A Private Eye Nature

The Mountaun Laurel Seed

2011-07-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

We walked into the woods to find something interesting to examine and yet again the Mountain Laurel captured our imagination. This time it was its seed. A small, round, hard, sticky ball.

"That seed spreads by sticking to things," my boys informed me. Was it sticky because of a substance with which it coats itself, or does it have tiny hooks, as Ds#2 suggested? We needed a closer look.

We looked with out loupes and he was right about the hooks. We took pictures and compared it to Velcro. The boys noted that it holds firmly, but not as tightly as a burseed.

They went right to work drawing. Ds#1 and Ds#2 finally know to draw the magnified image while Ds#3 still uses the loupe but draws it actual size, so it must be an age-related phenomenon.

Green bouncy ball;
Candy apple;
Lollipop;
Gas nebula;
Arrow through an apple;
Mushroom;
The hand to a Lego figure;
A planet;
Dragonfly head.

I was born on a mountain laurel and one day a kid with a green lollypop walked by. He suddenly dropped his lollypop and it hit me right on the noggin. I immediately stuck to it and I was dragged to the ground. I stayed there for three days before a black bear decided to eat the lollypop I was stuck to. In doing so I somehow got stuck to the fur on his back. The bear wandered away and in about a half hour I was rubbed onto a tree. I stayed on that tree for a week and I nearly sprouted, but before I could sprout, a very strong wind blew up and up into the air I went. I blew for so long that I blew up into a cloud that I stuck to. The cloud blew and blew. By the time I got unstuck, I was in Indiana! I started in Massachusetts. I dropped slowly to the ground and I suddenly landed on a NASCAR Indy Racer! I had never gone so fast in my life and never got so dizzy. When I got off that car I landed on the forehead of a crazy fan who was jumping all over the place. I was dizzy enough, and I didn’t need more. So I quickly jumped out a there. I landed on a pigeon which was in the middle of its migration to France. Weeks later, I was in France. I dropped down off the bird and landed on the tippy top of the Eiffel tower. I really liked the view. I jumped off and landed in a school yard. The kids were playing with a green bouncy ball. The bouncy ball hit me and then rolled into the sewer. Down in the sewer, I found many thing, my two favorite was a dragonfly head and the hand of a Lego figure. I found a way out of the sewer and I hopped onto the roof of a French bus. I chose the perfect bus to go on. Its destination was China. I was on the roof of that bus for two months and when I finely jumped of the bus I was in China. I decided to move on and I found another bus that was headed for India. When I got to India, the first thing I did was go to the Taj Mahal. The place was huge. I stayed for three days enjoying the vastness of the place and eating. After that I decided that I wanted to sprout. So I went back to China and there I sprouted. I then ended up in the world records book for being the first mountain laurel to grow in China.

[So many rabbit trails here--do pigeons migrate? Are there buses from France to China and back to India? Just how far is is from Massachusetts to Indiana? From France to China? Are there mountain laurels in China?]

Crabapple;
Loaded catapult;
Beehive;
An arm holding a ball;
Fruit;
Unripe blueberry;
A green bouncy ball;
Bomb;
Spore

One day a seed was sleeping on his bush when a person brushed against him. He was still sleeping and he stuck to his shirt and went on an adventure. Hours later he woke up and found himself miles away. He let himself down and landed on fresh soil and grew to be a mountain laurel bush.

Lollipop;
Branch with a beehive;
Arm holding a ball;
Pumpkin;
Eye;
Green tomato;
Unripe blueberry;
Green ball

We went outside. The day was warm with a nice breeze. We went into the woods. When we first started, I saw a black butterfly with a little white on it and had little orange dots on the bottom. It looked like a spicebush swallowtail. After that we walked a littler farther when Sam found green dots that were sticky.

[We have been on the hunt for a spicebush, another member of the laurel family and commonly found in this area, according to our research. We keep breaking off and sniffing the leaves of possible plants.]

Surprising Wealth of Living Nature Books

2011-06-07T23:25:00.002-04:00

Part of A Private Eye Nature is to use nature studies as an inspiration for creative arts, though my kids have not quite picked up on this aspect of it. After discovering the Nature section of my favorite used bookstore, I realized that I was neglecting a fundamental tenet of a Charlotte Mason education: Living Books as examples of excellent nature writing. I have found such a wealth of inspiring nature writing that I will be sure to put them regularly on my children's reading lists. Here are some of my recent finds.

