Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Poetry in Nature

Sledding

Look at us
As we go
Sledding on the bright white snow.

Faces beaming
Long hair streaming
Passing those who are too slow

Wendy Elizabeth Johnson
Days Like This :)

My favorites to do with Children are the

Acrostic
This is where the first letter on each line spells out one word vertically and the word is the subject of the poem :

Soft not hard
Never seen so much
Out of clouds
White not gray
             Raelynn
Slides on the ground
Lots of fun
Even more fun win it snows
Does it go fast yes
             Raelynn

Cinquain
Contains five lines
Line 1 title(noun) - 1word
Line 2 discription- 2words
Line 3 Action -3words
Line 4 Feeling (phrase)- 4words
Line 5 Title (synonym for the title) -1word

Owl
Wise,spirited
He flies silently
Bold,creature of the night
Sacred
      Brandon

try this web site for more poetry for kids.....kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html

If you find any other good sites share a comment below :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Birds of Tennessee Checklist

Today's blog is going to be easy and short for me but one of the best references for birders and future Bird Nerds....(Which I am proud to say I am).  I have been in a training for our Ranger In-service today so time is flying by and my bed is calling my name. 

Below you will find a link to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency for a Checklist for Birds of Tennessee.  Raelynn needed this to complete her bird blind project and is enjoying her new hobby.  She has seen Cardinals, Juncos, Blue Birds, and even a Barred Owl.  What birds have you seen in your backyard? 
Raelynn put out some Pine cone bird feeders and it was fun to watch the Junco's hang from them to eat.

Pine cone Bird Feeders

Peanut Butter
Pine cones
Bird Seed
Thread

Spread on the Peanut Butter and roll the Pine cones in bird seed.  Then hang from a tree close to your viewing window :) 

[PDF] 2007 FIELD CHECKLIST OF TENNESSEE BIRDSFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
2007 FIELD CHECKLIST. OF TENNESSEE BIRDS. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Tennessee Ornithological Society. For additional copies or to report rarities ...
www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/birdfieldlist.pdf - Similar

Have fun and add this to your Nature Journals :)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Birding with Children

My first experience with birds is probably not much different than that of your family's.  My dad came home with a humming bird feeder.  I soon learned that it attracted humming birds because of its red color.  I noticed how it had been created with a long straw like beak and how its wings beat so fast as to support its body during flight.  I later became interested in trying to photograph this creature.  All of this may sound similar to an experience you might have had or shared with your child.  It wasn't until college that I realized that this was an actual hobby for some.  I always thought if only I had pursued that one time experience I would already have the common names down and could focus on the hardest part (scientific names).  So as we all do I have decided to educate my children in a field that I wish I had more experience in as a child.

I began with a simple checklist of Tennessee Birds one year checking them off with Brandon as we watched out of our dining room window.  Then when we want to visit a state park one weekend he was so surprised "Momma look a nuthatch.  Just like at home.  I remembered."  Well as with any mom that was enough interest to reward the effort I had put into this project.  So here are some helpful hints for your journey into the hobby of birding.

Like I mentioned before birding is a wonderful hobby and the best part is the whole family can take part.  The neatest project that I have seen is one that the children can make from a simple cardboard box. 

Bird Blind

Items Needed

-Cardboard Box
-Markers
-Photos of Birds (Magazines, Cartoons, Photos)
-Knife (adults only Please)

Instructions:

Step 1
Adults- Cut off the open flaps of the box.  Then on the bottom of the box cut two circles that are big enough for a pair of binoculars to look through.  Next you will need to cut a wedge halfway into one of the long sides of the box.  When you are finished cutting the box will stand on its side with the wedge side facing down.

The wedge is for the child's body to fit in when they are looking through the holes with binoculars.

Step 2
Child- Next have the children decorate the box with drawings, clippings of birds or photos.

Step 3
Create a birding basket to go along with your blind.  Just grab a basket, fill it with an identification guide, binoculars, 4x4 index cards, pencil and state bird checklist.  Place close to your wildlife-viewing area window along with the birding blind.

