Green Hour #5

We've been sick and our nature walk time was the first time we've been outside all week. We walked around our yard and looked at our various trees comparing their bark. Sam settled in the hammock which gave him the best view for watching the blue jay family make their nest in on of our trees. He took a nap and woke up so refreshed! The fresh air was just what he needed.


While Sam slept and Charlotte played I read the sections in HONS regarding trees....it is quite a long section. There were nine poems that could be used for copywork or memorizing, a vocabulary list, and many ideas for projects. I have been inspired by reading all the other green hour experiences and really enjoyed Melissa-Sparrow Nest's bird poster. There is park close by that a variety of native trees that are labeled (makes it identification dummy proof!) and I want us to create our own tree identification booklet. We'll try to make it out there this week if we all continue on the mend and then visit seasonally when we finish our tree study.

So to enhance our tree study these next few weeks....

I picked a poem from HONS to work on memorizing and include in our nature notebook.

WOOD-GRAIN

This is the way that the sap-river ran
From the root to the top of the tree
Silent and dark,
Under the bark,
Working a wonderful plan
That the leaves never know,
And the branches that grow
On the brink of the tide never see.
-John B. Tabb


I made a list of the vocabulary on pg. 623 so that I include those terms while talking about our trees.

Our main project will be long term in the creation of our own tree identification book


We will date our trees as the leaves appear and study each particular tree in our backyard in detail as the leaves start to bloom.

A casual observation on 2/29/08

Same species of tree. The tree on the left received extra......hmmm...."water" from Sam during the winter and appears to have liked the special treatment.

Assignment #5