Posted by Cindy on October 20, 2011
We’re still having fun with Caleb’s botany study. One recent topic was fascinating for both of us…understanding a twig or branch.
We first learned about the terminal bud, which is the bud at the end of the twig where new growth (called the shoot) will grow from next spring.
Terminal bud scars circle the twig. These show branch growth from year to year.
Lateral buds, found all along the branches, develop just above where leaves are (or were) attached. Side shoots (otherwise known as new branches) will grow from these buds in the spring.
You can clearly see the new twigs that began growing from lateral buds on this dead branch. Above the shoot on the left side, you can also observe a leaf scar formed when a leaf fell off the branch.
We also learned that leaves grow in various patterns. They can grow alternately, like the leaves pictured above, or they can be whorled (in a sort of circle) or opposite each other on the branch.
Caleb spent time measuring the distance between bud scars, lateral buds, and more.
We also had fun with an old Native American practice of measuring the height of trees. While not completely accurate, it is fun. You hold on to your ankles and walk away from a tree until you can see the top of the tree through your legs. Then, you measure from that place back to the tree. The measurement should be approximate to the height of the tree.
Botany and nature study can be so much fun, even if you never go any farther than your back yard!
Posted by Cindy on October 17, 2011
There’s very little better than a field trip to make learning come to life!
Eli (our preschooler) has been begging to go to the zoo for months. Lucky for him, we won two free tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo not too long ago and last week was the perfect weather for an outdoor field trip. While the trip was as much for the little guy as everyone else, we definitely took advantage of our middle and high school studies in biology this year while we were there, too!
Here are a few fun photos from the day.
We found zookeepers throughout the zoo allowing us to pet animals and ask question. This little penguin was WAY cute!
Another zookeeper was asking the kids to hunt for a snake in the sandbox. Notice who isn't in the photo? Me!
The children's petting zoo was full of farm animals.
Eli has a fascination with animal ears - always has. Maybe he'll be a vet who specializes in hearing difficulties!
What kind of strange tortoise is this?
Eli's "wing span" was the size of a red-tailed hawk. He thought that was pretty cool since he enjoys watching hawks fly around our farm.
I think all three of my children weighed the same as something like 45 million insects!
I love watching my children love learning.
We enjoyed listening to zookeepers present brief shows about various animals.
Everyone's favorite and noisiest animals - the gibbons.
One of our favorite photos of the day.
If you’ve been to both, which is your favorite – the Cincinnati Zoo or the Louisville Zoo?
Posted by Cindy on October 14, 2011
Thanks to Tricia (and Nana) from Hodgepodge, we had a wonderful art lesson this week!
Apples, pumpkins and autumn leaves were our subjects as we learned how to effectively use pastels. It’s such an easy art project that results in beautiful artwork!
Check out Tricia’s tutorials for the step-by-step how-to’s…
Apples and Pumpkins
Autumn Leaves
Posted by Cindy on October 10, 2011
While Mahayla takes a formal, high school biology class
this year, Caleb (6th grade) and I (along with the interested 4-year-old) are studying biology using a variety of resources like Considering God’s Creation
, Lyrical Life Science, Vol. 1
and, of course, NaturExplorers studies.
Botany has been first on our list and we’ve been having so much fun learning the in-depth ins and outs of various plant types. In the lesson below, we were studying the functions of a flower. The activities came from the Wonderful Wildflowers NaturExplorers study.
(The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller is a great kick-off book for this type of lesson.)
After an earlier lesson on the plant kingdom, we moved our focus toward flowering plants.
Rose of Sharon are GREAT flowers to use in pollination and dissection activities.
Even though the lesson was for the 6th grader, the 4-year-old enjoyed (and learned from) it, too!
Our pipe cleaner pollinators very clearly showed us how insects and other pollinators pick up and deliver pollen from flower to flower.
A quick dissection in the field showed us various flower parts distinctly.
Another quick dissection in the field showed us new seeds developing in the ovary.
And, finally, a formal dissection inside allowed us to see, touch and explore and label each and every part of a flower.
Isn’t science great fun???
Posted by Cindy on October 4, 2011
You cannot even imagine how wonderful our Jr. Master Gardener class (aka Botany Lab) has been. Our horticulture extension agent rocks!
We’ve only had four classes so far and have covered tons of topics - plant parts, flower parts, soil types, the water cycle, ecology, organic pesticides and fertilizers, insects and pollination! Everything has been hands-on and perfectly “beefed up” so the parents of high school students can feel good about counting the class toward biology credits.
I haven’t taken pictures of everything (because I’ve been having too much fun myself), but below are a few snapshots…
A Lesson in Taxonomy
Classifying Insects
Can you eat using your pincers?
Flower Pigment Pounding
An Ecology Project - Birdhouse Gourds
Some quick facts:
- Our class has been limited to (16) 6th-12th graders.
- The original goal of the class was to be able to count it toward biology lab hours for high school credit.
- Our class is using the “official” Jr. Master Gardener material – Book 1. It’s meant for grades 3-5, but our agent is choosing the activities which are most appropriate for older kids and bumping things up a notch or two when necessary. (I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well he is modifying the material for an interesting, in-depth class.)
- As the main organizer of the class, I am creating 10 question “tests” each week for the older kids to use as part of a grade if their parents desire.
- The class will meet once a week for 8 weeks this semester.
- If the families are still interested, there is a Book 2 program that we might complete in the spring semester.
Talk to your local extension office and see if the 4-H and/or horticulture agent might be interested in developing a Jr. Master Gardener’s class for you!
