A slower week - nature journaling

We're technically on week 7 of Izzy's year one, term one, but it's going to end up being spread out over two weeks because:

1)  I really like the idea of a 6 week on, 1 week off school schedule.  Since we've finished 6 weeks, I kind of had it in my mind that we would take this week off.  BUT, I don't want it to be a completely wasted week since baby girl #3 is due in about 4 (four!!!) weeks.  I'm wanting to get at least 8 weeks of school in before she graces our presence and we take some time off.

2)  Because of said baby, I'm tired.  These last weeks of pregnancy have taken their toll.  It seems that every week I get more and more tired - physically and mentally.  So, I'm giving myself some grace and extra time these last few weeks to complete Izzy's schoolwork.  We're taking it slow to prevent stress, and so that I can enjoy my time with these two beauties.

So, it's Wednesday and today is the first day this week that we've completed our daily school subjects:  math, reading, penmanship, and AO readings.  I imagine we'll do another day tomorrow.  Friday is Jared's last weekday off of work (school starts up Monday), so we'll probably do something together as a family.  Next week will probably look a lot like this week - two days of school and some extra time spent on the "riches" (nature study/journaling, handicrafts, etc.).

This slow week has been a blessing.  Monday we took advantage of the cooler weather by packing a lunch and heading to one of our favorite parks.  We ate, the girls played on the playground, and we strolled around the adjacent pond.

We saw the "regulars:"  ducks, turtles, birds, fish.

We know this is a red-eared slider - it has a red mark on each side of its head.

And we saw some new creatures that we had never seen at this pond before.

I'm guessing this is some kind of goose on the left.  I haven't figured out what it is.

Another water bird.  There were two of these.  I haven't identified them yet.

We also saw what we thought was a duck egg, only it was broken :(

The next day (Tuesday) Izzy spent some time drawing in her nature journal.  She didn't draw any of the animals we saw.  Instead, she drew a piece of fruit (see the big, green balls on the table?) that had fallen off of a tree next to the pond.  We identified the fruit as coming from an osage-orange tree.  Addy wanted to draw a monarch butterfly.  

Izzy has really taken to nature journaling and is quite proud of her nature journal.  Today during our rest time, she got her journal out and decided to draw a female cardinal that we had watched on our bird feeder the day before.  She then made me take a picture of every page of her journal, with her holding it, but I figured one was enough to put on here :)

On the left is a lizard crawling on a tree (we saw it on a nature walk a couple of weeks ago), and on the right is the female cardinal.

Later, as she was looking through her journal, she said, "I could just look and look at this once I get it all filled up."  :)

Tomorrow I'll share our handicrafting for this week.  We've finally started one!!

Beginning our nature journaling

We started our first "official" homeschool year almost three weeks ago, with Izzy (6) starting first grade.  Since we're brand new at this, and since it's summertime, these last 2 or 3 weeks have been more of a  transition time.  Even though we're almost three weeks in, there are still some things that we have yet to begin, but we're slowly getting there.  Plus we're (read:  I'm) still figuring out a good routine/schedule/flow to our days.

Anyway, one of the things that has taken us awhile to finally implement is our nature journals.  We've been on several nature walks, but the act of drawing or writing something down has not happened...until now!

On Monday we went on a walk around our neighborhood.  When we came back to the house I asked Izzy if there was anything that she wanted to draw or write about in her nature journal.  I do plan to eventually have a focus area, but for now, since it's new and we're developing the habit, I'm going to go with her interests.

She decided to draw a blackberry bush - we actually have three different blackberry bushes growing in our neighborhood.

I have an old Reader's Digest Complete Book of the Garden and we found a nice picture of part of a blackberry bush.  Izzy used the picture to draw hers.

I wasn't going to make Addy (4) draw anything, but she was more than willing!  She decided to draw a couple of flowers that are around our neighborhood - a dandelion (of course) and a daisy.  She actually asked for her own nature journal, too, but I had to explain that she'll get one when she turns 6 and begins real school.  I think she was a little disappointed :(  Instead, she just drew on plain white paper and I put it in a sheet protector in a binder.

I found this wildflower book at a yard sale awhile ago, and it was perfect for finding some nice pictures.

 

Addy and I took turns drawing the petals of the flowers, but she did the rest and colored it.  Izzy did hers completely on her own.  I thought they did such a good job!  Especially since these are their first nature drawings and we haven't done any drawing lessons yet.

And here's Addy's daisy.

Unfortunately, I didn't draw anything in my journal because I was busy helping Addy with her drawings.

How is your nature journaling going?

First nature journal entry

I'm pretty new to the art of keeping.  In fact, a couple of my goals this year were to begin a commonplace and a nature journal.  

I'll post from my commonplace in the future, but for now I have a nature journal entry to share - my very first one!

For me, keeping a nature journal is more than just a hobby or a pasttime.  It's a way to draw closer to God; to see His goodness and beauty and love all around me.

Nature "gives us certain dispositions of mind which we can get from no other source, and it is through these right dispositions that we get life into focus, as it were; learn to distinguish between small matters and great, to see that we ourselves are not of very great importance, that the world is wide, that things are sweet, that people are sweet, too; that, indeed, we are compassed about by an atmosphere of sweetness, airs of heaven coming from our God.  Of all this we become aware in 'the silence and the calm of mute, insensate things.'  Our hearts are inclined to love and worship; and we become prepared by the quiet schooling of Nature to walk softly and do our duty towards man and towards God."  (CM, Volume 4, p.98)

My first entry is from our own backyard.  We've been doing a lot of bird watching this winter, as I'm sure many others are.  There are several woodpeckers in our area and I caught this red headed woodpecker feeding from our newly installed bird feeder.  I've only seen it twice, though, in the past two weeks.

This is not a watercolor journal.  It's a sketch journal with medium-weight paper (Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon!).  I know watercolor is advocated by CM, but right now I'm more concerned about developing the habit of keeping a nature journal than having lovely watercolor paintings.  I do plan to do some entries in watercolors, but in that case I'll do them on separate watercolor paper and tape them in.  This particular drawing is done in watercolor pencils, without the water of course.  The watercolor pencils seem to have more depth of color than regular colored pencils.

Did you notice the little blue bird?  Haha, that's my dd5's drawing.  I wrote, "When we began seeing birds, Izzy took out her markers and drew a little bird.  I think it's the first one she's ever drawn.  Isn't it precious?"

How is your keeping going this year?

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