Sunday, June 01, 2008

June Edition - Learning in the Great Outdoors

The Japanese Garden at Maymont was in full bloom last weekend. While my son and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors--walking, observing, and exploring--I've not been writing much about it. However, lots of others folks are sharing their ideas about learning out of doors. This can only mean one thing. The June edition of Learning in the Great Outdoors is here!

Worldly Travels
Last year at this time I was finishing up a trip through China, Tibet and Taiwan. This year, I'm but an armchair traveler. You can join me by reading all about this amazing trip to Nagarhole National Park (Rajiv Gandhi National Park), Karnataka.

At A Keeper's Jackpot, take a hike through the Adirondack mountains and learn about Rock Piles, Cairns, and Ducks.

At 10,000 Birds, Charlie shares the results of two days birding in Cape Town, South Africa. All I can say is, WOW!
What's Blooming? In and Out of the Garden
The magnolia outside my office is beginning to flower. Over at Exploring the World's Trees, Dan shares some photos and information about the Southern Magnolia.

Lots of folks are thinking about their gardens these days. Laura at Laura Williams' Musings shares her thoughts on Plantin' Season Around the 'Ol Homestead.

The folks at the Parenting Squad share A Child's Vegetable Garden: Cultivating Fun, Learning and Responsibility.

Jennifer at A Passion for Nature teaches us a thing or two about the mustard plant.

Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study has a series of Green Hour Challenges. The latest challenge (#16) is on Growing Sunflowers.
Arts, Crafts, Cooking and Experiments
Have you ever wanted to make something beautiful from the things you find in your yard or garden? At Po Moyemu--In My Opinion, Sylvia describes the gourd basket she made with her daughter.

At Mama Joules, Julie shares some ideas for thinking scientifically about blowing bubbles.

Stephanie at Stop the Ride! teaches us about immature pokeweed and a shares recipe for bacon and eggs made with poke weed.
Birds, Bugs and Other Critters
Jennifer at A Passion for Nature takes us along while she helps out with some bird banding.

At Birds and Things, Tony shares thoughts on the joys of birdwatching.

John at A D.C. Birding Blog has a thoughtful review of The Young Birder's Guide by Bill Thompson.

Roberta at Weekend Science Fun shares lots of great ideas for a Critter Crawl.

Granny J. at Walking Prescott spent some time in the bayou and shares her view of Swamp Things.

Beyond the Fields We Know gives us a glimpse of a wild turkey nest with eggs.

Have the cicada colonies where you live emerged from the ground? I haven't seen or heard them here in Virginia, but Stephanie has seen them in West Virginia. Check out Every Seventeen Years for some photos and cicada info.
Outdoor Explorations
Over at the Handbook of Nature Study, Barb considers the difference between nature journals and notebooks.

What could be more fun than exploring the woods with your teacher on the last days of school? Not much! Terrell at Alone on a Limb lets us join in the explorations he shared with four very lucky students.

Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight shares the results of the May Nature Study.
That's all for this month's edition. I hope you have found some new sites to follow and enjoyed this collection. The July issue of Learning in the Great Outdoors will be hosted by Terrell at Alone on a Limb. I hope to see you all there!

**UPDATED** - Okay, it's not necessarily outdoor education, but in reading the Times this morning, I came across an article that all teachers and lovers of science should/must read. It's called Put a Little Science in Your Life. It was written by Brian Greene, a professor of physics at Columbia.

9 comments:

  1. Thanks Tricia! I was just putting together an e-mail to the other teachers on my team to suggest they check out your Open Wide posts on social studies, science, and math resources when up popped LIGO # 13. I also was hitting up the media specialist to order a copy of The Planet Hunter! Can't wait to get started exploring the links.

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  2. Thank you for the link -- and, I suspect, thanks to Terrell for sending it along to you. I had thought of submitting that very post, but procrastination, you know....

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  3. Thanks for the link, but my name is Jennifer, not Laura!... Also, I'm happy to learn about "Learning in the Great Outdoors".

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  4. Sorry, Jennifer! I had it correct in one link and wrong in the other. I've fixed it! Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm happy to know about your blog and will visit again. (Since I grew up outside of Rochester, I'm particularly interested.)

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  5. Great posts, thanks for hosting

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  6. Darn it! I completely forgot about LIGO this month (and actually had a post! haha). It looks awesome, though, and I am off to read that article you just posted a link to. Thanks!

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  7. Wow! A whole new world of blogs to get to know! Thanks!

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  8. Reading Zone person! Please submit your article for July. I love the Eco Book! Is that the post you were thinking of?

    Tricia _ I thoroughly enjoyed this month's carnival. Thank you!

    All the rest of you please be thinking about a post to submit for July! I'm hosting and I've got a month filled with other obligations - I need your posts! :-)

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