Nature Study – Pond Resources
Posted by Cindy on November 1, 2009
What a wonderful month studying ponds! Here are the resources that have been in the sidebar.
Icy Nature Study
Posted by Cindy on January 27, 2009
If you live anywhere near a pond when it freezes over, this is a great nature study activity!
We headed out in the very cold wind to bring a sample of ice home from the pond. After trying to break the ice with a knife (which usually works), then a large rock (which almost always works), we looked out to the middle of the pond to see the dog happily walking across with not a care in the world.
After realizing the pond was way more frozen than we thought, Mahayla and Caleb went back down with a an axe. Nothing was going to stop Caleb from trying this experiment!
Once home, we let the ice melt with the hopes of being able to find something alive in the once frozen water. Unfortunately, the pond closest to our home is new and probably doesn’t have much life in it yet, so we were left with only melted pond water. But, the study wasn’t worthless, as we were able to watch the water settle and get a small simulation of what the bottom of this particular pond looks like.
I’m hoping to talk hubby into taking the kids to the bigger pond for a sample. If we find anything exciting, I’ll be sure to post!
Enjoy an exciting snow and ice study using this NaturExplorers study!
The Release and Springs
Posted by Cindy on May 29, 2008
After about four days of observing the little critters we brought home from the pond, we decided it was best to return them to their rightful home. Why? Well, one one variety of little critters swimming around was mosquito larvae!! No, thank you for them finishing their life cycle in my house!
We also believe we had tadpoles, caddis fly larvae, water louse, some sort of teeny tiny black shelled snails (we saw two mating!) and unidentified microscopic black spots swimming everywhere. That was a lot of critters in one cup full of pond water!
Before heading home, we visited two springs near the pond. The first is a small spring flowing into a creek. The second is a spring that was dammed up many, many years ago as a watering hole for farm animals. Isn’t it pretty? Does anyone know what sort of plant is growing in it?
Oh, and look who we heard, then saw as we headed back toward the truck. If you can’t tell, its a woodpecker!
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Creation Club – Ponds
Posted by Cindy on May 21, 2008
So here’s what I had envisioned. A peaceful day at the pond with children who ever-so-quietly and diligently explored life in and around the pond. Children who would pull out their nature journals at every interesting find, writing lovely poems and prayers. A day of discovery and awe.
Here’s what happened. Children racing around the pond, boys jumping in, muddy water, lots of laughing, and yet lots of exploring still. I’m not sure much nature journaling was accomplished, but most of the children went home with a cup full of nature to continue exploring. Their plan was WAY BETTER than mine! (Oh, and Colleene, SO sorry about the shoes!! 
)
The day started in my house with prayer, a little pond talk and the making of our underwater viewfinders. (These are easy. Cut the bottom out of an old container – milk, 2-liter, large yogurt. If needed, cut a bit of the top out, too, so you can easily look down through the container. Cover the bottom with plastic wrap, securing with a rubber band or duct tape. Submerge the plastic side into water and see what you can find under the water!)
Then, off to the pond we went. The kids had to first walk all the way around the pond, observing life on the edges. They were supposed to journal something they found. (Notice these are all girls!)
Then, they used the viewfinders to look down into the water. Again, they were supposed to journal something they found.
Finally, they used jars tied to poles to scoop water and life out for observation. Again, they were supposed to journal something they found.
Talk about hands-on learning. I think we might even be able to call this body-on learning. They had so much fun and I’m sure learned a thing or two in the process. At least that’s what I’m still envisioning.
We brought home a bit of moss and pond water. This morning, we were able to identify at least SIX different forms of life in about a cup’s worth of water!! For sure we have some tadpoles, water bugs and tiny snails. There are also tiny, tiny, tiny specks swimming around, tiny, tiny, tiny snake-like creatures and some oblong clear eggs with no observable animals inside. I can’t wait to see what grows!
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems
