Outdoor Hour Challenge – Nature Journals -Autumn 2010
This week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge is to spend 15 minutes in your own yard. Walking around. Observing. Picking up rocks. Picking up leaves. Listen. Smell. We had a break in the rain today – so the boys and I went out from 11:45 – 12:00. The little strip of woods to the south of the yard provided a great trail to walk. We have not been on this trail in September – the changes from the Spring/Summer are vast. Most of the skunk cabbage is dying down. The boys have gone in with machetes to create little “rooms”. They have their favorite spots. It was fun as the mom to go into their world and see the doors and roofs created out of the overgrowth. A little stream runs through the middle from the forest to the east, no houses are to the east – so the water smells sweet, the environment has a healthy earthy smell.
I spotted a seed pod that didn’t seem to belong in the forest. I collected the pod, a few leaves, the boys collected a few leaves, climbed on on logs, “accidently” dropped their pencil in the lake and had to retrieve it. . . .
Jon chose to write about the bees in the flower on the deck. This year I am going to work with him more on switching to Nature Sketches and less “art”. (The flowers are Red Tiny Dots, not blue huge flowers.) He did go back to contour drawing, leaf printing, and sketching the leaves. Nathan drew his leaf and berries, and then started carving on an old zucchini.
My favorite find, and the boys agreed, is the Vine Maple. It is a new to me species of tree. We learned that it has a 7 lobe leaf, the growth is under 20 feet tall, it thrives under towering conifers, in damp places, in good soil, survives in heavy shade – west of the cascades. Bingo! We have a Vine Maple. We learned that they grow like vines, tangling – choking out – other trees. Frontiersmen hated them, deer and small animal love them. They turn to the yellow/orange/deep red colors in fall. The beautiful undergrowth – now has a name. Vine Maple. 🙂
From Nathan’s Journal – He found Zucchini that had turned to sponge out in the yard –
Say Hello to my Leeetle Friend.
He started out as a little seed. He was planted – and grew into a zucchini.
When he was full grown, he was chosen by the Korean Zucchini Army to become a zucchini warrior.
He grew to be – Zucchini Warrior Man Mon.
He Came To Me! I made him into an Epic Warrior.
Now he stands. Ready to shoot. (spear flying past) – Kapah!
They say I’m pretty good with a knife and a zucchini. My Leeetle Friend. Epic.
He’s so glad he didn’t become a Zucchini Mon Bread. 
Mom. Sigh. Rolls Eyes. What does the kid have against Zucchini Bread? Or Legitimate Nature Sketch Journaling? Sigh.
Wanna see what the other kids did?
Join us over at Barb’s Page – The Handbook of Nature Study –
Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn #1 – Nature Journal How to Get Started.
+Angie Wright
Pebblekeeper 
You really make nature study fun! I love how you allow the boys to make it their own.
Oh, yeah, can’t wait to show my boys the epic warrior!
I saw you have “Keeping a Nature Journal” by Clare Walker Leslie. I haven’t read it but her “Drawn to Nature” made me realize I really could/should keep a nature journal.
I really like the Clare Walker Leslie books. She spent time here near our town at at Art type College nearby, and some of the sketches in the book are of our local area. It helps me to see how easy a nature sketch can be. Glad you liked the warrior!
I asked Nate after what he meant – he said – “I’m glad he didn’t get made into zucchini bread because then he couldn’t have been carved into a warrior.” Hmmm. Might have to give the kid the over abundant under canned veggies to him before we walk them down to the neighbor’s chickens. 🙂
I think your son and mine would get along PERFECTLY… have you read this post? it makes me think we might have kindred spirits growing under our roofs 🙂
http://fisheracademy.blogspot.com/2009/11/writing-sample-11yo.html
I just feel like I understand so well…
“Mom. Sigh. Rolls Eyes. What does the kid have against Zucchini Bread? Or Legitimate Nature Sketch Journaling? Sigh.”
🙂
amy in peru
I enjoyed looking at your nature study post. The Korean Zucchini Man was most amusing. 🙂
I had to delete the link because I received SO MUCH email today telling me it didn’t work. If you still want it, it is on the sidebar of Amanda’s blog:
http://heartsandtrees.blogspot.com
You need to scroll down to her “free downloads” section and it is listed there with a bunch of other stuff.
Now to your entry…it is interesting to see how the different families use the challenge and make it their own. I love the humor your family brings to their journals and how it is personalized. Thank you so much for once again sharing your world. 🙂
lol It is interesting to see Nature Study through your boys’ eyes…definitely different than Barb’s 😉
I really really want to get started on Nature Study but I’ve not gotten the rest down yet either so it’s pick-n-choose for us right now.
Where’s the scavenger hunt page?? Direct me to it please!
http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2010/09/signs-of-autumn-challenge-and-notebook.html – is the page for Today, the 21st of September, First Day of Fall. The link to her daughter’s page has been deleted today. Sorry about that.
I have this nature book…so much fun!! You have such cool ideas…can you use your brain and download some of those cool ideas into my brain….mine is corrupt and does not compute…LOL
Barb comes up with the ideas. 🙂 She puts them on her website for FREE! There is a cool challenge for tomorrow – the first day of Fall – we downloaded a scavenger hunt page that her daughter made for the readers. Pretty cool. 🙂