Falling in love with nature (again)

Last fall, Chase attended some classes at Chippewa Nature Center near Midland. As I walked the grounds waiting for his class to finish, I was inspired to explore the idea of nature study more and see if it was something that might fit with our educational philosophy. I loved it! Even before I studied the topic, Chase and I had both been keeping a nature journal. The new information (specifically in Last Child in the Woods) motivated me to keep contact with nature at the top of our educational priority list. We didn't do much nature study during winter (I need to get over my aversion to the cold), but already this spring we have found a great number of things to observe and record. I also ordered The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock to use as a reference. What a lovely book!

This last week, we were delighted to watch the antics of three squirrels in our side yard. One of them came quite close to the window that we watching from so we were able to see him closely. The creatures in our side yard, which is viewable from our kitchen windows, are like little friends to us. On a side note, this winter, we were sad to see that an animal control agent had trapped the scraggly-tailed little fox squirrel who always entertained us with his skittishness. We were quite convinced that he was slightly crazy. He lived up in the roof of our neighbor's house and each day he squeaked his little heart out with such a sincere passion. He was cute. We noticed during our observation that a new, healthier-looking fox squirrel has taken up residence somewhere nearby. I hope that he's a better singer.



We were also visited by One Very Large daddy-longlegs spider while we were eating lunch. I caught him in a jar so that Chase could get a good look at his jointed legs and the eyes on the top of his head. We held him in captivity long enough to make our drawing and then we set him free outside. I'll be honest, I am not that thrilled with insects, bugs, and spiders. I don't wish them all ill, I just wish they'd keep their distance from me and my small children. If Ian had found that spider before I had, he likely would have picked it up and tasted it or brought it to me, both of which would have been Outrageously Gross Scenarios.

Little Ian went on his first Exploration of the outdoors today. He crawled all over the back yard, unmindful of dirt and debris. He took a couple of faceplants into the soft grass, examined walnuts, leaves and sticks, and practiced his walking technique on the uneven ground. I was really impressed with his nature study skills until he tasted a walnut husk. That was a No-No. Judging by the 'blahyy' sound that he made, I'm guessing he wasn't real impressed either.