Category: Science

Nature Around the Yard 13

Nature Around the Yard

We had a lot of fun outside yesterday. We caught lots and lots of little tadpoles (and then let most of them go), as well as a couple of 3-inch frogs.  We came across a snake which I’ve tried and tried to identify.  My best guess is that it is a water snake (another book to borrow from the library!). And finally, we found another quite amazing looking mushroom growing...

The Developing Chick-Egg Set 4

The Developing Chick-Egg Set

This summer, I saw a really interesting tool for studying chickens at My Montessori Journey.  It was a chicken hatching set that you can buy for about $35.  It was a great idea, but I decided the kids might get more out of it making their own.  So, earlier this summer at Grams’ house, I printed out some chicken embryo pictures.  One set has the developing chicken embryo with the...

Common Five-Lined Skink 0

Common Five-Lined Skink

We have lots and lots of empty boxes out on the porch. Today it was time to break down lots of them and we found this seven-inch lizard in one of the boxes.  We think it is a ‘common five-lined skink’ — probably the adult version of the smaller, blue-tailed lizards we see all over (the Internet indicates that the blue tails fade as they mature.)

Nature Journals 0

Nature Journals

“This is the best day of my life!”  That’s what LD had to say about the nature journaling we started a couple of days ago.  He was SO excited about drawing all the things we had discovered in the woods that he kept begging for more and more time.  WHAT?!!!  Our son said that?! It’s wonderful to find somethings that is so appealing to him (especially if it involves writing/drawing)....

Exploring the Woods 0

Exploring the Woods

We are thoroughly enjoying our new environment. It is completely different than the Outback, but has so much to offer in its own beautiful way. These next few postings will show how much we’ve enjoyed exploring! We are so, so happy in our new home. We just wish Daddy weren’t having to work such long hours. 🙁 LD found this cute orange salamander.  We see lots and lots of blue-tailed...

Nature, the Best Teacher! 0

Nature, the Best Teacher!

I am being challenged to learn about our surroundings just as much as the kids.  Every time I turn around, there’s something else to look up and learn about.  Some of these pictures are reminders to myself to “go look it up!!” Up until this summer, the kids hadn’t ever seen moss.  Now they point it out everywhere and notice how different it can be. DD examined a bird’s nest...

Bad Bugs, Good Bugs 6

Bad Bugs, Good Bugs

Earlier today LD, DD and I went out to collect some fossils for some cyber-friends. As LD reached under a rock he got stung by something pretty terrible. I know there are scorpions in Missouri as hubby once stepped on one here in Grams and Gramps’ house. We don’t know what it was exactly that got LD today, but cold ice compresses and benadryl spray seemed to alleviate most of...

Delicate Looking Fossil Impressions 0

Delicate Looking Fossil Impressions

We walk Boomer around Grams and Gramps’ neighborhood several times a day. Now that we know there are fossils around we keep our eye out for new discoveries. This morning, ED wanted to jump off a big, flat boulder. I leaned down to have a closer look and noticed these delicate fossil impressions. The rock face was a different consistency than rocks in which the crinoids (see the posts below)...

Well Preserved Brachiopod Fossil 0

Well Preserved Brachiopod Fossil

We all walked up the hill from Grams and Gramps’ house and looked around at the rocks in the field there. LD found an amazingly well preserved, complete brachiopod fossil! It’s about two inches across. From what I can tell, this fossil and the others we found are well over 300 million years old.  I find that simply astounding.

Fossil Hunting 0

Fossil Hunting

A few days later while we were walking around Grams and Gramps’ neighborhood we saw an outcropping of rocks. Upon closer inspection, we saw that the ENTIRE rock section was covered with fossils. Most of the fossils and fossil bits are crinoids (ancient sea lilies). Many of them were loose on the ground, thousands are embedded in the rocks and they vary in size from just barely visible to as...

And more fossil hunting! 0

And more fossil hunting!

Above you can see a brachiopod embedded in the rock along with lots of crinoid pieces. Look how long this crinoid stem is! We brought a fossil book out with us and LD spent along time reading through the book and comparing our finds to the illustrations and photos in the book. That’s learning at its best, right?!

Ancient Sea Life 0

Ancient Sea Life

When we were at the La Brea Tar Pits in California last month, I took this photo of a painting depicting ancient sea life. In the painting you can see crinoids (sea lilies) in the background, trilobites (towards the bottom of the painting), ammonites (which look like snail shells) and more.

Free Life Science Curriculum (early elementary) 2

Free Life Science Curriculum (early elementary)

I just learned about a science website called The Lab of Mr. Q. Wow! What a find!  This 8th grade science teacher created a science curriculum for the young elementary ages.  He offers the Life Science student and parent texts for FREE!  His Life Science curriculum includes these units: 1) Basic Needs 2) Biomes 3) Life Cycles 4) Classification 5) Food Webs 6) Senses 7) Body Organs 8) Cells 9)...