Nature's Sweetness

Project Week (7) ~ Orcas!

Violet chose to do a study of Orca whales that are native in our Pacific waters and did a marvelous job compiling information and sharing it with us all!! She even enlisted her littlest brother as her presentation assistant, a role he took very seriously ;-)

Her goal was to research and discover information about the J-Pod who are the Southern residents of Puget Sound. What she discovered was exciting and has prompted her to want to go whale watching at our earliest convenience (yeah, me too!! Hopefully soon). She shared information about the population diversity of the pod:

Birth and death statistics over tha past 11 years or so:

The routes which they travel in and around the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound:

And probably the most interesting and unique information was about how the orcas are classified and identified ~ by their "Saddle patches" behind their dorsal fins: (Here she is showing her trusty assistant so he can show the audience:)

They eagerly awaited their viewing:

She did a fantastic job compiling her work and presenting it to us, and what a fun study to boot!!

She also finished up her lab report today, the first one ever for her, and is very proud of her efforts and discoveries! Thank you Theresa for making this such a fun and exciting year of Marine Biologly and Oceanography, we are enthralled!! 

 
 
 

 
 

Algae Day!

We finally made it out to collect seaweed specimens on a very windy afternoon late last week! Here are some samples of what we found, sadly no red algae, but a few different green and brown!

Notice our teeny collection bucket, it's the ONLY bucket we could find, sigh...

Here are the close-ups of each sample:

Rockweed (Fucus gardneri or Fucus distichus) aka  - Bladderwrack ~ Brown Algae (Violet and I have affectionately named these the "dutchman's breeches" of seaweed :)

 

Sea Lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) - very bright green algae which upon observation under the microscope we saw some plankton zipping around, it was SO COOL as we did not observe a single bit of plankton on our sea water collection day a few weeks ago. It's possible that is was an Arrowworm or a Copepod, but it was SO tiny and our microscope isn't as strong as I thought it was, hmm. Need to look in to one of those snazzy dissection scopes that Theresa and SB are using!!
 

A very blurry picture of our Sargassum (Sargassum muticum). This Pacific coast version was apparently introduced accidentally in the 1930's from Japan.

We also found some seagrass, not sure exactly what kind, if eel-grass, surf-grass or what?? It did however have a very detailed cellular structure!

Violet did some nice sketches of our finds ~ (sorry this one is blurry too, need to work on my camera skills, ahem)

 
We noticed this sign upon leaving (surprised that we didn't spot it when we arrived, but it was so windy, we all kind of just bee-lined to the beach). This is not uncommon on our beaches at different times of the year, sadly :(

We're on to Ocean temperatures and ocean motion...then week 6, Marine plants, light and color!

 
 
  

Experimentation ~ Density, Salintity & Saturation

We were finally able to perform the density tests with a saturated solution from this fun site!

  

  

   

   

 

This was an interesting test as it appeared at first that not much would happen, but the children were pleasantly surprised to see the separation of water solutions, especially with the medium red solution at the end of the test!

Here are Matthias' and Violet's lab notes and diagrams:

 

 

And her diagrams -

 

This was a very basic test, but also very telling of what happens when you increase the amount of salt in water! They all made similar predictions as to what would occur and were happy with their results!

Now we're off to work on our pH tests... 

 

 

 

Diving Right In!

Even though we meandered down the "starting a new school year" path a couple of week's ago, we purposely lingered back waiting for our fearless leader in this Marine Biology and Oceanography escapade!

 

Our fieldwork is going to look different in many aspects of this great study for the main reason that we're on opposite coastlines with very different temperatures than our Floridian friends!! We're hoping to get a chunk of good beachcombing time in early this fall as our winter season may prohibit alot of the real-time beach fieldwork, but we're optomistic and jumping in!

Violet's work will be the main work shared here this year, but Matthias will most likely have some wonderful things to share as well as the younger boys as they join us in this adventure

Here is the beginning's of her Notebook from Week 1, Day 1:

She created her wave diagrams, and ocean zonation charts along with her summary paragraphs and a delightfully color-coded ocean currents of the world.

Sorry for the really bad lighting, it was evening in the schoolroom and it gave me this interesting gold hue. Anyway, you get the idea of how we began.

Will update more soon...

To the Seaside!

Cross-posted from Sweetness and Light, we will begin recording our Marine Biology/Oceanography studies here as a journal for the year!

I will begin updating the side bars on this long neglected nature blog. Thanks for your patience as I tidy up things a bit as we gear up for the Seaside :)

Blessings!

Backyard "Bird Tales"

Our bird activity has been extremely busy this Spring and we've been able to make so many wonderful observations in our Nature Studies.  The kids love making up special bird cards similar to the field guides they visit daily to look up information about a certain bird. 

One of our favorites is the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta).

He is all about his incredible song and wakes me most mornings with his sweet melody right outside my bedroom window!  He has taken to perching at the top of a 40' Pine tree and singing to his heart's content!  It is truly a most pleasant wake up call!!  We are certain his nest is somewhere in our field and that he has designated our property as his territory!

The Meadowlark

Though the winds be dank,
And the sky be sober,
And the grieving Day
In a mantle gray
Hath let her waiting maiden robe her,--
All the fields along
I can hear the song
Of the meadow lark,
As she flits and flutters,
And laughs at the thunder when it mutters.
O happy bird, of heart most gay
To sing when skies are gray!

