Saturday, October 8, 2011

#31 days of Exploring God's Creation - Everyday Exploring










Welcome! I'm truly glad you're here-

I'm participating in a #31days of . . .
series hosted
 by The Nester of  "Nesting Place"
and Darcy of "My 3 Boybarians" 
There are actually hundreds of  bloggers participating in this challenge to dig a little
 deeper by posting on the same topic for 31 days straight

Throughout the month of October I'll be bringing you posts about
"Exploring God's Creation" Getting the Family Out in the Great Outdoors

Day #8 - "Everyday Exploring" 


We've been talking camping for several days and I made up some printables to help ya 
organize your camp gear - just sharing what I do to pack up the family for one of our 
adventures. You can get the links at the bottom of this post for your files if you'd like. 

Being an outdoor family isn't just about camping and the
 "#31days of . . . . Exploring God's Creation" 
is certainly not just about how to pitch a tent - you can be a family who explores and 
celebrates God's Creation without ever embarking on a camping expedition - although,
in my opinion- you're missing out if ya don't!

*Exploring God's Creation can take place right in your own yard


 
Scooping up tadpoles after the rain.  


We're a family full of boys (even the dog is a male)Mommy is the only girl in sight- 
which totally makes me queen-(Don't think I don't take full advantage of that little fact!)

With all the boys around - there is never a shortage of bug exploration going 
on. They love to find and catch bugs!

 It's a perfect opportunity to zoom in for some closer examination.

- So, I've had to get over my girly tendencies to want to avoid such critters. Not an easy
 task, but one that has added value to our family homeschool and has helped to inspire
a love of  learning in the hearts of our boys.

TOTALLY worth it!

We recently upcycled a perfectly good piece of trash box and turned it into a 
"Science Kit" :

 

* A great field guide can make all the difference when identifying flora and fauna 


We made simple labels to catalog our findings and it helped to make the whole process
 more realistic and officially "scientific". Live critters are always returned right back to their
 homes of course!

 
Praying Mantis

. . . Unless they are pregnant scorpions named "Larry" - then they get a new home and 
give birth to their offspring in my kitchen- but that's a long story.
 Btw- they carry said babies on their back until the first molting. Who knew?

                                  The Proof: 

 
Scorpions give live birth to 25-35 offspring at a time!


- I've come a LONG way baby- 

Now that I have completely managed to convince you that exploring nature is a 
bad thing-
 let me just tell you - bringing bugs indoors is NOT a requirement and my husband did it! 
The boys have this brilliant plan to sell scorpions to pet stores. . . . . I digress. . . 

How 'bout a pretty picture!?

 
Would you believe this is a weed? 

 
Arundina - Orchid like weed 

I found the above little "weeds" in the yard and thought they were so pretty I gathered 
'em up for my tiny little vase in the kitchen (next to the scorpion family - lol) 

*Did you know that in Hawaii Orchids are considered a common yard weed? 

 I'm really glad I've taken the time to slow down and pay attention to the weeds 
and critters right  in our very own yard!


* You never know what kind of interesting flora or fauna are just outside the 
door in your very own yard. You just have to look closely to see such beauty- 

We sometimes pick up inexpensive nets, bug "houses", and small magnifying glasses from
 the dollar store. The boys will set off on an exploration (around the house) to find new 
specimens to study. They like to carry their "scientific equipment" and tools in their back
packs while on expedition! 

Exciting times!

* Parental supervision is important to protect from poisonous plants 
or dangerous bugs and critters

We take the time to teach the boys about the dangers and the protective mechanisms
 that creatures and plants have - they know that these defenses are often hidden and 
NOT to touch an unknown species without permission from mom and dad. 

This little beauty was hanging out in our yard a few evenings ago: 

 
Florida Bobcat 

Note the cool black spot with white in the center on the back of her ear? There has 
been much speculation about the purpose this characteristic holds for the animal. 

My husband- often my source for useless interesting information-says that it is 
common among female wildcats and that he believes it is so that the kits can follow 
along behind her as she hunts in the wild.

I don't know about you, but our family finds that fascinating! 

 
The Shrike is a predatory song bird

This Shrike was seen in our front yard on the telephone pole. The boys think they are 
super cool because these little birds will kill and eat birds, mice, lizards, and insects by 
impaling them on sharp thorns.(I know it's gross- but, they're boys and they like it) 

It was difficult to get a good picture on a bright day - from the ground!But, now the boys 
know a lot about Shrikes and I don't think they'll soon forget. Everywhere we go they are on 
the lookout for them. 

*Paying close attention to nature around you can lead to some
wonderful lessons in Science, History, Art and more. 

 
My 5 yr old made a picture honoring our Shrike friend

I love that he made it flying by our house because even though we love our big expeditions - 
there is plenty of adventure to be had right here at home! 

Job 35: 11
"Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, 
and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven." 



Thank you for visiting! Y'all come back now- ya hear? 





Other #31dayers I think you'll enjoy:

 Mandy- Biblical Homemaking            Heathalee-ButterflyGenes:           
Melanie- Only A Breath             Amy- Missional Mamas Soul
         


Amanda-ImpressYourKids:             Coleen-MuralMakerandMore:
Photobucket                               31-days 


If you've enjoyed the article- please take a moment to leave me 
a comment letting me know!   

6 comments:

Sharon said...

Oh, my! I have a long ways to go. I just do not like bugs! We did see a big fuzzy caterpillar on our deck a couple of weeks ago which was pretty neat. (I was behind glass doors though). We have deer in our neighborhood and when I first moved here, I was terrified of them! They are used to humans walking around and usually just ignore us. But they are so big. And where I grew up we only occasionally saw deer on the side of the road in the mountains. So it was a huge shock to me that they just wander around here. I don't know what I'd do if I saw a bobcat out my window. I might never leave the house again!!! PS Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Jen said...

love the first picture
I believe God is the greatest artist ever
LOVE the way he paints sunsets

how dangerous are bobcats?

Unknown said...

thank you girls- Bobcats would just run from you- they are larger than a house cat but smaller than most medium size dogs. They can bite of course and have claws - but like I said, they run from people. I was lucky to get this picture! I was inside the house looking through a glass and screened window- decent pic considering! Made me happy-

Tonya said...

Okay, I'm not at all squeamish about bugs, but the scorpion? As in poisonous scorpion? The little babies are kind of gross, but that's nature, right?

Unknown said...

I'm with you Tonya! Hubs and the boys think it's wonderful- They catch bugs and feed them each night- (daddy is the only one allowed to touch the habitat) It's gross, but somehow kinda interesting too to see the whole process from birth on- icky!

Georgia said...

Oh boy. I guess I'll have to start working on that, because I have a boy! I'll never ever get to the scorpion level, though. I can tell you that much right now. :) Love the exploring kit idea. :)