Explore Outdoors ~ almost a leaf skeleton

 Beech trees are notorious for hanging on to some of their dead leaves all winter. That trait is called marcescence (mar-SES-ents) . Beech trees do it; so do oaks. When I walk along the road on a windy day, I can hear the beech leaves rattle and shake. The other day I took a closer look at one of the beech leaves. It looked a bit like a stained glass window, but without colored glass.

Next time you're out walking 

look for leaves lingering on limbs. Notice their shape and color, whether they have jaggedy edges, and what kind of tree they are on.

Cute Chameleons!

Behold the Chameleon 

by Suzanne Slade; illus by Thomas Gonzalez

40 pages; ages 4-8

Peachtree, 2025

theme: animals, nature, nonfiction

Amazing chameleon! Four sturdy legs creep and crawl through lush, tall trees…

Many people know chameleons as a lizard that can change color. But did you know that they can move their eyes independently? That means a chameleon can keep one eye on its prey swiveling the other eye to keep a look-out for predators. Pretty nifty! Plus, there are more than 220 different species ranging in size from as small as your thumbnail to as big as a housecat. And then there’s that super-speedy sticky tongue that can zap prey faster than you can take two giant steps.

What I like about this book: Spare lyrical language is paired with layered text providing alternate ways to read this book. Large text focuses on different aspects of chameleons, from their activities (stalking, dining) to attributes (victorious, meticulous) and allows for read-aloud opportunities. Text in smaller font provides more information about each chameleon characteristic and is perfect for older kids or as a fast fact to toss out in a discussion. Back matter provides further considerations of chameleons, and a short bibliography points the way for curious kids (and adults) who might want to read more about some of the studies.

Beyond the Book:

Craft a Color-Changing chameleon – all you need are paper plates, paint, a brass fastener, and a chameleon stencil. Check out this video from PBS for how to do it.

Make a paper chameleon with a blow-out tongue. You’ll need some colored paper and a straw and a couple more easy-to-find things. Here’s a video showing how to do it.

Create some counting and math games for a paper chameleon. Draw and color a chameleon, and tape it to a plastic cup or other container. Then use small pom-poms for flies. You can have kids use a clothespin or tweezers to “feed” flies to the chameleon by dropping them in his cup. You can count flies – or roll a die to determine how many flies to feed the chameleon. Here’s a resource for those games.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ how snow sticks

 

Walking through the woods on a snowy afternoon I noticed the differences in how snow stuck to things. Tree trunks, for example. 

 

Some trees had thick scaly bark, and falling snow accumulated in the crevices around them. Trees with smoother bark had hardly any. But, given the wind, some had stuck to the tree trunks anyway.

 

 Winter weeds, on the other hand, ended up with Snow Hats!

 

Next Time it Snows: take a walk around your neighborhood and notice where the snow ends up on trees and plants. 

 

Further observation: does where and how snow sticks to trees and winter weeds vary with the water content of the snow? Powdery snow forms in cold, dry air so it doesn't have much moisture. Flakes that form when the temperature is near freezing will have more moisture. That makes them stickier - great for making snowballs - but also heavier.