Carrots and Beans

We were outside today checking out the site for our Tulip Test Garden, and while we were there we decided to check on our garden.

Most of what we grew this year is done, but we have yet to harvest carrots, and the bean plants just keep going.  The girls decided to dig up some of the carrots.  They are small, but much better than what we got last year, which were basically tiny roots.

They also picked some green beans.  We are amazed that there are still some beans out there that are very tiny and won't be ready for a while.

They are planning "carr-bean" salad for dinner tonight.
We also found a woolly bear caterpillar munching on the carrot greens, so we added him to the container with the one we found earlier this fall.  Of course, we included some carrot greens.

I think we are going to have to vote on the location for the tulips, however.  I had a spot picked out for them, but Isabella has other ideas.  I think we will have to go over the criteria for the experiment and pick the spot that best fits the criteria, or maybe plant them in both locations.  We are excited to start the project, though.  I need to go find a soil thermometer so that we can be sure to plant at the correct time.

A Search for Snails

Friday we sat down with this book,

which I had more as a resource to help when we found critters in our backyard.  Madeline asked if we could read it, however, so we began with the first chapter, which is on snails and slugs.  I was actually surprised at the depth of what was covered by the chapter.  There was even a diagram of the internal parts of the snail.  After reading, the girls wanted to head outside and see if they could find any snails for themselves.  We did find some shells, which appear to be empty, but I did as the book suggested and dipped them in water and placed them on lettuce leaves in hopes that they would be revived.  We are still waiting.

While looking for snails, we also found a woolly bear caterpillar.  We have placed it in a jar with some grass in hopes of keeping it over the winter and watching it change into an Isabella moth.  The girls were also trying to decide what kind of winter the woolly bear was predicting.  They think it is a snowy one.  I guess we will see!

The book suggested using an old piece of pantyhose secured with a rubber band to cover the jar, which I thought was a great idea, and I can't imagine how I did not think of it!  Here is our jar with pantyhose lid.

I think we will soon be reading other chapters, and may be out in search of more critters.  Actually, I suspect after it rains we may be out looking for more snails!

Woolly Bear Update...

After many searches for woolly bears around our neighborhood, Madeline found one in our driveway.  Good thing she found it before I backed the car over it!  So, now we have one woolly bear caterpillar hanging out in a cozy container to wait for spring.  Then, hopefully, the girls will be able to witness its transformation into an Isabella tiger moth.

Nature Study

I have decided to add a weekly nature study to our homeschool curriculum. The girls really enjoy exploring outside and finding treasure, and I wanted to find a way to let them develop that. I found information on nature studies based on the book "Handbook of Nature Study" by Anna Botsford Comstock. 

I was a bit concerned about using the book since its copyright is 1939, but as I read it, I found that it to provide a great background for nature studies. I also found a website that provides weekly challenges based on the book and only take 20 minutes or so. It is located here .

So, I intended to just start with the first five challenges, as the website suggests, and then move to whatever the current challenge was. However, as I read the book I came across information on the woolly bear caterpillar, which becomes the Isabella tiger moth in the spring. Well, I know the woolly bear caterpillars are around now, and how could we pass up exploring something that has Isabella in its name. So, today we set off to find some woolly bear caterpillars. Well, we did not find any (yet), but we did find some great spider webs.

This one was on our swings. It was interesting because it had one part that was quite thick.

This one was on the corner of our monkey bars. It was difficult to get a good picture of it, though.

Isabella was very excited to start drawing in her journal. She drew both of the spider webs as well as a squirrel and butterfly that she saw while we were outside. She even "wrote"about them.
After drawing and writing a bit, we thought we would go check the woods behind out home for woolly bears. We did not find any, but the girls did build some homes for some fairies while we were out there using sticks, nuts, bark, flowers, a feather and leaves that they found. Isabella used an old log as the base of hers.
Madeline included "beds" for eight fairies in hers.
And she made a roof and a slide from bark.
While they were collecting items for building the homes, Madeline found this garden snail. We brought it back, added drawings of it to our journals, and learned lots about snails.

Did you know garden snails actually have mouths with teeth and a tongue? Or that the ate apples? Or that those long "antennae" actually have eyes on them? Or that they fold up and go back into their shells head-first?

There is just so much to learn!