The Great Outdoors, Time For Nature

This week we have gotten close to nature. In fact we have taken three nature walks with the girls and gathered many leaves, branches, nuts, vines and more. The highlight of this week was making nature wreaths with the things we gathered. The girls loved it and they also loved making plaster casts of animal tracks. We have slowly begun making a nature exhibit in our home with all the things we collect on our walks. Our latest find was a skull from a white tailed deer. It's amazing the things children learn just from observing things like this.

A few of the books we used.

Identify that leaf!

Sumac

On top of a tall hill on our property.

A stately old cottonwood tree.

Some of the flora and fauna we saw on our nature walk the other day.

The girls holding their nature wreaths they created.

Be sure and visit our Homeschool-Nature Study board on Pinterest for more ideas, links and videos for nature study.

The Child in Nature

About seven or more years ago we discovered our thirteen year old daughter  was playing in the wooded area behind our house. She was only about six at the time and she would play there daily. One day I decided to venture back there with her and discovered an over-grown, tangled growth of vines, branches, trees and bushes.

 It was easy to see why she was drawn to those woods. The way the light played through the branches of the trees, glimpses of sky could be seen, tunnels through trees and a roof of branches, a mossy meadow, an owl's home high in an old burr oak, birds and squirrels, the ground carpeted by patches of moss and leaves and acorns. Wild grasses and spider webs and seed pods and more all waiting for her to examine and explore.  When I told my husband that it was so over-grown though that I was concerned our daughter could barely play back there we decided to clear out just enough area to make our own nature trail. That's exactly what we did too. It took us a solid week of hard work, but we managed to make a wonderful nature trail in the woods behind our house.

Our daughter has discovered so many things about nature back there just by observing the natural world around her. We have incorporated nature into our daily lives by teaching the girls to fish, garden, camp, climb trees, collect rocks, hatch butterflies, grow flowers, visit nature preserves, bird watch, making casts of animal prints, learn about wildflowers and grasses, pile up underbrush to benefit wildlife, etc. But the biggest impact was probably when we made our own nature trail right behind our house.

Below is a video I found that explains the importance of experiencing nature.

Martin Nature Center

Earlier this year we took the girls to the Martin Nature Center. It's in Oklahoma City just West of Mercy hospital. I had driven past it many times and had always wanted to visit. We decided on one trip for vision therapy for McKenna we would stop and we are so glad we did. Martin Nature Center is an amazing place! We've been back several times since that first visit.  It is so hard to believe that such a wild and natural place exists in a busy place like OKC. On the first visit we didn't have time to go through the nature center building and had to save that for another time. The nature center is open Wednesdays - Sundays, 9-6. Closed holidays. You can read more about the nature center here.

 My husband and the girls had a grand time looking through the viewing wall at the birds. It was nice that they had a step-stool for little ones to be able to be tall enough to take a peek too.

The girls had to stop on the path and have a little discussion about things. As you can tell by the snow on the ground the weather hadn't quite warmed up yet.


Hard to believe that is a stream with rushing water in an area that has houses just a few blocks away.

 The girls posing at the entrance. The nature center building is right behind them. It's small, but full of the most interesting things. One of the coolest things they have inside is their indoor beehive. There is a tube connected to the beehive and passing through the wall to the outside. Bees can come and go and visitors can view the bees making honey! I'm pretty sure they have educational classes there  from time to time. I noticed a classroom or two. At least they looked like classrooms.        




 

 There  are a couple of does in this picture, but you probably can't  see them. I tried to snap the picture , but I wasn't quite quick enough to get them while they were fully in the open.

 McKenna had a good time viewing the area from the observation deck of this wooden tower.

Besides the two doe and various birds we saw several geese. They were happily swimming in the large pond.

                    A reminder that we need to remember this is a nature park and we are visitors.

 The girls stopped to watch the ducks swimming under the bridge as we entered the nature center. Martin Nature center is so well thought out. The trails are easy to navigate and there is something interesting well placed for the best chance of viewing wildlife along the trails.

Mistletoe! There were several bundles in the trees of the nature center.

My husband hugging a huge tree at the center. From the looks of the leaves I believe it was a Burr Oak. 

Animal Tracks!

 Who's tracks could these be? Perhaps a raccoon?

Can you see the large bird nest in the tree?

This stream is a fairly good size stream and in this area has some small rapids. Right to the East of this area the stream turns a bend and heads East.It's running sort of North to Northeast here. 

Wildlife Expo - Best Ever Field Trip

I thought I would share a few random things from our homeschool adventures over the years. School will be starting soon and this is usually the first outing of the year for us.  For the last several years we have attended the Wildlife Expo at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma.  The Expo is usually always held close to the last weekend of September. If you haven't been to this and live in the area it's worth the trip.

We always pack our lunch and spend the whole day. Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking a lot! 

In this picture my daughter and granddaughter are paddling a canoe. The crew putting on the expo always make a huge pond in the middle of the area for the canoe paddling. Judging from the long lines of children waiting for a turn it's the most popular event of the expo!

McKenna had to have her face fainted at the face painting exhibit. Another booth the girls love.

The girls also take time out to look over all the information in each booth. Here my daughter McKenna and granddaughters, Breanna, Gracie and Raylee are standing in front of the Black Kettle National Grasslands booth. All the exhibitors are so informative and are willing to explain things.

McKenna taking a turn at crossing a rope bridge. An exhibit put on by the Boy Scouts. Believe it or not there was quite the line to try this too.

McLarin trying her hand at shooting an arrow

You can probalby tell these pictures are from several different years of our attending. Here McLarin is trying her hand at shooting an arrow. She loved the fact that she was able to do something the big girls were doing.

McKenna shooting an arrow

Here McKenna is trying out the bow and arrow for herself. Breanna, Gracie and Raylee wait patiently for their turn.







Below McKenna is standing in front of an elk skeleton. All of us thought this was pretty cool.

 McLarin and daddy viewing an exhibit.

McKenna trying out the fishing with a bow and arrow.

McLarin and daddy in front of the eagle spread. It wasn't intentional, but she stretched out her little arm as if she was trying to measure the eagles wing span too. We loved this picture so much and we laugh every time we look at it.

In addition to these activities there is always lots more. Also lots of native wildlife such as quail, pheasant, various snakes, birds and turtles. There is also an alligator that the kids can pet. Not to worry, it's small and it's mouth is taped shut. This is always one of our favorite filed trips of the year and we plan to go again this year.