Last week we started up school again, but we added something new to our studies – a desert nature study. We are doing a Charlotte Mason inspired study of the Sonoran Desert. I’m so excited to be doing this because I have spent the past few years doing nature studies that were designed for families in climates with four seasons. We would learn about fall leaves changing colors, and then see a few trees here in Arizona change color…. in December. Then we would learn about snow when it was 70 degrees outside. It just didn’t match our home, the Sonoran Desert. I didn’t grow up in Arizona. When I moved here ten years ago, I had to learn all the names of different cacti. All to say, I’m looking forward to learning more about the plants and animals here in the Sonoran Desert with my kids.
I’m really not a huge nature enthusiast, but I do enjoy nature studies because I find that it’s the easiest way to do science with little kids. Reading books, singing songs, reading a poem, spending time outside is what I want to do with my boys and the two younger ones. Everyone gets something out of it. At this stage of my life, there’s no time to do individual science lessons.
Books and Nature Walk
We started with reading, The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, the Night Flower, and Cactus Hotel. After we read The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, we visited our “baby” cactus, who is hiding under our pomegranate bush, and measured it. It turns out it’s about fourteen years old. Later during the week, we also took a nature walk in our neighborhood. Did you know that saguaros don’t begin to grow an arm until they are around 70 years old? We thought it was cool that some saguaros we saw were probably close to one hundred years old. The kids used their instant print cameras they got for Christmas and took pictures of the cacti. We really looked like homeschoolers while we bent over as much as we could into people’s yards to get a good picture. Then, the kids cut out the pictures, labeled them, and put them in the nature journal.
Experiment and Art
I bought cheap sponges from Wal-Mart and cut them into the shape of a saguaro. Next, we placed them in a cup of water and watched how the sponge absorbed the water just like a saguaro absorbs the water after a storm. I let the sponges dry, and a few days later we used them to make a desert landscape. We stabbed forks into the sponges and dipped them in paint. I only do projects with paint every now and then, and when I do let my kids use paint, I want it to be for making something that is creative and beautiful. Basically, it has to be worth the mess because I have my three-year old daughter painting alongside us.
Food
Until I moved out here, I had no idea that cacti actually produce fruit that you can eat. I ordered prickly pear jelly from Amazon. We toasted some bread and spread it on top. It tasted a little different than regular jelly, but the kids loved it all the same.
Nature Journal
We haven’t gotten to our nature journals yet, but we will be writing what we learned about saguaros and other cacti. My oldest son will write a few sentences, and his little brother will write one or two. Sometimes he dictates, and I write the sentences down for him. Having the picture books out on the table is helpful as we double check facts.
I will write more posts about our Sonoran Desert nature study for those that are interested. Next up are citrus trees! They are not native to Arizona, but they grow very well in this warm climate.
Until next time!