Gregson Girls Grow by God's Grace on Guam

Sep. 12, 2009 - latest nature study

After giving a little talk to the homeschool group about nature journaling, I have had a few people check how it is going. A little accountability!!

Our latest simple activity idea came from our Nature Friend magazine. We separated the pigments in some plants by mixing them with acetone (finger nail polish remover) and letting them sit for a few hoursw with a strip of absorbant paper inside. Due to the chemical reaction, the colors come out in layers.

I took my picture before the labels were added - but the first one is guava leaves, the second a bright red hibiscus flower and the third a purple orchid. By the way, these are all from our yard -- we are blessed!

Simple and fun experiment for a nice addition to our nature journal! What nature studies have you been up to?!

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Oct. 10, 2009 - Nature study fun

How neat! I love the way the colors came out on the strips, especially how the red hibiscus pigment is blue. We have a hibiscus plant in our yard and the flowers are all very bright red. The pigment is very different than I would have thought.

For a recent nature study, we met some hs friends at a local walking path that winds through some wooded areas. The kids made a bark rubbing of a tree and collected a leaf and an acorn. We later found out that the tree was a Red Oak, which is somewhat different than a Common Oak. The leaf shapes from the two trees are different and the Red Oak acorn has a sharp tip which makes it an undesireable food for squirrels and other animals. I wish we could send you some leaves and acorns but I know we would not be allowed to ship these items onto the island.

Thank-you for sharing your experiment! I really liked it a lot!

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Oct. 10, 2009 - Forgot my name

The previous post about the Red Oak Tree was from Meleasa. I forgot to put in my name! Sorry about that. I figured you would want to know who it was from. : ))

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