Category: Nature Study

Bird Feeders Full? Binoculars Ready?

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What effect has El Nino had on bird migration across the world?  Your homeschoolers can help find out the answer to that question and more.  It is nearly time for the Great Backyard Bird Count– an easy nature study activity that makes a major contribution to science.  Lots of AHE homeschoolers around the world participate in this yearly bird count.  The Bird Count makes a great foundation for a bird unit study.   Click HERE if you’d like to download .pdf file of bird unit study ideas compiled by AHE parents.

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The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

The Bird Count is Coming – Mark Your Calendars!

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GBBCblogbutton_En_1_2014The Great Backyard Bird Count begins in just under a month.    This is an awesome opportunity for your homeschoolers to make an impact on science!
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

The bird count is easy, fun and is an excellent foundation for a unit study on birds!  We will feature many resources to help you plan and build an exciting and interesting nature study for your children.   Visit The Backyard Bird Count site to learn more and get started with this great project!

Did You Miss the Agriculture Conference?

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Good news, many of the videos have been posted so you can catch up on what you missed!  I highly recommend the video from Thursday morning entitled,  Back To School: The ABCs of Agriculture in Childhood Education.  Here’s the link you need:  Agriculture Conference Replays

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Motivation Monday

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nature walk“Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be linked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to them the interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a means of divine teaching.”

Child Guidance, 52

Cornell Lab Monday Night Seminars

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Is birdwatching part of your nature study?   The ‘birders’ in your family may enjoy the livestream presentations put on by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.   Tonight’s presentation is about birds of the Mono Lake basin.  You can get livestream information HERE.

jgs_birdiebirdieblueThe Cornell Lab hosts a seminar one Monday a month,  a tradition established decades ago by Lab founder Dr. Arthur Allen. Speakers include Cornell Lab staff, book authors, and distinguished scientists from around the world.  Past seminars are archived online.  Archives can be found HERE.

NOTE: Keep in mind that some presenters may not cherish the account of Creation found in the Bible as SDA homeschoolers do.

7 Fun Things to do with Leaf Templates

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If you look around online this time of year, leaf templates abound.  Here are 7 fun things to do with those tempting templates!

leaf template1.  Keep a record of the books read by the members of your family for the month.  Write the name a  book read and a brief comment about the book on each leaf.  Cut out the leaves and string them as a garland to hang.

2. Family worship visual device.  During family worship, write prayer requests,  things you are thankful for,  people to pray for, etc. on a leaf.  Attach your leaves to branches made from construction paper.

3.  Choose a particular leaf and spend an hour learning about the tree associated with that leaf.  Write what you have learned on that leaf.

4. Find verses in the Bible that mention a leaf or leaves.  Copy your chosen verse on  a leaf.

5.  Make a lacing card.  Copy a leaf template on heavy cardstock.   Punch holes around the outline of the leaf, and add a shoelace to create a lacing activity.

6. Make a  Leaf wreath. Copy the leaf templates on colorful paper. Cut out the leaves, and glue to a paper plate with the center cut out.

7.  Trace a leaf outline lightly on a square of muslin.  Use embroidery floss to practice stitches along the leaf outline.

Here are some leaf templates to get you started:

Leaf Template Printables from Craftjr.

Leaves in various sizes from Printable Treats

Pinterest page full of leaf template options

 

7 Fun Things to do with Leaf Templates

AnnLeave a comment

If you look around online this time of year, leaf templates abound.  Here are 7 fun things to do with those tempting templates!

leaf template1.  Keep a record of the books read by the members of your family for the month.  Write the name a  book read and a brief comment about the book on each leaf.  Cut out the leaves and string them as a garland to hang.

2. Family worship visual device.  During family worship, write prayer requests,  things you are thankful for,  people to pray for, etc. on a leaf.  Attach your leaves to branches made from construction paper.

3.  Choose a particular leaf and spend an hour learning about the tree associated with that leaf.  Write what you have learned on that leaf.

4. Find verses in the Bible that mention a leaf or leaves.  Copy your chosen verse on  a leaf.

5.  Make a lacing card.  Copy a leaf template on heavy cardstock.   Punch holes around the outline of the leaf, and add a shoelace to create a lacing activity.

6. Make a  Leaf wreath. Copy the leaf templates on colorful paper. Cut out the leaves, and glue to a paper plate with the center cut out.

7.  Trace a leaf outline lightly on a square of muslin.  Use embroidery floss to practice stitches along the leaf outline.

Here are some leaf templates to get you started:

Leaf Template Printables from Craftjr.

Leaves in various sizes from Printable Treats

Pinterest page full of leaf template options