When the clouds are full,
And the tempest master
Lets the loud winds sweep
From his bosom deep

Like heralds of some dire disaster,
Then the heart alone
To itse]f makes moan;
And the songs come slow,
While the tears fall fleeter,
And silence than song by far seems
sweeter.
Oh, few are they along the way
Who sing when skies are gray! ~Paul Lawrence Dunbar Digital Collection~

Another visitor we have seen recently is the Western Tanager (Piranga ludoiciana)!

This lovely bird has graced us a few times with his prescence, but has been quite elusive to say the least.  We're hoping he sticks around for a while, as he is so stunning to look at!!

The Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) is a most remarkable little fellow!  His plumage alone leaves little to be unseen by his mate and at only 5 1/2" he's like a flash of the waters off Bermuda!!

We're hoping and praying to see one of these anytime soon!  Although, my guess is that it will have to warm up a bit more for him to show an appearance!  He has visited us before, so we'll patiently wait and watch!!

This little sweet bird is the smallest bird in North America and we've seen him only once!!  We're hoping to attract this Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula calliope) again.

We're much more likely to see this beautiful and a little larger Broad-Tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus).

Matthias has been keenly observing this beauty for about a week now, and he's very intrigued by how he'll just buzz right up to the window and look at us!!  He helped me make some beautiful Montessori Nomenclature Three-Part Hummingbird cards for Seamus and Sean-Paul, they love them!!  They keep waiting to see our little visitors too!!

I hope you enjoyed our Backyard "Bird Tales" and will let us know if you've seen any of these beautiful creatures in your Nature Studies this Spring and Summer!!

28 Butterflies!!

Well, actually, I don’t know if there are really 28, but there’s a lot!!  All of them are exactly alike, except Jodi, who is striped yellow and orange.  This is her:

Here are the others:

As you can see, they are dark green on the outside, but inside they are very bright yellow.  We are going to try and catch some white ones.

Oh yeah, I forgot, here are the names:  Timmy, Therese, Tommy, Teresa, Trigger, Tabitha, Toffee, Taffy, Trekker, Tracker, Tina, Topsy,Tacy, Tib, Thelma, Tibitha, Tibet, Tibeths, Tremain, Tess, Turbo, Tinker, Titty, Thumper, Telemaucas, and of course Jodi!

Violet's Fairy Houses!

Right now I really like building Fairy Houses.  First I made one like a little bower.  Mommy found some weeds that had wintered over and the stalks were kind of woody and the flowering part was dried and still had its seedpods intact.  I propped them up at the bottom of a tree in a wigwam shape.  I found a flat rock and a piece of tile to use as a stove.  I put some “lambs’ ear” leaves on the floor for a carpet.  I also used some “lambs’ ear” to cover some rocks to make a sofa.  When I found some little, soft, springy flowers I thought they would make a wonderful mattress and put more “lambs’ ear” over that for a sheet and another for a blanket.  Big dandelions make perfect pillows on the bed and sofa.  Another flat rock served well for a table and some smaller rocks for stools.  I molded a little bowl out of mud and when it was dry, I put some birdseed in it and put it on the table.  Then I covered the bower with dry grass and I made a windbreak out of more dry grass, and put the food storage on the other side of the tree! 

Here it is all finished:

I made another Fairy House in between two trees also like a Tee-Pee.  In a fork of one of the trees I used some mud to glue down a stick.  Then I put some dry grass on top of that.  For the floor, I put down some fresh green grass.  I found a square-shaped rock for a table and another for a stool.  (This is only a one-fairy house, so it is pretty small.)  I then made the bed exactly like the other house’s bed.  (That is how I make all my fairy beds.)  Then I made another mud bowl and filled it with seeds, and put it on the table.  I propped dry grasses up against the stick in the fork of the tree.  Then I tied the grass down with string and I tucked the fairy food under the string.

Here it is in progress:

And here it is finished:

Another house I made with Ben is kind of like a nest. I made a little circlet of long green grass and tied it with a piece of dry grass.  I then placed it on top of two forked branches.  I stuffed the bottom with grass and little tiny flowers.  I used “lambs ear” for the covers and a dandelion for a pillow. Then, Ben made a bower over the nest with dry grass and I secured it with string.  I put some food and a mud bowl with seeds in a part of the bower that looks like a storeroom.  (This one we didn't photograph.)

Right now, I am working on a fairy dugout.  Under a tree I dug a hole, and pounded the floor flat.  On the wall I dug out a little shelf and set up a bed on it. I have a table and some stools, and I have made the storeroom and filled it with food.  When you build a Fairy House always use natural items.  Leaves, birdseed, acorns, and other plants and flowers make good foods.

Here is the fairy dugout:

This is the storeroom:

I'm working on another one, however, it is not yet finished!! ~Violet~

Our Week's Highlights! Easter Week!

Our newest Robin's nest discovered in some lower branches of one of our Pine Trees.  We think this is a very young Robin!

We call this "lambs ears" although that's not really the name, it's a weed, but velvety soft.  If anyone knows what this is I'd love to know!!

A Tulip waiting patiently to bloom.  I wish I were more patient, we're desperately ready for some Spring color here!

Fairy House in progress.  Notice the detailed bowered entry!

Beginnings of ground cover that appears in our field before the alfalfa and grass start to emerge.  They are the teeniest, cutest little yellow flowers, like sunshine drops all over the field!

Beautiful House Finch at our new feeder!  These little guys are one of my favorites birds!

What would be a day without playing with a little ICE salvaged from the dogs water dish!!  Very interesting for this little guy!

We've had a great few weeks of nature fun, what have you been up to??  Thanks so much for popping in!

Are They Happy or What?

...to have their 10 acres and their playset back again!!