Nature Observations

"In the 20th century, to stop rushing around, to sit quietly on the grass, to switch off the world and come back to the earth, to allow the eye to see a willow, a bush, a cloud, a leaf... I have learned that what I have not drawn I have never really seen."

~ Federick Franck, The Zen of Seeing

In many of my posts, I encourage you to slow down and observe the world around you. I further ask you to encourage children to draw what they observe in addition to the usual writing that happens in schools.

As adults, we are often afraid to draw. How many people have you heard say, "I can't draw a straight line?" I'm sure there are many reasons we internalize these ideas- perhaps drawing wasn't valued in our homes and schools so we never put any time into it. Maybe peers mocked our drawings as a teenager. Whatever the reason, drawing takes a back seat to the "more important" skill of writing. Imagine for a moment, however, that you have a language disability or language is not your first language. How does school feel for you when you have to constantly use words to convey what you know?  What other ways might you want to convey your knowledge? Music, dance, acting, drawing?


Harvard researcher Howard Gardner proposed a theory that there is no one kind of intelligence or IQ, rather multiple kinds of intelligence or knowing. As a young teacher, in response to my teacher training and my own intuition about how kids learn, I always tried to include multiple ways of demonstrating knowledge and competence in my classroom. When I later learned about Multiple Intelligence Theory, I felt re-affirmed and set out to include more modalities in my teaching such as storytelling, movement, and acting. While I think each of these activities has value in the classroom at different times, today I want to focus on drawing in the science classroom.


One key to science investigations is the ability to look closely and notice important details. Whether setting up a traditional experiment using the Scientific Method or a more open-ended investigation about the caterpillars in your garden, the ability to look closely, note details, and record data is important. Certainly, using words and numbers is important, but sitting still, looking closely, and drawing the details forces the observer to really notice specifics.

One of the graduate courses I teach for Lesley University is titled, Science in the Elementary Classroom: Teaching With Evidence. When I teach this course, drawing is always part of the work I ask my students to complete. Not surprisingly, many of these adults are uncomfortable drawing. I encourage them to talk about their discomfort and write about it in their science journals. Not everyone suddenly loves to draw, but nearly all come to see its value. Here's what two students from my last cohort wrote in their journals (quoted with their permission):

(Referencing some field work we did in class) "...I decided to take a walk over the bridge and that is when I noticed a pine tree growing on the side of the stream. Its roots had grown around a rather large rock. I have always been fascinated by the way a tree can seemingly grow out of a boulder. I immediately started writing and sketching. It was peaceful and relaxing and I was noticing things that I had never noticed before. I have walked by similar pine trees hundreds of times but I never observed how smooth the bark looks and feels. I never noticed the small, budding pinecones or the way the pine needles are grouped together in small bunches of five needles each."
                                                                                                  ~Tracy Dean

"I am also learning through this course and my times observing in a 5th grade class how reflection and drawing are important. I am actually starting to feel more comfortable when we are asked to draw. I am finding that in certain situations I want to draw instead of write which was not the case prior to this class. I wonder if this is how many children begin to feel after they overcome their anxiety with drawing."
                                                                                                      ~Tracy Thorne

Tracy Dean described how looking closely and drawing helped her learn things she had previously missed. Tracy Thorne recognized the value of drawing and wanted to draw more often. Her comment suggests that there are times when drawing is more effective than writing. For some, drawing may be easier than writing. Or perhaps a picture can better convey the information. Either way, the opportunity to draw extends the learning.

To learn more, I recommend these books:
This book offers in depth directions and examples.

This little book includes essays by four different experts. Two that are especially appropriate to this post are titled, Writing as a Window into Nature (by Jobnn Tallmadge) and Teaching Nature Journaling and Observation (by Clare Walker Leslie).

And this one is more suited to adults who wish to start a nature journal, though children will be inspired by the art (I used it in my classroom).



How many of you have tried nature drawing with your children or students? How about just for yourself? If you haven't, will you? Why or why not?



Seashell Poetry-Lunes

After I taught the seashell lesson in my son's third grade class, his teacher told me she planned to have the students write haiku poems about their shells. Haiku is a challenging form of poetry to write and one that can be too hard for some children due to it's rigid 5-7-5 syllable structure. English Language Learners and children with language disabilities have an especially difficult time. I suggested a similar, yet easier to manage, relative of the haiku-the Lune- as an alternative. His teacher welcomed the suggestion.

A lune is a short poem of 11 words:  3 words in the first line, 5 words in the second line, and 3 words in the third line. Frequently, the third line offers a surprise. For more information about lunes, including examples, I recommend the book Poetry Everywhere by Jack Collum and Sheryl Noethe. I have the first edition. Here's the second:

If you wish to explore other poetic forms with your children or students, this book is an excellent resource.