Several of the great nature titles I found are in the public domain. Eye Spy by William Hamilton Gibson is a beautiful book. He wrote it in 1897, and besides his rich language, speaking directly to children, he also included many delightful drawings throughout the book. Though long (264 pages), it is more a series of short stories rather than one long narrative. Much of what he writes about can be found here in the Northeast United States. I found a first edition hardcover in excellent condition at the used book store. Of a local note, he also wrote Highways and Byways, or, Sauntering in New England.

A couple of other titles I found on Manybooks.net. Adventures of a Young Naturalist by Lucien Biart is about a Naturalist's travels through Mexico with his seven-year-old son. The story looks to be a mix of cultural as well as natural descriptions, with moral lessons learned along the way.

Also from Manybooks is Country Walks of a Naturalist with His Children by British author Rev. William Houghton. While not available in a digital format, another of his books, Sea-side Walks of a Naturalist with His Children is available as a free pdf download from Google books.

Another authors deserving mention here is French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre.

I have found quite a variety of beautiful picture books to inspire my youngest naturalist, enjoyed by all of us. The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller; Field Trips:Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking by Jim Arnosky (another outstanding nature illustrator); Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins; and finally, one that fits in particularly well with this blog, Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art by Thomas Locker.

To finish off I want to mention these unique nature books by Maryjo Koch. In these books even the text is part of the spectacular illustrations. The writing is not as engaging as the rest, but one could spend hours just browsing these titles.

I am sure countless other inspiring nature writers for children are out there waiting to be discovered. May they inspire us to write and learn about Nature too.

The Curiosity Shop

2011-03-23T22:50:00.000-04:00

We like to visit a small science museum known as The Ecotarium. I think of it as a Nature Study museum. They have many live animal exhibits mostly of local wildlife but also includes a polar bear. The day we went happened to be a rare mild day in the middle of winter so we even wandered the grounds after looking at the indoor exhibits.

One of our kids' favorite exhibits is the Curiosity Shop. No matter how many times we go in there, we always pick up some interesting nature item that the curator discusses with us. They love to just rummage around in the room full of all sorts of curiosities!

As you can see by the pictures, the shop has a very interesting variety of items. Porcupines, whale spines, turtle shells, skulls, petrified rocks, baleen, shark jaws, even the snout of a sawfish.

I have long wanted a curiosity corner in our house; places like this are inspiring. Perhaps I will come up with one soon.

Winter World

2011-02-24T09:51:00.000-05:00

It's been a few years since we've had this much snow, and after all the frustrations of moving it out of the way of our vehicles and getting it off the rooves of our houses, we can then get out and enjoy it.

My boys were convinced that we could not do A Private Eye Nature in the winter because there was nothing to look at. What an opportunity that presents for learning!

It didn't take them long to find all sorts of interesting things out in the winter world. Snowshoes make traveling through the woods possible especially now that a firm crust has formed.

We have not been doing a lot with our loupes recently mostly because of difficulties I've had in my schedule. But prayers have been answered so I hope to be back to it again very soon. Meanwhile we have been having a great time just exploring.

While looking for winter nature books I discovered the fascinating and beautifully written Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich. I borrowed the audiobook from the library, and though I don't care for the way it's read, I could easily distinguish the beauty in the writing. With the science it contains, this is a great biology title for high school students; yet in small portions this makes a great nature study read aloud for middle schoolers as well. . Heinrich has written several other titles including Summer World: A Season of Bounty as well as The Trees in My Forest. They certainly will inspire you to get out and explore!

Autumn Colors

2010-11-11T19:53:00.002-05:00

A mild September remained green for so long that we almost forgot autumn's regular show. October quickly blazed and summarily faded to the rich brown hues of November, when the trees go bare one by one.

During that brief time of beauty we could not help but look closer at Nature shouting all around us. A maple leaf, a wild cherry, and the lavender that would soon be gone.

A Maple Leaf by Ds#1

The sunset, an arrowhead
A mountain, Fall
Long Island, a scab
A flame, a cardinal
A red flag, a ripped tablecloth

"I think it looks the way it does because the trees are getting ready for winter. The tree's leaves are changing color and losing their leaves."

