sycamore trees are easy to identify because of the bark that peels away. Eastern woodland native people used Sycamores to make canoes.
Leaves that I saved and pressed last fall:
To our children we give two things,
one is roots and the other wings.
This quote is familiar to many of us. When a seed germinates, roots are the first to grow. They will anchor the new plant. A strong root system prevents wind and other disruptive forces from uprooting it. The roots also absorb the nutrients necessary for growth. Just like roots, parents nurture and provide security for their children. Our goal is to raise confident children grounded in love who can stand firm when troubles come.
Searching for specific natural items has been the focus of many of my recent posts. On your next hike, look for roots. Many can be seen above ground. Notice the shape, size, and the path they follow. Did you see any uprooted trees?
To watch roots grow, push toothpicks into a sweet potato with the narrow, rooting end pointed downward. Place the potato in a cup of water, so approximately 1/3 of the potato is submerged. Put the cup in a dark cabinet or closet. After roots appear, move the cup to a sunny window.
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Colossians 2:7
I have to confess that I once thought that when the sun set, the moon rose, but that is incorrect. Have you seen the moon during daylight hours? Watch the video below to find out why.
Click here for the Safeshare link.
Click here to find out when the moon will rise and set in your location.
As I wrote this post, I started to sing the following traditional song.
Mr. Moon, Mr. Moon,
You’re out too soon,
The sun is still in the sky.
Go back to bed,
And cover up your head,
And wait till the day goes by.
A Rube Goldberg Machine (RGM) is a crazy contraption which accomplishes a simple task in the most complicated and funniest way possible. They are based on the “invention” cartoons of the famous, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Cartoonist, Rube Goldberg. To go to the Rube Goldberg site, click here.
The 2022 machine contest has been announced. Click here for the entry form. Be an engineer and create a Rube Goldberg machine!
Check out this biography about Rube Goldberg. Click here. What perseverance!
Click here to read Rube Goldberg’s Simple Hum Drum School Day. Draw a crazy contraption! What a fun way to demonstrate cause and effect relationships and apply force and motion concepts! All ages will enjoy this creative task!