Here are some examples taken from my son's third grade class. Only students who wished to have their poems published are included. Not all of the poems stick to the 3-5-3 structure (some did 5-3-5) but they have a similar feel. All students drew their shells, as well, but I think these poems stand alone well.

My shell is

orange bumpy and smooth at

 the same time.

by Kayla

My shell is very curly

round and short

and colors of the rainbow.

by Nathan

My shell looks

like a breaking wave crashing

onto the shore.

by Dante

A happy shell

swimming in the blue sea

on its back.

by Hannah

A conch is a conch

brown to its

point, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy you get!

by Haley

Happy scallops live in shells

sad scallops don't

Sad scallops get eaten. Yum!

by Ben

This oval shaped, spikey shell

has brown bumps

with a peach colored inside.

by Beatrice

My shell is at the

sunny beach with

all the shells and creatures.

by Cole F.

One black dot

in the middle, bumpy brown

around every edge.

by Cecilia

My shell has

wings on its side to

help it swim.

by Ella

My shell looks very bumpy

and also looks

like the beautiful setting sun.

by Marissa

My shell has two parts,

lives in the

ocean and opens and shuts.

by Julia

And here's one that is best read along with the art:

Will you give Lunes a try? Since they're such a short form, I hope you'll share examples in the comments.

Seashell Investigation

The various illnesses my family and I experienced in December, coupled with the holidays, made posting impossible for me. I'm sorry for my absence. Today I'm back and intend to post regularly again.

Earlier this school year, my son's field trip to The Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies was postponed due to bad weather. In lieu of the trip, I offered to visit his class and teach a lesson on seashells. Lucky for me, his teacher welcomed the idea. I arrived that morning with a milk crate full of related books and posters and a bin full of seashells I've collected over the years for use in my own teaching.

As frigid winter months drive many people in the north indoors, I thought I'd share this activity as a way to help you and your kids stay connected to nature. Of course, I encourage you to get yourself and your kids outside for at least a few minutes every day, but sometimes that just isn't possible.

What follows is an overview of what we did. It works best if you have 3-5 children working together, but even one child working alone or with you can have fun and benefit from this task.
Materials needed:

• An assortment of seashells, ideally ones that are local to you. (FYI... if you live inland or don't have seashells, many other natural items can be substituted such as rocks, leaves, nuts, pine cones, seeds, etc. I'd suggest that whatever you choose, select items that come from the same ecosystem).
• Magnifying Glass (hand lens)
• blank paper
• pencil and colored pencils

Procedure:

1. Place a small assortment of seashells (or rocks or leaves etc.) on a table in front of the children. Give them time to examine and talk about the shells.
2. Ask them to sort the shells however they choose. With younger children, you might want to brainstorm ways they could be sorted (size, shape, color, texture, kind/species, etc). As they work, encourage them to explain their reasoning to each other, but don't interject your ideas. Let them run the show. (For more on this, see my post titled  "Top Ten Ways to Promote Science Inquiry.")
3. For an added challenge, you can ask them to sort however they choose but not tell you the rule. Then you have to try to figure it out.  This is fun but will also point out flaws in their thinking. For example, some children will want to sort by size. They'll make a piles for "big" and "small" without specifying how big or how small. When this happens, I choose the biggest shell in the "small" pile (Or the smallest in the "big" pile) and ask why it isn't in the other group. I might say, "I think this shell is big. Why do you think it is small? How could you help me understand exactly how you sorted?"
4. Once their interest in sorting starts to wane (frequently after 10-20 minutes depending upon their ages), ask each child to choose one shell (or rock or leaf) to examine closely. They might choose the one they like best or the ones they have questions about. 
5. Ask each child to look really closely at his/her shell and draw it in as much detail as possible using pencils and/or colored pencils. Ask them to also describe it using words. (Note: young students will benefit from you providing a paper clearly set-up for observation with a blank section on which to draw and lines on which to write. Kids grades 4 and up can likely set the paper up on their own). Encourage kids to do whatever they want first- draw or write.
6. After they've observed with their naked eyes for a few minutes, provide the magnifying glasses. This will extend their observations even more. (Again, see Top Ten Ways to Promote Science Inquiry for more information).
7. To extend the childrens' language skills, encourage them to use metaphors or similes to compare their shells or parts of their shells to other things. To get them started, you might say, "My shell looks like a ___________. (Similes use the words "like" or "as." Metaphors don't).
8. Check in with kids and offer comments as they work. Try to avoid phrases like "Good Job." Instead focus on noting specific things they drew or wrote. For example, "I see you really noticed how those lines meet at one point on the shell." Or, "I never thought of describing a shell as looking like a breaking wave before." Even if the drawings are not truly representational of the shell before them, there are positive things to say. For example, "You included all of the different colors on your shell."
9. Once the kids have completed their descriptions and drawings, ask them to write down any questions they have. "What are you wondering about?" (Writing and drawing will take from perhaps 15 to 30 minutes for most kids. Really little ones, like pre-K or K, may be done in as little as 5 or 10 minutes). Share the questions.
10. Read aloud a book, or short section of a book, about shells. Encourage kids to look for answers to their questions as you read. My all time favorite book is A First Look at Seashells by Millicent Selsem. Unfortunately, it's out of print, but I get it from my library. It's worth locating.
11. Encourage the children to record answers to their questions that are in the book. Any unanswered questions can lead to further investigations.

