Living nature

I love it when, just by chance, we see nature in "real life" that we have learnt about . Really helps the child to make those living connections in their mind.

 

We are about three-quarters of the way through a wonderful book on bees, and it's been perfectly timed; there are bees everywhere at the moment, and we have been watching them, looking at their pollen sacs on their back legs and their wings and their bodies.

 

A few years ago I decided to try and identify some purple/pinky flowers we have growing all over our front garden; it was 'Red Valerian' flowers, and I read out "Tortoiseshell butterflies love this garden flower.."

A few days later as we were leaving the house I couldn't believe it when I saw two tortoiseshell butterflies perching on our red valerian flowers!  Perfect timing!

 

 



 Recently we were out and spotted a plant covered in black aphids. As we marvelled at the thick covering of aphids who should come scurrying along a leaf, but two ladybirds (well, technically I believe they were harlequins, not true English ladybirds).  They eat aphids, so it was interesting to see them crawling over the aphids and having their fill!

 

 

 

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,

All except one,

And her name is Ann,

And she hid under the baking pan.

(traditional English rhyme)



There is so much to show our children in nature, even on a simple walk, if we teach them to truly see and look!

quote from here