Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Honeysuckle Cove

The kids were on a hunt for honeysuckle and found so much, they named it honeysuckle cove.  It was all along a large strech of woodline and even had a little path(secret entrance) into the woods.


They took handfuls and sat on the ground, opening each one to get the nectar.

A picture by H.

An old Sycamore tree had fallen over the creek and they played a long time.



Looking for crawdads...

A Thistle


H found a broken Turkey egg on the side of a hill...no nest in sight but we have seen and heard a lot of turkey all over the farm this spring .

Our walk home, through the hay field....


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Strawberry Pickin'

Every year we look forward to picking strawberries...
Looking for just the right one....


We drew pictures in our journals and upon closer observation, the kids noticed the plants have 3 leaves and the berry has 10-12 leaves.  The leaves on the berry alternate from pointed to rounded and the strawberry is an unusual fruit because it's seeds are on the outside.



Something else, spotted in the field...


We stopped by a local greenhouse on the way home, to check out the flowers


Monday, May 23, 2011

Another Visit to Sellars Farm

A few weeks ago we visited Sellars Farm and our knowledgeable guide, Tyler, led a "tree walk."
We learned several tree names, leaf classifications, wildflowers and edible vegitation on the farm.


Mulberry Tree

Spittle Bug

Cicada

Gar Fish

It was hot and the kids were glad to cool off in the creek.


H's nature journal entry

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Rainy Day Walk

It was a very cloudy day but we decided to get out an explore the new growth of spring.
  The rain made the woods seem more fun and mysterious.


A bed of May-Apples we have been watching emerge from early spring.  Their white flowers have fallen and the little fruit is beginning to grow.



Audrey was so excited to find her vine swing and see all the new growth around it.




They found a lot of these millipedes in the woods and drew them in their nature journals.

We learned that Millipedes have 2 pairs of legs(4) per segment and Centipedes
                                                                          have only one pair.(2)

We found these beautiful flowers all over the ground from the Yellow Poplar Tree

Yellow Poplar Tree


Washing an old glass bottle she found under the dirt in the bank of the creek.

This beautiful frog was very camouflaged but his bright golden eyes caught our attention.

The children observed how quickly everything had changed from 2 weeks ago when we were on this side of the farm.  They said it felt like an exotic jungle and were so happy to explore today.


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Easter Blessings

I am a little late on this, like most things...but here are a few of the
 special things we did for Easter this year.

We made a cross from cardboard.  As Audrey broke and glued eggshells, we talked about Jesus and his broken body and how he shed his blood for our sins.

She decided to paint it.


H picked the flowers for a special treat for mom...and they made me breakfast in bed. (thanks grandma H)

A special Easter dinner with family and an egg hunt.  

It doesn't matter that it was pouring down rain 30 minutes before and everything was wet.  They had a blast...it was probably more fun with the rain and getting to run barefoot.

This puddle was irresistible!

Yes mom, my dress is soaked!



A Red-headed Woodpecker has made her nest here...

Our home made version of "Ressurection Story Eggs."  These each contain  a scripture verse and symbol from the Bible story.  They are able to open each one and tell the story from the last supper to the empty tomb, throughout the week.


More painting...a colorful egg

She loves to paint...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.     John 3:16