Lavender by Ds#2

Fireworks, a missile, an outside view of a time warp, a candle, a bow staff with flaming ends,
exploding firecracker, two fuse dynamite stick, a charged battery, two lightning strikes, lightening staff.

"I think that my flower has its smell because when you water the plant, it reacts with the plant and releases a nice scent."

My Story: "I came from a plant, and I rolled around until a storm found me and packaged me up and I was put on a shelf. I waited for a month until someone bought me and I was planted and I grew to be a plant."

A Wild Cherry by Ds#3

Cut
Brick
Tomato
Lady bug
Red balloon

The kids discovered the water colored pencils I have had in the nature kit for years and decided to put them to good use. They really liked the effect with these bright colors.

Baldfaced Hornets

2010-11-04T15:47:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of nature pictures that I intended to post but I have not been able to blog these past few months. We have had weekly Private Eye sessions that I will get to posting soon, I hope. I at least wanted to post these pictures and video of a giant baldfaced hornets' nest that was in a bush right outside our back door.

We were immediately impressed by the sheer size--a gray basketball in the bushes! White and gray that seemed to once flow in currents now solidified.

One day we went outside and found it split open, pieces lying on the ground. The hornets, though few, still came and went from it. Inside, along the edges, were hexagon chambers with opaque amber filling erratically pulsing from something inside it. Other chambers contained thin white remnants with holes, while others still were empty completely.

I took a video of what was left.

Creativity

2010-08-01T17:23:00.000-04:00

What I hope to achieve with A Private Eye Nature is not only a knowledge and love of Nature, that weak reflection of God's grandeur, but also to spark creativity through observation and consideration.

Newsweek ran an article this month about The Creativity Crisis in America. According to the article:

"It’s too early to determine conclusively why U.S. creativity scores are declining. One likely culprit is the number of hours kids now spend in front of the TV and playing videogames rather than engaging in creative activities. Another is the lack of creativity development in our schools. In effect, it’s left to the luck of the draw who becomes creative: there’s no concerted effort to nurture the creativity of all children."

[Perhaps it is all those hours in school where the task is to learn what you are told in the manner in which you are expected, and we are not creative enough to design a better system. And it is probably not so much "luck of the draw" as it is parental inspiration that determines who becomes creative.]

A lot is going on during the Compare and Consider steps that opens the door to Create; it has inspired so much creativity in my own mind. My children, while showing a strong creative writing streak this past school year, have yet to be as inspired. Maybe it shows a need for their creativity training and practice. Then again it may be all the other outdoor distractions summer brings that keeps them from sitting to write or draw. Still, when they do take the time I see diamonds in the rough.

This is but one of many ways to build creativity in our children. I see them spontaneously building pretend machines out of old bicycles and sticks, or putting each other in a sarcophagus made of pillows and being archeologists who discovers it, or racing spaceships made of toy desks in the playroom. Perhaps they are destined to be great builders rather than great artists--or is there a difference, really?

Flower Study Private Eyes

2010-07-31T10:25:00.002-04:00

After our nature walk the boys took their samples home and began work on their sheets. Even though we brought moistened paper towels and plastic bags for our specimens they did not make it home in very good shape. (I need to come up with a good solution for that problem.)

Ds#1 chose the blue toadflax to Observe and draw. He made analogies for the Compare step:

a paw
an asteroid
a fly and a fly swatter
a violet
a jumping man
a bug
a tree
a bird
a butterfly
woodchips

For his Consider step he wrote, "I think the petals grew out--spread--so they could suck in the sun easier.

He also did some journal writing: "The dam where I found my flower is a beautiful place. You can do tins of stuff there like walks, hike, have picnics, go swimming, and much, much more."

Ds#2 really liked the patch of Maiden Pink on the grassy areas by the reservoir. (Unfortunately it has since met the demise of the lawn mower.)

Here are his analogies:

a pink hand
pink explosion
elephant's trunk
carnivourous plant's mouth
multiple hands connected to one another
a swirl of colors
a nose
a spear point
a broom
pink lights

This is what he thought when considering why it looked as it did: "I think the flowers are spiked because when the flower was not in bloom, the pedals were connected. So when it bloomed it tore the pedals evenly."