(Note for Massachusetts teachers and homeschoolers: This investigation addresses several Life Science standards. Grades Prek-2; standard 2 and 4. Grades 3-5: standard 1. If you take the lessons a step further you may also address adaptations, life cycles, or characteristics of living things. If different items are used such as rocks or fossils, other earth science standards may be addressed).
 
Have you tried an investigation such as this? Can you suggest additional items that might be used for sorting?

Teachers and homeschoolers: Is having the state standards cited right in the post helpful to you? Should I continue to do this?

No Posts for a While

My family has been down and out with a yucky stomach bug, so I won't be posting for at least a few more days. Please stay with me readers. I promise I'll be back.

Many, Many Butternuts...

In October I blogged about the 35 butternut squashes we harvested from our scrappy squash and melon patch. Then, Mrs. CM posted an artful photo of one of our butternuts.

Today, I decided I should share one of our favorite squash recipes: Curried Pumpkin Soup. The recipe calls for pumpkin, but most winter squashes can be substituted. I made a delicious triple batch for Thanksgiving using one of our squashes and froze the extra.

Curried Pumpkin Soup
Yield: 6 servings

1 Large onion, chopped or sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups pureed pumpkin* or 1- 16 oz. can pumpkin
3 cups chicken stock (I use veggie stock)
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup half and half (I use 1/4 cup light cream and 1/2 cup skim milk)
Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion in olive oil in 2 qt. sauce pan until tender. Add pumpkin, chicken stock, potato, curry powder and nutmeg. Mix well. Cook over low heat until potato is tender.
2. Process several times in a blender. (Or use a stick blender like I do). Add cream, Worcestershire sauce , salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through.
3. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.

This recipe comes from Global Feast Cookbook published by Mystic Seaport Museum Stores.

*Here's the easiest way to get fresh pumpkin or squash puree:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the squash in an ovenproof dish and cover it tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.
3. Bake until tender, about 1 hour for a 1 pound squash. To test for done-ness, slide a sharp knife into the skin. If it slides in easily, it's done.  If the squash feel firm at all, keep cooking. Tip: On a butternut, the wide end cooks faster than the skinny end.
4. Let it cool. Then slice the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and any stringy pulp and discard (or put it in the compost). Scoop the lovely orange flesh from the skins and fork mash, if needed before using in the recipe.

There are some natural places for kids to help with this recipe. Most kids can scoop the pulp and place it in a bowl as long as the squash is sufficiently cooled. Now that my daughter is 5, she has graduated to sauteing like her big brother. With close supervision, many kids aged 5 and up can handle this. Prop them up on a stool or chair and give them some safety directions before starting. My 8 year old son is good at measuring ingredients, though my daughter still needs someone to pre-measure for her and then she adds the ingredients. My daughter is also learning how to chop vegetables using a small sharp knife. Start cooking with your kids when they are young and gradually introduce new skills as they are mature enough to handle them.

Cooking with your kids has many benefits such as building math skills (fractions, measuring) and life skills. More importantly, they get to spend time in the kitchen with you and will probably want to eat what they cooked.

In the coming weeks, I'll share more squash recipes with you. (We still have lots of squash to eat!) My sister recently got us making butternut squash oven fries. Stay tuned!

Do you have a favorite squash or pumpkin recipe you'd like to share? How about a recipe involving another fall/winter crop?

Fall Fun

Here in the Northeastern United States, the ground is covered with leaves. For many homeowners, they represent the drudgery of raking. Why not make it fun for the whole family? On this day, my son started it all... he went to the garage, got his rake, and started making a pile. Soon my daughter, husband, and Father-in-Law had joined him. I spent this day taking photos, but several days later the kids and I played in the pile.

Look at these faces... you can tell they're having fun!

And check out my husband's perfect dive into the mountain of leaves!

