Saguaro Cactus Study

We've been enjoying a few books on the Saguaro cactus since we took our trip to Phoenix, AZ. The Sonoran desert is full of them!




We discovered in our reading that all kinds of animals live in holes in the Saguaro cactus. Our favorite is the Elf owl. The Elf owl is only 5 inches tall! Chloe ranks him high on the cuteness meter.

Click on this link and scroll to the bottom until you find a picture of a Saguaro cactus with a hole in the middle. If you click on the picture, you will be able to see the cutest little Elf owl sitting inside the hole!

Introducing the Saguaro Cactus

Did you know the Saguaro cactus can only be found in the Sonoran Desert?

Saguaro cacti are everywhere!

But, they were especially intriguing in the wild on the side of the highway.

The Saguaro cactus is the largest cactus in the United States. They need very little water and lots of heat to grow well. You can find them in Arizona or western Mexico.

Allison even found one on a cupcake! Check out her blog post to read more about her Saguaro cactus cupcake adventure.

Cactus Desert: One Small Square
Read this book to find out more about the Saguaro cactus!

Spring Books

These are just few of the books we've been enjoying this spring. We will be moving our chrysalides to their new home in the butterfly pavilion soon, so stay tuned for pictures!

The Dandelion

"A weed is just a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We love dandelions at our house. What's not fun about blowing the seeds of a dandelion all over the front yard? I decided to find out about this common wild flower, and was surprised at how little I knew. For instance, I never knew that the flower head changes into the white seed head and can do so overnight!

We are always on the look-out for something unusual when we are outside. Chloe won this time by finding this dandelion seed head. Look how fat its stem is!

I have pictures of all my kids when they are little blowing dandelion seeds. I was almost too late getting a picture of little Chloe! We took care of that today.

Book Review: Rascal

Our current read aloud for history is Rascal. The book takes place during WWI and has given us a picture of what life was like around 1917. I decided to post the book here because it has given us more of a wonder for raccoons and outdoor life than it has for the first World War. Rascal's author, Sterling North, takes his readers through a year of his own life as an 11 year old boy when his brother fought in the Great War and Rascal becomes his pet. North's charming descriptions of his raccoon endear his readers to the ring tailed animal, and almost made us wish we could have our own pet raccoon! If you are looking for a good read aloud about animals for about 4th grade and up, try Rascal!

Winter/Snow Reading

We are enjoying a few "snow" books this winter season. Chloe's favorite so far is Blizzard by Betty Ren Wright. Grant is using The Story of Snow to write a report about how snow crystals are formed. My favorite book is Snowflake Bentley. Mr. Bentley spent his life photographing snowflakes and gave scientists much of the knowledge they have today on the subject of snow. We keep hoping for some snow here in ABQ, so that we can try our hand at taking some pictures of snow crystals like we found here. Check them out. They are awesome!

The Trumpet of the Swan

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White is one of my all time favorite books. I read it to the girls when they were elementary school age and Grant was about four. Chloe was too little to enjoy it. I decided we needed to read it again, and I'm so glad I did! White's fictional story about a boy named Sam Beaver who lives in Montana has already taught us quite a bit about trumpeter swans. Sam watches quietly while a cob and his mate hatch their eggs on a pond in Canada. Sam befriends the swan family and notices that the littlest male cygnet, named Louis, cannot say "Ko-hoh!" for the cygnet is mute. Louis later finds Sam in Montana and goes to school with him. Since nature has not given Louis a voice, he wants to learn to read and write in order to communicate. White has done an excellent job of blending a wonderful fiction story with facts about trumpeter swans living on Red Rocks Lake in Montana.

Facts About Trumpeter Swans

1. Trumpeter swans get their name from their trumpet-like call.
2. The mute male swan is typically found in city parks and is native to Eurasia.
3. Males are cobs. Females are pens. Babies are cygnets.
4. Cygnets are born gray in color and by the time they are one year old, they are pure white with black feet and black bill.
5. Male trumpeter swans can weigh anywhere from 21 to 32 pounds.
6. Trumpeter swans can be found in Yellow Stone National Park.

The Leaf Man

This week for nature study, we enjoyed the beautiful fall weather again. After last week's cold spell, Albuquerque is back to 70 degree daily highs. The Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert, is a book your young children will enjoy, but the project we did based on this book was fun for everyone.

We decided Abby's looked like a dancing puppy.

Chloe found pine needles for arms and legs.

Allison is our flower person, so naturally she incorporated some wildflowers in her creation.

Grant chose a pinecone for the body of his "leaf man".

Enjoy the outdoors with your children and encourage them to make their own "leaf men/animals"!

Sunflower Books

Chloe and I have been reading lots of books about sunflowers while we water our seeds and wait for them to sprout. Below are some of the books we have enjoyed.