He decided to write a comparison for his journal entry: "The pedals on my flower are brighter and lighter than the ones on a violet. The leaves on my flower are longer than the ones on a violet. the stem on my flower is about the same width as a stem on a violet.

Ds#3's flower did not make it home in any condition for drawing, so he decided to draw the remains of a robin's egg he found in the yard a few days before.

His comparisons:

a lake
a blue rock
a blue heart
a blue pastel

Since this walk I have been buried in work I have to do over the summer for new classes I am teaching in the fall. The boys have been swimming, and even spent a week at nature camp. They still look at all kinds of things through their loupes, though we have not done anything formal in a bit. We will again soon...

More On Our Nature Walk

2010-07-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from the same walk in which I took the bird pictures. As you can see, the boys had a lot of fun as we wandered around, and we found quite a variety flowers and things to photograph and identify.

Ds#2 is perched on the rocks.

Ds#3 is throwing rocks into the reservoir.

Ds#1 is enjoying a Brian Jacques book.

They found the remains of some tall and sturdy plants...well, somewhat sturdy:

Ds#3 is feeling very big atop the rocks and waves joyously!


We read that the mullein plant had many uses in days gone by, including using the large, soft leaves to line your moccasins. Ds#2 decided to give it a try. He said it was quite comfortable!

Mullein


Ox Eye Daisies

A dandelion seed head. It looks as if a second one merged with this one.

White water lily

Evening Primrose

Maiden Pink

Blue Toadflax

English Plantain

A deciduous tree with "cones"? They are catkins on this Mountain Adler.

Birds at the Dam

2010-07-07T15:20:00.001-04:00

During the summer we've been taking morning walks on a dam with some friends. We have been able to identify all kinds of birds there, the most common being the myriad swallows that soar along the the dam walls. We also collected flowers from here, but I'll write about that in a separate post.

We've seen birds like these Canada geese. We've been visiting since the goslings were very little. In this picture they have their adult coloring. Seven in all, following closely behind their parents. They often sit in the shade on the shore.

And these mallards, who are relatively new to this small pond. Maybe we'll see ducklings soon, too.

We've seen bluebirds, goldfinches, great blue herons, and the brilliant orange of Baltimore orioles. One day I saw a flash of a dull orange, almost brown. the medium-sized bird perched on the fence at the edge of the water. It was a new bird to me, and it did not have distinctive marking on its back for me to look up later in my guide.

When we went for our nature walk, though, I brought my camera. Fortunately the mystery bird stayed around the ranger station, perhaps nesting nearby, and I was able to capture an image. Its a brown thrasher, and the orange-brown color is known as "rufous." It has the distinctive yellow eye, barred wings, and curved beak--though a very thick one compared to the images online.

It's a member of the mockingbird family and has one of the largest song repertoire of any North American bird.

Hopefully I will get pictures of the other birds we've spotted and maybe of the kids will even draw one. It would be great to find a feather for us to look at with the loupes.

Closer and Closer Macro Photography

2010-06-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

A Private Eye Nature has a way of inspiring all sorts of creative endeavors. Besides writing and drawing, it can also lead to very close up (macro) photography. Here is a slide show from the Close and Closer Macro Photography group on Fickr.

CM Blog Carnival is up!

2010-06-22T12:15:00.001-04:00

The latest edition is up at The One Thing. Enjoy!

Pictures from a Pond Walk

2010-06-12T20:24:00.000-04:00

We recently met up with some friends to walk down to the pond near their home to see the sights. While we didn't bring our loupes with us this time, we did encourage the kids to make analogies (and to try to stay dry at the waters edge.)

The fish beds were a striking observation. With the dark muck pushed aside, the beds gleamed below the surface. We did see one fish lurking at the edge of a bed, though it quickly swam away as our gang all huddled around to try to see. A half dozen beds were easily visible from the shore.

Water lilies spread their broad leaves and shot up their yellow blooms but they had yet to open their pedals. A bee is crawling on this one frantically seeking nectar; neither will she enjoy the bloom today.

Dragonflies dominated the air above the pond, darting after smaller insects and resting on the lily pads. The kids tried to catch them, but these are not as tame as the ones in our yard who seem to wait for my children to gently hold them by their tails. And we mothers again warned them about falling into the pond.

