Bright-Kids
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Vol. 5, No. 44 - November 3rd, 2008
http://brightkids.wordpress.com/
mailto: debi@simplemom.com
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
ISSN: 1536-0466 All Rights Reserved
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- "Dear Readers"
-- Quote-able
-- Questions and Answers: Nature Notebooks
-- Nature Activity: Feed the Birds

-- Recommended Resources:  Nature Study
-- Reader Tips
-- Assorted Information (resources, etc.)
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Dear Readers,

I love the autumn months.  The changing colors.  The crisp
fall air.  The distant honking of the flocks of Canada geese
overhead as they migrate south.

Not only do I enjoy this season, I also find it's my favorite
time to take photos and my favorite time to do casual Nature
Study activities with my kids.  In honor of the onset of autumn,
this issue of Bright-Kids is dedicated to Nature.

Please feel free to forward to your friends, family, co-workers,
church folk, preschool teachers, daycare workers, grandparents,
home school support group members, or anyone else you think
might benefit from some quality time spent outdoors with their
kids or classrooms.

Simply Yours,

--Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
Editor, Bright-Kids Email Newsletter
--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' cookbook series, 'A Simple
Choice,' and 'Frugal Living For Dummies(r)'
--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

http://brightkids.wordpress.com
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware
http://dsimple.wordpress.com

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QUOTABLE

"Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers
in it."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: "Nature Notebooks"

Q:) "Do you have to be an artist to benefit from keeping
a Nature Diary? My children and I can't draw very well, but
I like the sound of this idea. I thought it might be nice to
keep a Nature Diary for myself too -- rather than asking the
children to do it by themselves."

--Melissa A.


A:) No, you don't need to be an accomplished artist to
keep a Nature Diary. The idea isn't to necessarily create a
work of art, but to observe what you see in Nature and then
keep a record of it. The books are strictly for your own
enjoyment and personal enrichment.

If your children are hesitant to attempt these types of
drawings, assure them that their notebooks won't be
shared with anyone else without their permission. I think
it's amazing, though, how quickly the drawings begin to
look fairly life-like when you're concentrating on drawing
exactly what you see.

I don't think of myself as an artist either, but I find sitting
by the edge of a quiet pond drawing a duck as it lazily
looks for food is not only an educational project but also
very relaxing. The entire experience is a worthwhile activity.

For further information and more ideas for Nature diaries:
http://brightkids.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/nature-notebooks/

~Debi
Editor, Bright-Kids
http://brightkids.wordpress.com


Got a question of your own about educational activities
to use with your kids?  Or general parenting?  Write to
DSimple@aol.com and I'll do my best to answer your
question ... or find an expert who can.  :-)  ~Debi
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NATURE ACTIVITY:  Feed the Birds
Copyright Toni Albert
Used with permission.  All rights reserved.
www.TrickleCreekBooks.com


It's fun to feed birds in winter when their natural foods are
scarce, and you can do some interesting research at the
same time.

Collect several containers, such as margarine tubs, and
fill each container with a different kind of bird food: sunflower
seeds, cracked corn, nuts, chopped fruit, suet, and small
birdseed. Fill one container with water, and try to keep the
water from freezing solid. (Remove ice and add more water
as often as you can.) Label each container, so that you can
remember what was in it after it is emptied.

Devote ten or fifteen minutes a day to careful observation.
Keep field guides to birds and posters of winter birds on hand.
Keep written records that include the date, time of day, and
weather conditions.

There are several things to observe in this experiment:

1)  Watch how much food is left in each container after birds
have been feeding for awhile. Then you can tell which kinds
of food are most popular with your winter birds.

2) Watch one container of food to see which birds eat that
kind of food.

3) Watch one bird at a time to see if it eats more than one
kind of food.

4) Watch the container of water. How many feeding birds
also drink water? Are more birds attracted to water on days
when puddles, ponds, and streams are frozen solid?


SUBMITTED BY:  Toni Albert
--This article was excerpted from A Kid's Winter EcoJournal:
With Nature Activities for Exploring the Seasons by Toni
Albert. Published by Trickle Creek Books, committed to
"teaching kids to care for the Earth."  Visit them online at:
www.TrickleCreekBooks.com

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Visit our Nature Study Bookstore online!
http://astore.amazon.com/naturestudy-20/
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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES -- Nature Study

Keeping a Nature Journal, by Clare Walker Leslie

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580174930/simplepleasuresp
Learning to observe and connect with the world around you. Highly
recommended!

Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals, by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576360733/simplepleasuresp/
One homeschooling family's experience with Nature Journals.

Handbook of Nature Study, by Anna Botsford Comstock
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0801493846/simplepleasuresp
Lessons for teaching nature study through firsthand experience. Originally
written for elementary school teachers with little knowledge of common plants
and animals. Highly recommended.

Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children, by Carol
Petrash
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D087659156X/simplepleasuresp
Seasonal nature activities for preschool-age children (although my younger

teen enjoys many of the crafts, as well).

The Kids' Nature Book, by Susan Milord
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1885593074/simplepleasuresp
365 daily seasonal indoor/outdoor activities.

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READER TIPS
Submitted by Bright-Kids' readers.  Share your favorite family
educational tips by emailing Debi at:  DSimple@aol.com