I have a backlog of photos from this month's nature days so this will be more of a photolog than a blog post. Lots of interesting things to see!
This is a firewheel flower my son found that had an unusual extra flower growing out of the side of it.
This set of pictures is actually not a nature day, but a field trip to Chinatown in LA.
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| Union Station |
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| Downtown Skyscrapers |
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| Just a tiny bit of the miles and miles of graffiti we passed on the train ride to LA |
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| Central Plaza |
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| Should've saved those pennies! |
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| An interesting encounter |
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| $3.50 for one of those cute sun umbrellas! |
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| Famous painting by first Chinese American to work for Disney. The story I read said that many in the community helped pay his tuition to send him to school. |
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| How babies in strollers keep themselves busy while waiting for the train ;-) Oh yes, they are persons! |
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This next set of pictures is from a local trail in South Orange County
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| An old oak tree with its roots exposed growing out of a sandstone cave |
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| Inside of the sandstone cave, the sand inside is so soft |
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| All kinds of moss, lichen, and liverwort grow on the shady rocks here |
The next set of pictures are from a local estuary where wintering birds frequent
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| Gorgeous winter clouds |
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| Our resident artist's sketch of ducks on a log (Isabella) |
And the following are pictures from the botanical gardens where evidently, spring has arrived!
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| sneaking up on a tiger swallowtail |
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| Recitation |
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| Something for everyone :) |
Even though it's a big deal to pack up the kids and get lunches packed and everyone dressed and water and diapers and blankies and all the million things I need to simply get outside with the kids for a few hours, and even though it often happens that SOMEthing is bound to go wrong the moment we manage to get out the door - a soiled diaper, a spill, etc., and even though I get grumpy about it all sometimes, it really has been worth it to pursue nature study as a family together. These days outside refresh us all and there are always surprises and things to find joy and interest in. And the children's books are filled with drawings that will be a joy to them as they flip through and remember the days they spent outdoors in nature. To run free, to smell fresh things, to gaze upon beauty, to touch the soft fur of a leaf, to
feel the outdoors - these are good things.
I totally agree about getting outdoors--it can be such a struggle getting everyone dressed, packed, loaded into the car, and so on, but it is always worth it, even if things don't go completely smoothly when we're there. We have a small group right now (just four moms), but I'm finding it's a great size for just getting out and exploring. Loved seeing the photos and what your group is doing. Great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteyou guys do such a great job enjoying the outside world around you! very inspiring!! my girls and i are beginner bird watchers, and had such a great time this morning in our neighborhood estuary(morro bay), finding and identifying even the most common of birds. i really think an hour outside observing is worth countless hours of indoor research, if comparable at all.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask what they are reciting?
ReplyDeleteKayla, I'm sorry I don't remember which poems they were reciting that day, it's been a while. For the most part they pick a poem from their term's poet. Sometimes they might opt for something out of the Oxford Book of Poems instead or something else they find in one of the books off the shelf. Some recite Scripture, Shakespeare. If you're looking for ideas, here's a great post by Brandy over at Afterthoughts with a list :) http://www.afterthoughtsblog.net/p/memory-work-index.html
ReplyDelete