Green Thumbs!

Plants were the theme of our latest unit study! What a fun unit. It took me a while to get into this one; we did a lot of reading and we watched a great Magic School Bus video on plants but for a subject that has so much potential for hands-on study, I just wasn't getting into it! I think because I haven't ever been much of a green thumb. My grandmother was the greenest thumb I knew and I supposed I just didn't inherit it. I certainly have had the desire but I guess maybe I was afraid things would DIE! But I've managed to raise a few children and if I can help make them grow, certainly a few little plants shouldn't intimidate me. So I jumped in and we began to do some work! We were blessed to be loaned a really cool microscope that let us get up close and personal with some leaves and we made some pinecone bird feeders. Then we planted some live plants and even some seeds. We'll have to wait and see if they will live. But if they don't, we won't give up! We'll just plant some more. Grace and Emily loved planting and I think they will be fine little gardeners some day. Maybe Gram passed her green thumb on to them!


One thing that inspired me to get a move on was the morning Grace decided to go out early in the morning and "study plants". Emily joined her a little while later and I could hear them talking about having a "Science Plant Club"! Cool! They were actually learning and trying to apply it themselves. They brought some notebooks, rulers, pencils and a magnifying glass and started documenting their findings all on their own. I didn't even tell them to do it! So they have pages and pages of plants that they drew, measured and labeled! A defining moment for me, to say the least. Just when I have been discouraged, God gives me a glimpse of their progress and encourages me to press on.

We made peanut butter pinecone birdfeeders laden with birdseed and hung them out, then waited for the birdies to come. Didn't happen. But about a week later we went to check them out and saw where their little beaks had been pecking away at the treats! Smart little birdies! We actually caught one in the act this week but because of where the feeder was hanging, it couldn't really find a place to get to it. So we relocated it. We have a whole jasmine covered fence that serves as a condo for a ton of little sparrows, so I'm surprised the feeders aren't totally stripped!

Finally, a friend loaned me a great microscope so Grace and Emily went out and found a bunch of samples. It was so amazing for the girls! They loved it! It made the Magic School Bus video come alive! Also, we purchased a bunch of plants for the backyard and planted them. Then the girls picked out some seeds that we planted in peat pots. We are also waiting for an avocado seed to sprout and some apple seeds (which may never sprout!).