Nature Quote - October 23, 2009

My little girl is 3 years and 2 months old today - and this is 1 poem I can't wait to share with her! (How I wish it were illustrated!)

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

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Learning Curve

Today was the first day of environmental camp. I teach 8-12 year olds all about our excellent earth and our fabulous Florida ecosystems for six weeks every summer.

These are the best six weeks of my whole year!

This first camp started off particularly well - only five students, so I had lots of time to interact with each of them. They were smart, knowledgeable, kind, and eager to learn.

Pure bliss.

We discussed the elements of survival (air, water, food, shelter) and how to record data about wildlife in order to properly identify individuals (size, number of legs, body covering, activity, habitat, etc.) and all of the reasons WHY we want to "save the planet."

The best part, of course, was the time we spent outside. With little prompting from me, the kiddos were all over, finding damselflies and tadpoles and trumpet vine flowers and frogs and pill bugs and spiders and beetles and junebugs and all manner of wonderful things.

They turned over rocks, looked up at overhangs, poked at sap dripping out of the slash pines, and were absolutely psyched about it all.

Joy!

Their sense of wonder is a lesson in itself. More than I could teach, but something I am all to happy to foster.

So, here's to the beginning of a new adventure. A few quotes from the kids to revive your own sense of wonder:

Question: Why do we need lots of different kind of animals?
Answer: To eat them. (I loved this one. It was so authentic!)

"Oh, look! There's a mushroom!" "And there's a bug on it, too!"

"I think it's an American crow, because it was all black and it had a skinny beak." (He was comparing the crow to the raven in the bird identification book to try to figure out what he saw. And he was right, he had observed a crow.)

There are tons more, but my teacher brain and toddler-mommy brain are both terrifically tired and I must take myself for a time out.

Contented sigh.


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Nature Quote - May 12, 2009 - Patience

I got to spend all day today being a Mommy and I actually feel like I did a decent job of it which, as I think most mothers will attest, is a rare and wonderful feeling. The key, I think - for mothering two year olds, anyway - is patience. Because, really, there are very few times that we really have to be somewhere right now.

If we take a step back and indulge in our child's sense of wonder with them for a minute (or five), we find such amazing teaching and bonding opportunities! And, we learn to slow down a bit ourselves, to admire the ants and find shapes in the clouds and be grateful for the day's new blossoms.

The same goes for photography. Every moment of every day provides new opportunities to capture some stunning facet of the natural world. A lot of those moments we miss. Some we get, but not quite right. We must have patience with ourselves, too. When we slow down, look deeply, engage our minds and truly focus (pun entirely intended) - that's when new and untold treasures appear. In kids and in flowers.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


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Harvesters in Spring

Enter the ant.

So, my daughter's doting grandmother (this would be my mom, Queen of Backyard Naturalists and Internet Shoppers) recently found out how much Abbey likes watching the fire ants that build mounds all over this great state. Abbey's been bitten more times than I can count by the little buggers, but still she loves to watch them. And, I must admit, I do, too. Though I probably spend more time watching her feet to make sure she doesn't get close and get bitten again.

Well, Grammy's aiding and abetting my daughter's nature study in the most wonderful way: she sent us an ant farm.

We never had an ant farm when I was a kid. (Mom says her naturalist tendencies have taken the last few decades to mature.) Now that we've had one for about 24 hours, I can say this:

It . . . is . . . AWESOME.

Abbey likes it. She looks at the industrious little insects whenever we remind her. (This is serious interest for a two year old.) I, however, am completely enthralled.

The fifty or so harvester ants in there have already dug two side tunnels half way down the eight inch mound and are carefully depositing each grain of sand that they move to a very precise location. They have a plan.

They also often fall down the outside of the domed "hill" but, protected by their hard exoskeletons, they quickly right themselves and start back up again. They are determined.

I must do more research to find out about these harvesters. All I know right now is that their bite is even more painful than a fire ant's bite, and I can tell you from experience that those are no fun. (I take breaks from studying the ants to check that the lid is still securely fastened at least a half dozen times a day.)

I want to learn more than the power of their bite, though. I know I'm not the first person to be intrigued by the seemingly utopian society of Antville, but where there's interest in the natural world, there's generally a good reason for it.

So, off to Google and Wikipedia and my stash of nature books and ID books I go. I'll be back with more info soon, but in the meantime, I think it's apropos for Earth Week to start thinking about these little sand movers: Each of us, doing just our little part, can make our home planet a more beautiful place.


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Peanut-Buttery Crunch

Well, the writing bug seems not to be biting this week, so instead of deep and complex nature thoughts (yeah, right) I've decided to share with you a simple and fun family nature activity. Grab a couple of kids or kids-at-heart and have some messy fun with this one:

Peanut Butter Pinecone Birdfeeders

Materials:
- one pine cone per feeder
- jar of peanut butter (crunchy is best)
- birdseed (optional)
- string or twine


Step 1: Gather pine cones from your yard, your neighbor's yard, the public park (as long as it's not a state or national park - there we take only photographs and leave only footprints).

Step 2: Bring the pine cones back inside so you don't freeze out in the cold!

Step 3: Somewhere you can make a big mess (e.g. kitchen table covered with newspaper) set out the pine cones and the peanut butter as well as a dish of birdseed (if you have it, black oil sunflower seed is best).

Step 4: Using your hands or spoons, smear the peanut butter all over the pine cone, making sure to stuff as much as you can into the cracks and crevices.

Step 5: Roll the sticky, peanut buttery pine cones in the bird seed to coat.

Step 6: Cut a nice long length of string and tie one end around the fat end of the pine cone. Hang outside from a tree branch.

Step 7: Watch the birds enjoy their winter treat!

Late winter residents will appreciate the calories from the peanut butter and birdseed - remember, birds' average body temperature is 104 degrees Farenheit, so they've got to burn a lot of fuel to maintain that internal temperature when outside temps drop below freezing. Also, any early migrants you have flying through the area will be happy to stop by your pine cone diner to fill up before flying further north. Do be a good host or hostess and provide them with a drink of water as well - any cheap terra cotta pot underliner can become an instant birdbath - just set it on a stump or a pile of rocks and keep it full and ice-free.

And after you're all done and all washed up, remember to sit down by a window with a hot cup of tea and enjoy a good view of all the great birdie action. I think I'll go do that now (maybe the writing bug is hiding out near the window).

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