Across the pond we could see the handiwork of beavers, though not the beavers themselves. We found old gnawed remnants on our side, too, from years gone by.

What will the pond look like in summer?

From Observe to Compare

2010-06-09T22:25:00.001-04:00

Compare is the second step of A Private Eye Nature for good reason (see The Basic Steps.) So much of what is learned and then what is created comes from this step.

The comparisons are really two-fold. First, specimens are compared to others we've looked at, or to other parts of the same larger specimen. During our Signs of Spring project, Ds#3 looked at a rhododendron bud and an acorn on two separate occasions. The differences are striking since one becomes a flower while the other is a seed. However, Ds#3 did notice something they had in common: they both sprouted or opened at the narrow end. Most of the projects are centered around comparisons of this sort.

The second kind of comparison is through analogy. In this case, children are comparing their specimens to other objects they have encountered in their lives. This is often harder for younger children because of their limited experiences in this world, or for those who have trouble turning on their imagination upon request. Good analogies are those in which the two objects have two or more features in common, and the more common features the better the analogy. Ds#3 thought the acorn looked like a brown cat with a long, curled tail. I though a better analogy would be a brown mouse because it also adds in smallness, and because the overall shape was more like a mouse than a cat (though I didn't suggest that to him since they were his analogies and he is just starting out.)

By looking through the loupe, children are better able to focus on details. Drawing and comparing gives two reasons to sharpen those observations skills. Children improve analytical skills by comparing objects; by making analogies, they improve their descriptive skills. Together they make for a better nature writing and scientific exploration, and for a better Habit of Attention overall.

Observations on Observation

2010-06-09T22:12:00.003-04:00

The first step in A Private Eye Nature is Observe (see The Basic Steps) which is closely related to Attention, the first of Charlotte Mason's Habits of Mind.

It's hard to get my kids to stop and see the details. We love looking at nature but I am usually the one pointing out the curious sights (though they did find the lovely pink lady slippers in the front yard.)

Using the loupe is a great tool to help train Attention. Because you must look through such a small opening and focus on such a limited area you cannot help but pay attention to the details. Vistas and landscapes are breathtakingly overwhelming especially for my attention-short boys; they are challenged even by a whole plant!

Looking is followed by drawing, both a part the Observe step. Drawing demands attention if you are to end up creating something that looks anything like your specimen. Looking and drawing are a natural pair of activities to fostering attention, and limiting the view increases your ability to be detailed. I have been very pleased with how well my boys have improved in their nature drawing since we began this process.

I've included a macro-shot photo of a giant Cecropia silkworm wing my aunt found in her yard the other day. The kids were excited to get their loupes out to look!

Nature Study Resources

2010-05-19T23:29:00.003-04:00

I recently read a discussion about Amateur Naturalist: A Practical Guide to the Natural World. The book came highly recommended so I was thrilled to find it on the shelf of my favorite used book store last weekend. I am not disappointed; this book is a great nature study reference.

Just the last section alone, At Home, is great to have. It gives lots of details about the tools and techniques for collecting, inspecting, and preserving plants, insects, and animals, as well as keeping a good nature journal. As you can see by the cover, a loupe is recommended.

Most of the book contains extensive descriptions of the flora and fauna of various environment. While the Handbook of Nature Study is great for those of us living in the Northeast where it was written, Amateur Naturalist contains sections on sixteen different habitats like grasslands, deserts, mountains, and oceans. It also crosses that bridge from nature to science with directions for microscopes, dissections, and anatomical displays. This is an invaluable resource. (Caution: a new book from National Geographic has the same name but is not the same book. Be sure to look for Durrell as the author.)

While I was looking through the Nature section, I came across two other stunning out-of-print books for intermediate to advanced nature studies. The first is TRAVELS, a collection of journal entries from the Father of Classification, Carl Linneus, during his travels through his native Sweden. It is edited by David Black with some nice illustrations by Stephen Lee. It is 108 pages. (I find it interesting that Amazon and Library Thing list this book under David Black Linnaeus Carl, Ed.)

