Explore Outdoors ~ Morning sky

I've been watching the morning sky this month. Many days, the sky looks like layers of slate-colored clouds, stacked from the horizon to the top of the sky dome. But some mornings the early dawn light paints the sky with colors.

collage using tissue paper for the sky, and painted paper for tree trunks

Try to capture the colors of the sky - using whatever media you want: collage, paint, music, words... How does the sky change from one day to the next? What do you notice about sunrises and sunsets?

This year I'm encouraging everyone to spend 1,000 hours outdoors. So on Wednesday I'll be posting ideas for nature breaks, field trips, and outdoor play. The goal: to have fun!

Teachers and homeschoolers who want to use nature breaks as field trips can grab a sketchbook or journal, something to draw and write with, and some watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers. Think cross-curricular: art, language, science, math, engineering, movement, exercise! And come back Friday for some STEM book-talk.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Look Up!

"Why are you taking a picture of the sky?" a kid asked. It was blue... and after so many gray (and cold!) days I wanted to document that we actually have sunny days in upstate New York. Of course, "sunny blue sky" is a relative term. As you can see, there are clouds up there.

But there are clouds, and then there are clouds. These are the first variety: light, airy, letting the sun through... and warning of the coming storm.

This week do some daytime sky watching. Notice the texture of clouds - and their colors. Do they look heavy or light? What happens over the next 24 to 48 hours?

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Look Up!

How do trees share the sky?

This week spend more time looking at the world 

from a different perspective.

Welcome to a New Year of Wednesday Exploring! We'll head out on field trips, take nature breaks, ask questions, and meet cool bugs. So make sure you've got a nature journal, and sharpen your pencils. On Fridays join us for STEM book reviews and "beyond the book" activities.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Sky views

The trees that frame our piece of the sky are changing with the seasons.
Look up!
What do you see now that is different from a couple weeks ago?
Find a tree that helps frame a piece of the sky and visit it over the summer. Notice what changes as we move from spring to summer to fall.
Take along your journal or camera to capture colors, clouds, flowers, leaves, insects, birds....

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ sky-watching

Last month I took a photo of these trees from my back porch. I thought it would be fun to look at the treetops and sky over a year, and compare what I see. It looks like a black-and-white photo, but that's just because it's snowing.

There's nothing dramatic happening yet - buds and leaves are still asleep. But when things are bare, you tend to notice things that you didn't before... like the squirrel's nest up in the treetop. What do you see when you look up in the branches of the trees in your neighborhood? And how does the sky change how the world looks?

Wednesday Explorers Club

Welcome to a new year! This year I'm doing something new with my Wednesday page; I'm turning it into an "explorer's club". That means you'll find different things here each week. I'll continue with occasional five-minute-field trips and "wordless Wednesday" photos, but be open to adventure. Be prepared to meet a "bug of the month", and every now and then I'll challenge you to "look closer".

For this week - check out the sky above you. I'm not sure why, but I think our winter sky has a different look that the summer sky: not as soft. Maybe it's the cold air... If you have a camera, take photos of your sky from one particular place - maybe once a week, or a couple times a month. Who knows what you might discover.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Collect the colors of the sunset on your page. What do you hear? See? Feel?

Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Capture the colors of the sky at sunset.

Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.