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29 February 2012

...

Corner View was created by Jane at Spain Daily and is hosted by Francesca at FuoriBorgo. We are invited to post pictures telling the stories of our different lives and cultures. This week's theme is '...'.







Corner Views from around the world:
Jane, Dana, Bonny, Joyce, Ian, Francesca, Theresa, Cate, Kasia, Otli, Trinsch, Isabelle, Janis, Kari, jgy, Lise, Dorte, McGillicutty, Sunnymama, Ibb, Kelleyn, Ninja, Sky, RosaMaria, Juniper, Valerie, Sammi, Cole, Don, WanderChow, FlowTops, Tania, Tzivia, Kristin, Laura, Guusje, Susanna, Juana, Elsa, Nadine


See more flowers at Today's Flowers

If you have a post with a spring theme, we'd love you to link up at our All Year Round Blog Carnival: Spring, which is open for new links until May.

sunnydaytodaymama

26 February 2012

Looking at Nature





Last week we made a Nature Study kit and although we haven't yet had a chance to take it with us on a nature walk, this week we went to an illustrated talk at our local Natural History Society on the flora and fauna of the cemetery which is one of our favourite places to go for walks. We've also been looking at nature books. We have a large collection of secondhand children's books including lots of unusual and vintage books and among them we found this wonderful book published in 1963, Looking At Nature: Book 3. Working With Nature by Elsie Proctor.



We really enjoyed looking through it and reading some of the pages together.


ABOUT THIS BOOK
Natural Science is a scientific study and now that you are older you should try out scientific methods of working.
You are learning to look at, or observe, Nature and, to work scientifically, you must also learn to record what you see, and to experiment and investigate in order to find out more about Nature's mysteries. There are many interesting ways of recording your discoveries as you will find out.
The basic materials of Nature are earth, air and water. Plants cannot live without these. We cannot live without them either, nor can we live without plants, so we should try to find out all we can about them. You will learn much about them from this book and you will find many experiments described for you to try.
Weather studies form part of our work. In autumn and in spring, weather conditions are changing quickly and there are interesting happenings to study...
If you want to become a Natural Scientist, there is much work to be done.

We also enjoyed looking at the beautiful illustrations of plants, animals and landscapes.



Our favourite page is about preparing a Nature Study kit.


THE EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED FOR FIELD-WORK
This boy has a small haversack with him. You will find a haversack very useful. Some of the things you may need to carry in your haversack are a sandwich tin for your lunch, a bottle of fruit juice (you can get very thirsty when out collecting), a torch, a knife, some string, some polythene bags, a pocket compass, a hand lens, some little tubes, bottles and matchboxes, your field notebook and pencil, and a trowel. If you can get it in, a long tin box is useful, but your polythene bags will be a good alternative.
Now why do you want these things?
Remember that you may be searching beneath undergrowth or looking into holes or caves, so you will need a torch.
You may have to dig for ferns or insects, so you will need a trowel.
You need to keep your plant specimens fresh, and a tin would be very useful for this. You could use your sandwich tin after lunch, or you could put your specimens in the polythene bags.
For small specimens of any kind, you will find that your specimen tubes and matchboxes are very useful.
You need a compass to check upon your direction, for you can easily get lost in a wood. It is a good plan to have a map with you too.
If the boy in the picture is going into very damp places, he should be wearing wellingtons instead of his strong shoes. He is carrying a fishing net so it looks as though he might be, although this could be a butterfly net.

On the book's advice we've added a trowel to our own Nature Study kit and will remember to wear wellingtons in very damp places!



This week we've also been reading more spring books, continued working on our spring project book, and started chitting our potatoes.

If you have a post about a spring book, spring nature walk or any post with a spring theme, we'd love you to link up at our All Year Round Blog Carnival: Spring, which is open for new links until May.

sunnydaytodaymama

We're also having a spring giveaway for a copy of a little vintage book, I-Spy Wild Flowers. If you'd like to enter the giveaway please leave a comment on my A homemade Nature Study Kit and an I-Spy Wild Flowers giveaway post before 3rd March.

You may also like:

Looking for spring (a nature walk)


Nature books and nature journal


Nature Study kit


Nature walk finds


10 Nature Study ideas for spring


Spring Nature Hunt free printable


Click here to see the play, crafts and learning ideas blog link-ups we share at.

NATURE STUDY on Sunny Days Pinterest.
BOOKS on Sunny Days Pinterest.

sunnydaytodaymama

22 February 2012

All Year Round week one: 7 Spring Ideas for Children

The All Year Round Blog Carnival began last week and already there are so many great spring posts linked up so a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part so far! I decided to feature a few posts from the carnival each week and here are just some of the wonderful ideas people have shared. You can see more spring posts, and join us, at the Spring Carnival which is open for new links until May. You can find out more about All Year Round here and also follow All Year Round on Pinterest.

We also currently have a spring giveaway for a copy of a little vintage book, I-Spy Wild Flowers. If you'd like to enter the giveaway please leave a comment on my A homemade Nature Study Kit and an I-Spy Wild Flowers giveaway post before 3rd March.



