Air Plant in South Florida.

Horse hoof print from a passing horse and rider.  She was a girl about 11 and homeschooled too.

Dried sap from a tall Pine Tree.

The kids wanted to plant and dig so we headed out west to GG and PaPa’s house.  They live in the country and we can get our hands dirty out there.

The kids with their PaPa (Great Grandfather).  He is a retired school teacher and principle plus “jack of all trades”.  He can build anything out of almost nothing.

What fun!  They road his golf cart to the far end of the property with all their supplies in hand.

And started to dig, and dig, and dig.  They loved this part giving new meaning to the phrase “digging all the way to China”.  Real shovels and hoes are better then little plastic ones any day of the week.

We chose plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Down in the dirt with your hand is the only way to go.  PaPa was concerned about them getting too dirty.  I said “That is what this is for. They wore grubby clothes show them how to really do it.”  Boy , did they really do it.  They are so proud. 

“I don’t need help PaPa.  I know how to do it myself.”

Here they are at 21″.  We will come back next month and measure their growth. 

What a fun memorable day!

We are reading through parables of Nature and are learning from the Sedge Warbler.  You can listen to her call from the link provided.

Today we spent the afternoon at a near by nature trail.  Chloe had the best eyes today finding and identifying moss, a hawk and a turtle that was walking along.  Our picture of the Hawk didn’t turn out but we did get a small video clip of the turtle on the move.

The kids where hoping to find a “black racer” and I was praying we didn’t.  The kids assured me they were harmless and that they were the good kind of snake.  I still prefer to see them behind glass anyway.

It is 82 degrees, rainy and windy here in South Florida on the first day of fall.

 

We are starting to do a time lapse photo experiment of nature around our home.  We want to observe how our environment changes  throughout the fall, including the temperature.  We will share those here and encourage you to try the same thing around your home. 

This is the Magnolia tree right outside our kitchen window.  The children are fascinated by its buds.  It will be fun to watch it bloom over the years.

This is our herb garden planted in an old fountain that was given to us.  They are all cut back right now so we will get to watch them grow (or not) over the next few months.

These are some flowers that have just been planted.  We live in a new development in a town home with a courtyard.  We are working on inviting small portions of God’s natural beauty into our home both inside and out.

The kids and I created this tile mosaic table top this summer.  It is where we will do some school work when the weather is at its finest here is South Florida.

Our children and I had a wonderful time enjoying the great outdoors today.  We are photo journaling our nature experiences as there sketching skills develop.

Enjoy.

         These last two are our own little public service announcements. Teaching our children to respect the world God has given us is part of them learning how to grow into people who holistically view their faith and their interactions with the world around them. For our family, taking small steps to recycle and conserve are an act of thankfulness laid at the feet of our King.   We do not “worship god in nature” as some naturalists do, but worship God because of his creation.

Our almost three year old ran into the house saying excitedly! 

It was early morning and the dew was still new and we all were still in our pj’s. 

 

So I went to see why there were  marshmallows outside, and then I saw his brilliant discovery that had cropped up over night all over our neighborhood.

I am thankful he didn’t decide to eat them!