Step 4

HAVE FUN Learning WITH NATURE



Saturday, February 5, 2011

Preparing for your Explorations

One of my first encounters with nature, that sparked an interest and would end up changing my life, began with a walk into the woods that surrounded my childhood home.  My dad and I found a empty turtle shell.  It was that one find that showed me there was so much that on could do with nature and science as a career.  Funny huh?  Well up until that point I had wanted to be a vet but for some reason holding that empty turtle shell made me realize that Wildlife needed help too.  Don't ask me why ....I guess that's how a 6th grader thinks..lol.  Before you head out for that one memorable hike with your child lets take a minute and review a few things that might come in handy on your hike. 

Before packing just remember that whatever you take down the trail with you, you also have to hike back out.  Things offend seem to become heavier the longer you hike.

There is a program on the web called HUG A TREE.  In this program it teaches children to stay put if they are ever lost and not to hide from help.  This is a great idea no matter what your age is ...lol.  Things can quickly become confusing in the forest as the sun begins to set or the trail that hasn't been maintained seems to fade away.  Check out their web site for educational material such as coloring sheets. 

A FEW Things you may want to have with you:

Map of your hike- Put it in a plastic bag to keep dry.

Water Bottle- This is a necessity for most outdoors adventures and I require it at all my Day Camps

Trash Bag- for a variety of uses ....cut a few holes in it for a raincoat (including a hole in the bottom for the head and two on the sides for the arms),  as a white flag for help or just to pick up liter.

Paper Bag- to collect leaves or treasures

First Aid Supplies- Band-aids, 4x4 swabs, ice pack, bandage stripes and any medication one might require if stung or prescription meds if needed.

Disposable Camera or Digital Camera- 

4x4 Index Cards- Great for taking notes or drawing pictures to identify objects later.

Pencil- Colored are great for the artist in every child.  Pencils also do not smear like pens and markers when they become wet.

Field Guides- Buy region specific depending on where you live for birds, trees, mushrooms, reptiles or whatever interest you.  Some people like to take these on the hike with them.  I like to go back and look up what we've drawn after the hike.

Whistle-  I have used this numerous times to help instructors get the attention of excited youngsters when needed.  One time I was able to use it when a victim had been hurt on the trail and I had been running to meet the party leading them out.  I was too out of breath to yell out so I blew the whistle instead.  Imagine your lost and cold with hypothermia setting in on you.  You might find it hard to yell out.  These are good for kids to have on hikes too as a safety measure. 

Compass- Most important part: learn at least to orientate the map to north with a map.

Matches in a dry container

Trail Mix

Plaster of Paris - enough to pour into a animal track so you can make a cast of it.  Just keep about 1/2 cup in a zip lock bag and mix it with water when you come across a track.  Mix it to the consistency of pancake mix and pour into track.
Raelynn yes you can hike with a little one too :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Nature Journaling

Nature Journaling is an awesome way of remembering your child's adventures in the great outdoors with endless educational opportunities.  A three-ring binder is a great choice along with sheet protectors to give the journal that professional look when you are showing it off to the grandparents and friends.  You can find or make copies of paper with the top section blank and lines on the bottom half of the paper for journaling.  The top half is made for objects your child may find in nature, photos, or drawings.

Now you maybe thinking oh my child isn't even writing yet.  Maybe they aren't but that doesn't mean they couldn't paste a leaf on the page and practice writing an "L" or color a green spot on the page to practice their colors or so on.  You see there are endless possibilities.  When my boy Brandon was in 2nd grade I would have him write a couple of sentences about an object he had found  and then have him underline the subject and circle the verb.  Brandon even began taking photos with a disposable camera that he kept in his hiking pouch.  Later we saw this worked great with history and time-line pages.  Where he could literally flip through history in the order that it happened.  Even using math to figure out how may years were in between Nana's birthday and the building of the St. Louis Arch.  It's a great way to add or to create you own curriculum.

Then we began to notice our journal was filling up fast with a large majority being on trees.  So we decided to make one whole journal for trees.  Don't be afraid to step outside the box on this project.  If the kids are interested go with it. :)

* Let the children take 4x4 index cards out in the field when exploring and then tape them to the blank section of the Nature Journaling page.  This way your 3 ring binders stay clean.  :)