I also found another intriguing book, Nature Through the Seasons. It was written by Richard Adams, the author of Watership Down and also has beautiful illustrations by David A. Goddard along with separate science text written by Max Hooper. Literary writing, lovely illustrations, extensive scientific information...seems like the perfect mix for a Living Book. I can't wait to read all 108 pages of it (interesting coincidence), particularly the section about winter since we are always looking for novel ways to study nature in the snow. The loupe alone promises to add another dimension!

By the way, in that same section I also found a 1927 ex-library hardcover of CURIOSITIES OF SCIENCE. Edited, annotated & translated by Percy F. Bicknell by Jean Henri Fabre. It was a very good trip!

Flower Study

2010-05-12T22:55:00.006-04:00

We've embarked on a flower study now that all those buds have bloomed! Here is our first session. I read through the parts of a flower from the Hand book of Nature Study and sent the kids out to get a specimen of their choice. They each came in with a different flower and I helped them identify the parts. They then went to work looking and drawing and writing.

Ds#1 had the Violet and wrote the following analogies: a purple cosmos (as in astronomy and not flower); a string bean (the stem); the optic nerve and the orbit; colored fire. He has not gone back to do any writing for this session.

Ds #2 wrote these analogies for the beautiful pink azalea: erupting volcano (my kids are so stuck on volcanoes); a group of worms; gold on a red pillow; a king with his guards; a grabber; a group of tornadoes (another fascination); ice cream sundae; a group of people; people crowding around a famous guy; lightning.

The gold on the pillow was ultimately his inspiration for writing:

I started as a bud. The I bloomed and rain fell on my white leaves and reacted with my argouth acid* in my pedals. Then I turned pink. Then, in between my pedals, little, thin sticks grew. But one stick was special to me. It had a pink stem, and had gold glitter on it.

He stopped there because it was the bottom of the page. *He made up argouth acid for his story.

Ds#3 chose one of the many dandelions growing in our back yard. He told me the following analogies: the sun; a tornado (yet another!); a duster (as in feather duster); a head of frizzy hair. He did a wonderful job drawing the details in his flower.

There's plenty of more flowers to examine for comparison and review. Their vibrant colors and interesting structures make them a natural for this process. There'll be more to come for this topic!

Finishing Up Signs of Spring

2010-05-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

We are wrapping up our Signs of Spring study. Besides looking at a variety of buds (that have now become blooms) we also went back to check on some plants we had first examined. Ds#2 checked out the Mountain Laurel at the edge of our yard.

We looked again and noticed that the laurel had two distinctly different buds on them. Flowers are modified leaves so it was interesting to see some buds that would become leaves and others that would become

flowers.

Ds#2 didn't write any poetry for this second examination, but here are the analogies he wrote:

A star
A palm tree
A spider
A flower
Sea weed

Binder ideas

2010-05-01T16:17:00.003-04:00

I went looking for a binder today in which to collect our Private Eye sheets, so it needed to fit a half page, 5.5 x 8.5 in. Staples does have a "memo binder" that is the right size with a 1" ring. They carry a $3.79 version and a clear-view $5.99 version, both of which I thought was rather pricey for a small binder.

After I went to Walmart, and they happened to have the Franklin Covey planners on clearance, and probably because it is the end of the school year other retailers may have similar clearances. I was able to get a zipper-close leather binder for under $6, and it included a ruler and two pouches, as well as various dividers and pages, most of which I will discard.

The significant down-side to this great bargain is the need for a 7-hole punch compatible with the planner system. Franklin-Covey sells a metal one for over $20 that I was not about to buy, especially when I would be punching at most 3 pages at a time! I searched Amazon and found one through a third party vendor that was slim and would fit into the binder itself. My plan is to use the dividers and keep completed sheets for all three kids in the binder.

As it turns out, instead of discarding all the pages, I kept one to use as a template that I place over our nature sheets and then use a pencil to trace the seven holes. I was able to use a standard hole punch to punch through three folded 28# sheets together by lining up the punch with the drawn circles. Works for me!

More About Our Class

2010-04-24T14:40:00.004-04:00

We didn't have class last week because it was school vacation in this part of the world, but we will be resuming this coming week. Each week we end up with a different set of kids but we have enough regular comers to still progress along.

In our one hour session the older kids have had just enough time to choose a specimen, look, write some analogies, and then draw. Last session, Deb spent some time talking to the older kids about analogies--what they are, and what makes some analogies better than others. This coming week I think they are going to look back at something they've done and do some creative writing.

