Over the past few days we are back into summer humidity and heat. The grass is green, the garden is lush, the tomatoes are still coming...but here and there, we have signs of fall.
This is the time of year we love to go for morning walks at our local botanical garden. Things change so fast, and we can watch every bit. A came up with the idea to photograph all of the plants from our Wildflower Bingo game, and so we have been walking to recognize and photograph wildflowers before the season ends. As the boys realized they actually know more plants than what is just in the game, we have been photographing and cataloging more. I think we may make our own set of cards or a game. A has been thinking and I'm sure will come up with something interesting. Until then, I'll continue to take pictures of whatever they want me to! :)
Whatever we do with the images, the search has made our wanderings very fun. With the close eye on the small details, the boys have been noticing many other changes around them...like falling leaves, new colors, changing foliage, and different insects. It is fun to take along our fall nature notebooks (like these) to draw, write or trace these observations into. I think the boys also just like carrying the bag with the notebooks and pencils...makes it less like a walk and more like an adventure.
We have always loved walking in the woods, but it is also interesting to walk through these gardens to see such a wide spectrum of plants, colors, textures, smells. It is a full sensory experience.
We have a few more days of hot weather before the cooler autumn days return. I think that is when we will start to see the riot of fall color that is so wondrous around here. Can't wait!
8 comments:
we adore activities like this as well. every sunday (the only full day my husband has off) we are out the door early with picnic basket, camera(s) and sketch books in hand. we come home late in the afternoon exhausted and with dirty hands but, content minds and hearts.
That was a great idea, A!!
Well, you know, I am SO ready for autumn. Cooler temps can't come soon enough.
This weekend is Geek Kon and last year, it was about like this but REALLY humid. It is held in the humanities building on campus and that place has poor airflow. Oh, how I look forward to thousands of sweaty teens in CosPlay costumes roaming around as I try to film my project.
Eesh, sorry to blog in your comments. I just got to thinking about the weather and how the forecast for Saturday seems to go up one degree each day closer it gets.
I love the idea of making cards or a game from your plant ID photos. What a great gift idea, too.
I'm all about figuring out gift ideas right now - this year, we're COMMITTED to either making or finding all of our gifts second-hand, instead of just talking about how we'd like to do it.
Hi there!
Love your photos! I love being in nature with the kiddos. Everything is so new and exciting. Thanks for checking out my Flickr! Looking forward to photos of Madison in Autumn.
I can feel the excitement about your activities coming through on this post. I'm excited for you! Your photos are always beautiful but the third one down in this post just took my breath away. I love the subtle tones, the contrast of textures, the line of the ebony berries from bottom to top and the shallow depth of field. Thanks for the eye candy!
What a fun activity to do with your boys. From looking at the pictures that they had you photograph, I think they must have quite an eye for beauty, just like their Mama does.
Enjoy while you can!
I definatly need to do a nature book with Lo...
Yours are wonderful!
Blackberries! I miss them!
Aren't nature walks the best? I feel so deprived here--in CA we had the American River Parkway nearby and a beautiful suburban street with lots of plants, in NY we had our own backyard forest and stream, but here in ID we have...an apartment complex!
Must check out the river, soon.
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