Wander Wednesday: Scent Science
In honour of our Green theme this week, we went on a Conifer Scavenger Hunt!
Everyone went outdoors with a pair of scissors and a bag to collect a variety of evergreen boughs.
Not easy to identify, we used The Big Book of Nature Activities pnemonic device to name each, according to their needles.
Pine needles are long and like Pins
Cedar have scale-like flattened leaves
Fir are flat, flexible and don't roll between your fingers.
Spruce spiral, have sharp spike and spin between your fingers.
Then we took turns mashing out the oils to see if we could identify the species by smell!
One of my go-to books for nature-based learning.
It is separated by seasons and contains both simple, wandering activities, games to play in groups and science activities fit for a more mature skill set. I've learned more from this book than the kids have!
Her stories bring the wilderness to life and as a bonus are chocked full of clever tidbits and gorgeous illustrations. Beautiful collection to pass down through the ages.
Marc Martin's first book is simple and profound, starting with a forest, turned into a city and ending in a single sprout that starts the cycle again.
I often confuse Elsa Beskow and Sibylle von Olfers works because they are so similar in nature.
Mezmorzing detailed drawings with simple stories of life in the wild.