This was a moment filled with joy and laughter. We still haven't gotten around to raking up that pile, even though weeks have passed. We have jumped in it on many different days, though! I think that's more important than getting all of the leaves off our lawn. 

If you live in the city, you probably can't make leaf piles, but you can run through the leaves that collect where the curb meets the road or along the edges of parks. Kick your feet up high. See how far you can make them fly!

Getting outside does not need to be complicated. Just look for little ways to enjoy yourselves. You'll feel closer as a family and be healthier, too. The same goes for teachers...get your students outside as much as you can. 

Have you played in the leaves lately?  Or, if you live in a warm climate, have you perhaps played in the sand? Tell us about your most recent outside play.

Top 10 Ways to Promote Science Inquiry

About a month ago, I promised to post my suggestions for guiding children in their science investigations.

Here are my suggestions, in no particular order:

1. Join in the fun. There's nothing like modeling the behavior you wish to instill to get kids motivated. This isn't "learning" science from a textbook. This is "doing" science. Get your feet wet or your hands dirty. When I was preparing to go out and draw the caterpillars, my daughter (age 5) couldn't wait to get started. My son (age 8) opted not to participate. That is, until he saw the two of us heading out with our pens, hand-lenses, and colored pencils. "Oh... magnifying glasses!" he said. He quickly changed his mind and joined us. I had to insist he come in when it was dinner time.
2. Provide basic materials to enhance observations. For small items, this includes magnifying glasses (hand lenses). For birds or far-off objects, binoculars will do the trick. A bug house or butterfly house is also nice, if you have it. Large jars with holes in the lids will also work for most insects. In addition, a decent set of colored pencils and a notebook chosen for the developmental stage of your child is good. For younger kids, this might be a notebook with blank space at the top for drawing with large-ruled lines below. For older kids, this might be all blank pages (like my son chose) or lined pages. (See examples here.) 
3. Teach kids how to use the tools properly. Practice this before an investigation is to start. Once the novelty of a hand lens wears off, kids are less likely to hold it up to their eyes and make silly faces. (Though that can be fun, too). In a classroom setting, however, it's best to get the silliness out of the way so the more serious work of science can begin. Let them be silly for a few minutes, then indicate when it's time to work.
4. Maintain your sense of wonder. Listen to your children/students talk. Remember what it was like to be a kid, awestruck by natural phenomena. Listen for possible investigations.
5. Slow down and pay attention. Instead of rushing from commitment to commitment, take a few minutes to notice your environment. Is the moon out tonight? Are there any flowers still in bloom?
6. Spend time in nature. This is an extension of above. You can't pay attention to nature without being outside. City dwellers... paying attention to the nighttime sky is a great way to connect with nature's cycles. Or, how about those plants growing up in the cracks of the pavement? Or maybe the birds on a wire above your head. What can you learn by observing them?
7. Share what you're doing with others. Talk about what you've noticed. People are interested in natural phenomena, even if they forget to stop and notice it themselves. Ask if they've noticed the same things as you. Listen to, and learn from, each other.
8. Help kids ask questions and seek answers to their questions. This is the beginning of any scientific investigation. When scientists set-up experiments, they are looking for answers to their questions.  
9. Remember that not every question will lead to an investigation. If that were true, we'd never do anything but investigate (for those of us who have young children, anyway. There's a steady stream of questions from young kids). But, saying, "I wonder..." keep kids thinking in this way even after they pass through the early years. I'd even go so far as to say that it helps keep us grown-ups "young."
10. Know your limits. Learn to recognize when you can continue an investigation without knowing the outcome and when you need to seek more information. For example, I knew enough about the first caterpillars we were investigating (Swallowtails, by the way! Still no changes.) to move the caterpillars into our butterfly house. Once we found the woolly bear caterpillar, however, I recognized that I did not know enough specifics about woolly bears to move it into the butterfly house. As a naturalist, I do not want to harm any animal I'm observing.  I did some quick research before giving my daughter the go ahead. 

Bonus idea for teachers:

Plan ahead. This is especially important for classroom teachers who have a room of 20 or more kids to organize. Having good lesson plans decreases behavior issues. If you don't know what the kids should be doing, how will they? Along these same lines, have good procedures in place. Model the behaviors you want kids to demonstrate. Practice them right from the beginning of the year. Assign jobs such as Materials Manager, Recorder, etc.

Here are two of my favorite books for those of you who want to learn more. Both books are useful for parents and teachers, though Rachel Carson is especially good for parents and Ellen Doris is especially good for teachers.

(I use this book in the graduate level science methods course I teach called "Science in the Elementary Schools: Teaching with Evidence").

Have any of you tried doing investigations with your children/students since you read my posts about the caterpillars? Will you try one now? How helpful was this information?