Use The Screen To Get Into The Green . . . Week Three
Welcome to Week 3 of “A Little Screen Time to Find More Green Time!” This week, we continue our celebration of spring by exploring early tree buds, identifying the sounds of peepers and frogs, and noticing the difference between two common spring plants.
As spring comes to The Nature Museum, we begin dreaming about one of our favorite times of the year….the Fairy House Festival! Although unsure of what the future holds, we’re proceeding with our plans with the hope that the festival will take place on September 26th-27th this year.
The Fairy House Festival is truly a community event, and the contributions of our Builders and Volunteers are the foundation of the magic that welcomes so many people from far and wide. Last year, we had one of our best-attended festivals ever, and our teams of volunteers rose to the challenge and ran a smooth and enjoyable event for all. We simply can’t do it without you, and now’s the time to mark the date on the calendars and begin dreaming of blue skies, bubbles, and fairy house delights in September.
And, as you tend to your gardens and go for walks, keep your eyes out for materials that could be used to build the magical fairy houses and set them aside for the festival building stations. We are looking forward to gathering together in gratitude sometime soon!
Vanessa Stern, Executive Director and Jay DeGregorio, Senior Educator
Last week, we searched for early green shoots making their appearance on the ground, newly uncovered from their blanket of winter snow. Looking up a bit higher, what buds can you find on the trees in your yard or nearby woods getting ready to bloom? Changes happen quickly in the spring! Visit the same site daily to record your observations. (Don’t forget to date your page.)
What shapes and colors do you notice? How quickly are the buds expanding? Bring a ruler to take measurements and record your data. Where do trees leaf out earlier-in sunny, warm areas, or colder, darker places? If you were a tree, where would you want to grow, and why?
Bring the outside in! Cut branches of forsythia, dogwood, pussy willow, or apple and place then in a vase of water. Observe them everyday and record the changes that are taking place.
Read this article to learn about how to identify trees in “stick season.”
-https://www.kidsvt.com/vermont/a-guide-for-identifying-trees-during-stick-season/Content?oid=4451607 Share your discoveries, observations, and pictures with us in the comments below! If you share on your social media pages, don’t forget to use the hashtag #TNMJournalTime . Happy journaling!
Based on “The Spring Journal” (Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie)
Which tree has bark like this? See our Facebook page on Tuesday for more photos, clues, and the answer!
Hint: This tree is one of the first to share bright colors on the tips of their branches in the spring.
Eggs have been a symbol of life in a variety of cultures for thousands of years. The Chinese were already giving painted eggs as gifts to celebrate the beginning of spring 5,000 years ago. Given that the egg symbolized the beginning of all life, it is no wonder that this humble object plays such a significant role worldwide this time of year. This week’s “Get Crafty” offers you a variety of ways to honor the egg!
Dye eggs using natural materials:
Use ferns and other plants from outside to create nature prints on eggs:
https://readingmytealeaves.com/2013/03/natural-easter-eggs-botanical-blueprints.html
Start seeds in eggshells:
https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/gardening/how-to-start-seeds-in-eggshells/
Make an eggshell mosaic: (Instead of painting the shells, you can use the shells you’ve dyed after you’ve eaten the egg.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr5Wo-6sQMg
Share your pictures of you getting crafty with us in the comments below! If you share on our social media pages, don’t forget to use the hashtag #TNMGetCrafty
Being the same shade of yellow and of similar texture, coltsfoot and dandelions are two plants that are often mistaken for each other.
Given that they are in the same family (Composite) and look quite similar, this is no surprise. However, upon closer inspection, you should be able to tell them apart. Coltsfoot has tubular (disk) male flowers surrounded by flat (ray) female flowers, while dandelions consist of flat flowers that possess both male and female structures. The leaves of coltsfoot don’t emerge until the flowers have gone by, unlike the dandelion, so this is an easy way to tell the two plants apart. Can you guess what shape the leaf of a coltsfoot is?
On your next spring walk, see if you can find coltsfoot and dandelion and are able to tell the difference. Pick some to bring home for a colorful, delicious, and nutritious salad. Both coltsfoot and dandelion flowers are edible, as are the greens of the dandelion. Nature just might become your new favorite grocer!
Take a photo or draw a picture in your nature journal of your discoveries. Share your discoveries and observations with us in the comments below! If you share on your social media pages, don’t forget to use the hashtag #TNMFridayFinds . Happy finding!
This looks like dandelion, but it is coltsfoot — how are they different?
Home is Where the Heart Is
Capture in a photo an animal’s home you come across in an outdoor excursion. This might be a nest, a simple hole in the ground or a tree, or a secret hiding place in a log or under a rock. If you’re peeking under a rock, be sure to lift it carefully and place it back gently exactly as you found it.
A very large and hard-to-miss animal home!
What type of frog for toad makes what kind of sound?
Read about the The Annual Frog Symphony we hear in the spring, and click on the links to listen to the sounds made by a variety of frogs and toads.
The Annual Frog Symphony | Articles
Read Hearing a Peep to learn about who’s peeping, and why.
- https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/hearing_a_peep
If you have a pond nearby, visit it several evenings in a row. Record the sounds, write down a description of what you've heard, date each entry , and compare your data with the weekly temperature patterns. What do you notice? This is a good nature journaling activity.