Poetry, nature journals, and creative stories are all types of writing that can be started or enhanced by analogies. I hope to have some more examples after our next meeting.

As for the younger kids, we've been able to get some haiku poetry and some descriptive writing out of them. We are still working on getting them to slow down to be more thoughtful and observant, and that has led to improvements over the weeks. I've been looking into various types of poetry since Jamie suggested the cinquain form; I'm hoping to introduce this to them next time.

A Private Eye Nature Sheet

2010-04-15T23:17:00.004-04:00

As Sarah suggested I created this sheet for our family to use for our Private Eye Nature investigations. It is meant to be printed out double-sided on an 11 x 8.5 (landscape orientation) sheet of paper and then fold it in half so the short sides meet (like a card.) I can then collect these in a small notebook that fits easily into any nature pack. I thought I'd share--enjoy!
A Private Eye Nature sheet

Blog Carnivals Have Posted!

2010-04-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Three blog carnivals have posted this week in which this new blog is listed.

The Hands On Home School blog carnival is up at Jimmie's Collage. It's a very full selection of great hands-on ideas this month! You can submit your hands-on ideas for next month's carnival here.

The Charlotte Mason blog carnival is always filled with great ideas and discussion about Miss Mason's educational philosophy, including Nature Study. The latest edition is up at Our Journey Westward. You can submit your Charlotte Mason inspired blog entry for the next carnival here.

Finally, the original homeschool blog carnival, The Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Our Curious Home. You can submit you homeschooling blog entry here for future editions.

Loupes

2010-04-10T11:44:00.001-04:00

You can't begin A Private Eye Nature study without a loupe. I've done a little looking and it turns out that they are readily available from a variety of source.

Amazon.com offers the widest variety of loupes at the best prices I've seen. You can get a set of 3 plastic loupes 3x, 5x, and 10x for under $3. You can also get a set of 3, including a double, 10x, 10x+20x, and 30x, for just over $6. Even a single 10x metal-cased, glass-lens loupe is $3 (it costs $5.60 at Home Training Tools.) While I have not tried an illuminated loupe, I do have an illuminated hand microscope (pictured above) and it is very handy to observe object in low-light conditions. You can get an illuminated loupe for only $5.

Comparisons Ds#3

2010-04-09T08:56:00.000-04:00

Ds#3 just turned 7. He does everything with great enthusiasm.

He's been looking at several buds and other things as well. Last week he picked up an acorn and placed it into his specimen bag. By the time we went off to Private Eye class several days later something very interesting happened.

The acorn sprouted!

This made a wonderful object for class. He looked at it carefully through the loupe and then came up with the following analogies:

A worm, a glue stick, a laser shooting out (he was looking at just the sprout.)

A tear drop, an eye (looking at just the acorn)

A cat or a dog, a single hair on top of a head, my loupe on its lanyard, a slipper.

He drew his acorn using 5x and 10x magnification. As you can see, the size compared to the circle looks like he drew the object without magnification.

Next I asked him to think about why it looked like that.

He said, "It's growing. This is a root that is growing out of it."

I wonder what other plant structures we will find arise from our specimens. This leads to a question I will pose to my kids, "What is the difference between a bud and a seed?"

My Friend's Class

2010-04-06T20:28:00.001-04:00

This is the class, based on another program, that got me started on this blog. It's our third meeting, though only a handful of us have made it to all three so far. This is the older group after collecting specimens.

So far in our one hour class time the kids have only had a chance to do the basic four steps. In another week or two we plan on having them look back at their work and do some creative writing and/or drawing with their analogies.

Getting down the four-step process in this program is taking a bit of time and practice, especially for the moms trying to guide their kids. Everyone understands examining the specimen and drawing the picture, yet I've noticed that even though the kids are looking through the loupes to examine their object, they draw them unmagnified. I remind them to look-draw-look-draw and draw circles on their papers to represent the loupe but still they are not in the habit of drawing a magnified picture. I am going to try to cover the specimen somehow so the only way they can look at it when drawing is to look through the loupe, similar to drawing from a microscope.