Discovery Bottles - The Four Seasons at Sun Hats & Wellie Boots


Outdoor Literacy at Growing Book By Book


Make a garden journal at NurtureStore


Sensory Gardening With Kids at Little Wonders' Days


Ever wonder what you can do with carrots? at Kids Creative Chaos


Bursting the cocoon! Caterpillar Fun at Science Sparks


Handprint Butterflies at LLM Calling


If your post is featured today you're very welcome to get a "Featured On" button for your blog.

sunnydaytodaymama
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sunnydaytodaymama
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week one: 7 Spring Ideas for Children
week two: 7 Ways to Get Ready For Spring
week three: 7 Spring Crafts for Children
week four: 7 Spring Crafts for All Ages
week five: 7 Spring Nature Walks
week six: 7 Spring and Easter Ideas for Children
week seven: 7 Spring Recipes
week eight: 7 Spring Blossom and Flower Crafts for All Ages
week nine: 7 Spring Things To Do Outdoors
week ten: 7 Spring Garden Projects
week eleven: 7 Spring Nature Projects
week twelve: 7 Spring Book Lists for Children
week thirteen: 7 Blogs in Springtime

Carnival co-hosts:
sunnydaytodaymama, Mama Smiles, Winding Circle,
The Mahogany Way, Smiling like Sunshine, Home Baked
and famiglia&seoul

20 February 2012

What To Look For In Spring (A Ladybird Book)

On Saturday we'd planned to go for a nature walk with our new homemade Nature Study Kit, but it was pouring with rain so instead we stayed home and began making a spring Project Book. We've also been reading spring books including this lovely Ladybird Book published in 1961.

What To Look For In Spring (Ladybird Nature Series 536) by E.L. Grant Watson (Author), C.F. Tunnicliffe R.A. (Illustrator)



'By the end of February many signs of Spring have already appeared and, as the days grow longer, the hearts of country dwellers are stirred to renewed wonder at the swelling of buds and the sight of the early blossoms of hazel, willow, alder and poplar.

In March come the violets and celandines, and although the easterly winds often blow strong and cold, we know that March will soon be followed by April - when windows can be opened again, and hedgehogs and dormice can end their hibernation and enjoy the sunshine. With Spring comes the greatest wonder of the year - possibly even more beautiful than the Summer.'

If you have a post about a spring book, or any post with a spring theme, we'd love you to link up at our All Year Round Blog Carnival: Spring, which is open for new links until May.

sunnydaytodaymama

We're also having a spring giveaway for a copy of a little vintage book, I-Spy Wild Flowers. If you'd like to enter the giveaway please leave a comment on my A homemade Nature Study Kit and an I-Spy Wild Flowers giveaway post before 3rd March.

18 February 2012

A homemade Nature Study kit and an I-Spy Wild Flowers giveaway





Inspired by a wonderful homemade Gather Bucket at maya*made, that I featured in my preparing for spring post, I decided to put together a Nature Study kit to take with us on our spring nature walks. I found an Origins fabric shopping bag to use and then collected things to put in it that we had around our house.



Our kit contains*
magnifying glass
binoculars
compass
plain paper exercise book
pencil
one large tin and one small tin
cardboard tub
two little jars
one large drawstring bag
three small drawstring bags
Birds of the British Isles picture cards
I-Spy Wild Flowers book
Nature Facts (Pockets) book
Discover wildlife booklet
booklets about bugs, beetles, flies, dragonflies, snails & slugs and grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches & earwigs
*We added a ruler and a tape measure after I took these pictures.

Sunnyboy said he'd like to look for bugs so for our first nature walk with our new Nature Study kit we'll take a book on bugs and a bug spotter's chart (both came from a Bugs Activity Kit).



We also have some packs of Usborne Spotter's Cards to use on more nature walks.



All of our books and spotter's cards were bought secondhand from charity shops and we have a spare secondhand copy of this little vintage book, I-Spy Wild Flowers, so I'm having a giveaway. If you'd like to win a copy leave a comment on this post. Please mention in your comment that you'd like to enter the giveaway (and include a link to your blog) and I'll draw a winner at random on 3rd March.
This giveaway is now closed.



If you have a post about a nature study kit, spring nature walk, spring nature table or any post with a spring theme, we'd love you to link up at our All Year Round Blog Carnival: Spring, which is open for new links until May.

sunnydaytodaymama

You can find lots more Nature Study ideas and resources on our Nature Study Pinterest board.





You may also like:

10 Nature Study ideas for spring


Spring Nature Hunt free printable


Nature photography scavenger hunt


7 Rainy Day Books for Spring


Bunting made from an old children's book


The Very Hungry Caterpillar project


Click here to see the play, crafts and learning ideas blog link-ups we share at.

LifeAsIKnowIt
#Pinaddicts Challenge no.2 at Melksham Mum

A homemade Nature Study kit #pinaddicts

sunnydaytodaymama