I stumbled across the Blueberry Awards honoring excellent nature books for children. Criteria for selecting a winner included:
Delivers content grounded in real science.
Proffers excellence in children’s literature in writing, art, and design.
Reflects the diversity of people in our world.
Shares nature, nature intersections, or climate peril, and calls children to action in developmentally appropriate, truthful ways.
Check out the 2022 winners here and the 2021 winners here.
The top 2022 award:
Many of the books included are my favorites! I look forward to reading the others. Great gift ideas for anyone who delights in the outdoors! “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ” Anna Quindlen
The Butterfly House is open at the Chattahoochee Nature Center! Each visitor is given a foam brush saturated in sugar water to attract and hold the butterflies. Many of them also land on unexpecting heads! Behind the Butterfly House, open through August 6th, is a pollinator loving native plant sale.
Click here for a post about how to add symmetry to your study of butterflies.
Click here for a post about a butterfly’s proboscis.
Order caterpillars from Insect Lore and watch them move through metamorphosis.
Check out this engaging light investigation performed by the students at Science Akademeia.
Fun Facts:
A group pf butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
They can see a range of ultraviolet colors that are invisible to the human eye.
The monarch butterfly migrates every fall to the warmer climates of California and Mexico.
Butterflies have four wings covered with scales.
If temperatures are below 55 degrees, butterflies can’t fly.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou
When I saw a piece of white fluff on a leaf, I moved closer and was surprised when it began to move. It looked like a little bug having a very bad hair day!
On my walk the following day, I noticed what I thought was the same insect on the stems of the plants along my path. I identified these as mealybugs, pests which survive by sucking plant sap.
Was this the same species I had observed the previous day? Although they were both white and cotton-like, there were some differences. The first bug was alone and moving, while these mealybugs were in clusters and rather stationary.
Further research led me to the conclusion that I had been fortunate to discover a junk or trash bug, the larval stage of lacewings. Watch below to learn more about this FASCINATING little creature! I am amazed!
On my walk down a street in Kirkwood, MO, I approached this tree (or maybe trees) intertwined. It appears the branches have grown into and around each other. How do you think this happened? It looks like a pretzel tree! As your children or students what they think, and then scroll below the photos for more information. Look for other examples of inosculation on your journeys.
“This phenomenon is known as inosculation, which occurs when two individual trees growing in close proximity become morphologically joined. It’s important to note that inosculation is different from grafting in that it is a naturally occurring phenomenon. In contrast, grafting is a horticultural technique used to cultivate a variety of plants, including fruit and ornamental trees. ” Click here to read the entire article.
Everyone loves a mystery! Look at the photos below and discuss who might have left these clues behind for others to discover. When you take a walk, look for signs of visitors along your way. Sharpen observation skills as you engage your senses. Never lose your sense of wonder!
Introduce this activity with the following picture book, and then make your own book with photos you capture. Other books in this series include, In the Woods: Whose Been Here? and Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here?
I saw these little creatures crawling on tree leaves. Can you identify? Many people cannot! Scroll further to find the answer.
This crocodile looking creature is the larval stage of a ladybug. As it grows, it will molt until it’s time to move into the next stage of metamorphosis.
I also discovered the pupa stage. Before long, the adult ladybug will emerge.
Learn more about the life cycle of a ladybug. Click here to view full screen.
Fun Facts:
Ladybugs are classified as beetles, not bugs.
The Ladybug’s bright color warns predators that they are not a tasty snack.
Ladybugs hibernate.
A ladybug’s body consists of three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), six jointed short legs, wings, exoskeleton, and antennae.
They are carnivores because they eat bugs.
There are more than 5000 species of ladybugs.
The Ladybug is the Official State Insect of six states: New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Tennessee.
A group of ladybugs is called a loveliness.
Ladybugs can be red, yellow, orange, pink, and sometimes black.
NASA sent four ladybugs and aphids to space in 1999 to see if the ladybugs could eat in zero gravity.
I purchased ladybugs from a local nursery to feast upon aphids and spider mites on my daisies below. Rid your garden of pests naturally.
Purchase ladybug larvae from Insect Lore and watch as they move through the stages of metamorphosis.
Ladybugs are easy to draw and can be used to introduce symmetry.
I spotted (no pun intended) this beetle at Gibbs Gardens and wondered if it was a ladybug since they come in a variety of colors. But after research, I believe it is a cucumber beetle. They are not a desirable garden visitor!
Is this the larval stage of another species of ladybug? What do you think?
The forest changes almost unnoticeably until one day you realize that you have an entirely different view. In December, I began taking photos of this bench, so that I could intentionally mark the way the landscape evolves through the seasons. Choose a spot with your children or students and take a photo each month to document the changes. Include your children in the photo and note how they change too!
Some videos about seasonal changes: Click here to view full screen.
Even the tiniest items in nature, colorful and intricate, display God’s handiwork! Patterns and symmetry in complex designs abound! Just look under any microscope. Take a moment to experience the awe and wonder as you gaze upon the center of these exquisite, but common, flowers. I hope I am never too preoccupied to notice the small treasures I encounter along my way.
Click here for an investigation with paper flowers.
My favorite science lessons are those you can experience in your own backyard! I almost stepped on this slug that was slipping its way across my deck. Do you see its slime trail?
How do slugs differ from snails? (Click here for a previous post about snails.) Are gardeners a fan of slugs? Click here to view full screen.
I was surprised to discover many stories with slug characters! Introduce poetry or letter writing with Slugs in Love. How to Teach a Slug to Read is another book in the series. Click here to view full screen.
The following two stories could be used to promote social emotional goals. Practice sequencing as well as identifying descriptive words and dialogue with Slug Needs a Hug. What a fun story to dramatize too! Click here to watch full screen.
How many ways does slug try to solve its problems? (Are Norman’s eyes in the correct place?) Click here to view full screen.
Observe slugs outside or bring one inside to investigate for a short time before you release it. Task your children with drawing or painting a garden setting. Draw and then cut out slugs to place in the picture. Create a story for your slug character. What is its problem or conflict and how is it resolved?
Studying slugs is the perfect opportunity to make slime!
