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Nature study #3
I know there isn't a no.2 yrt but thats because my photos are on the camera which I can't download ! I took no.3 on the new iphone which is so much easier to download. Anyway, nature walk number 3 was an impromtu unplanned nature study of a wild laburnum on the way to our monthly homeschool get- together. We walked there as the kids needed the exercise and fresh air. We had just read Nama Kwaas Garden by Mary Clanahan so we felt the joy of nature before we set foot out of the door. and just passed the tree which was in full bloom. It was really striking - lots of yellow flowers. The kids were pleased to be able to see another example of compound leave which we had found out about last week (you'll hear about that later when I do week 2). The pods were also in three stages of development - green, going brown and brown. Anyway the kids and I examined the bush comparing the leaves to those of the sausage tree which we looked at last week. We noticed all the pods were on the flower stem and all the leaves were separate. After asking the home owner if we could nick a few we took samples of each. Next time I'll just take photos - the leaves and flower stank - a very earthy smell that wasn't particularly pleasant. Here are the photos...

Looking at the photos I would've been better off taking a photo of the tree I'm sure it would have come out better!!!

Afrikaans

Just started learning Afrikaans today after eight years of being here I thought it was about time. I also don't want the kids to be able to discuss things with their dad without me being able to understand. Just going to see what I can learn in 6 months. I'm not sure whether my brain can cope with a large amount of new data at this stage of my life but lets give it a go.

Totseins!!

Nature Study OHC #1

Our first outdoor hour challenge. The first of many I hope. We three set off with our bags in hand (just in case there was something interesting to put in there) and off we went around the dam. The dam had been a place of beauty in the past withlots of different water birds to see and different water plants. More recently it is just a brown patch of land with very few different species of bird left. None the less it was a trip outdoors and therefore warranted excitement. The kids wern't sure what to look for so I pointed out a few feathers lying on the ground and we tried to guess the bird it had belonged to (not difficult given the limited number of species around the dam at present). The kids also thought it fun to guess which bird the different shaped poo came from (Big - the domestic geese, medium -Egyptian Geese and small the duck or Guinea fowl was our guess). We actually saw quite a few different birds - the blacksmith plover with its distinctive 'tink tink' call, a wagtail, guinea fowl, egyptian geese, white ducks, mallards, a moorhen. On our way back into the garden we also saw a large spiders nest. We have been reading charlottes web in which charlotte the grey spider weaves an egg sac just before she dies. The kids enjoyed the thought that within the unusually shaped sac were hundreds of babies. Later in the week we read up more about spiders although I don't have too much material ooh I feel a book buying opportunity coming along....