Making analogies is a skill that requires a bit of work for most. My first "rule" is that they cannot make an analogy to another related item, so if they are looking at a plant, no plant analogies; if they are looking at a rock, no rock analogies. While they are valid analogies, my kids were stuck on them and couldn't come up with anything else. Once I made the rule they began to think in novel ways.

If they are having a really hard time getting started, I ask them to write a list of adjectives to describe the object. Next I'll pick two or three and ask, "What else is oval, brown, and hard?" What else has something long and thin attached to it?

Usually they want to get started drawing before they think about the analogies. While I see nothing wrong with doing that, many of the kids get a sense they are "done" when they finish drawing and spend less time on the analogies and hypotheses. Until they are comfortable doing the whole process, I save the drawing until the end.

The greatest appeal, especially for the boys and the younger kids, is just being outside and playing rather than doing a structured nature study. I'm still wondering how to overcome that allure!

Signs of Spring (Ds#2)

2010-04-01T22:57:00.009-04:00

Our first project the we will be spending some time on is Signs of Spring. I packed the loupes, the camera, some scissors, and some plastic bags and headed into the back yard. Ds#3 looked at at collected the greatest variety of samples (living or not.) While looking at moss, he described it as a green sweater on a rock--he may be a natural at this analogy business!

Ds#1 collected only a few samples, having more fun getting his feet wet while examining the moss and slime in the abundant water from the recent extensive downpours. He was too allured by the beautiful weather to do any sort of writing or drawing (tomorrow morning he will.)

Ds#2 was the most fascinated by the slime. He even returned with a container to collect some in order to more closely examine it and perform experiments on it. (Maybe tomorrow, too.)

When we got back to the house I asked them all to examine buds. Ds#2 started with this Mountain Laurel. At first he looked at it with the MicroMax but the magnification was so great that you could not take in the entire smallest distal tip of the bud, so he changed to the 10x loupe.

I asked all of them to think of what else it their objects looked like. Universally, all three boys came up with other plants for analogies so I asked them to think of non-plant analogies. Ds#2 was stuck so I asked him to list some adjectives. After a few he started coming up with analogous objects.

A branching tree
Corn flakes
Split string
Bagpipes
A bent fork, pink and rusty

After drawing his bud, I reminded him about the Haiku poetry he heard about at the Private Eye workshop. He noticed his fork analogy had exactly 7 syllables. I asked him what he was looking at. "A mountain laurel bud," he said; that quickly became the beginning. "What does it do?" I asked, and that became the third line.

Mountain laurel bud,

A bent fork, pink and rusty

To make more branches.

He was so thrilled with himself that he continued to make all kinds of haiku poems for the rest of the afternoon.

Next will be for them to choose another bud to compare and contrast with the first one.

The Basic Steps

2010-03-31T22:49:00.008-04:00

At the heart of A Private Eye Nature is a 3 step process: Observe, Compare, Consider, and they lead to the fourth step, Create. This endless cycle is used as a starting point for scientific investigations and creative endeavors. This is the simple yet inspiring means by which our learning and creativity are based.

3 Steps of A Private Eye Nature

Step 1: Observe Pick a specimen and use the loupe to examine a part of it. Focus in on the small details not readily seen without magnification. Draw what you see.

Step 2: Compare Compare and contrast what you are looking at to other parts of the same specimen, or to the same part of other specimens. Next, think beyond what is before you by creating analogies. It's easiest, though not necessary, to start by listing adjectives describing color, texture, shape, and such. Pick two or more of those adjectives and consider what else is green and rough, for example, or red and long and thin. Ultimately list 5 to 10 analogies of which your specimen reminds you.

Step 3: Consider Hypothesize about the function based on form and comparison. Does it have a similar function to an unrelated object with a similar form?

These are the core three steps in the nature study process for A Private Eye Nature.

Step 4: Create In completing these three steps you have the raw material for leaps into investigative studies, creative writing, and expressive art.

One can go in many directions with this process. Learn how leaves are classified, or the difference between a simple and compound flower. Think how easily a haiku poem can be created with analogies, or how they can improve nature journal writing. Contemplate how they can be used as a creative writing or artwork prompt.

We use this process as part of our larger nature study, to encourage and expand it, not replace it. The Private Eye cycle bridges a gap between nature study and science as well as enhances our nature writing and drawing. I hope to post lots of our creative and scientific endeavors of A Private Eye Nature!