Wild Flowers and Vernal Pools

Nature Study Field Trip to vernal pool and splash pool. Beautiful field and beautiful wild flowers. 

Nature Bowl 2013 Semifinal

Nature Bowl 2013, sponsored by Department of Fish and Game. Daniel is part of the SCOPE team competing in one of the semifinals on April 10, 2013 at Nimbus Fish Hatchery. Their team did very well on Bell Ringer and Environmental Commercial. Overall, they got the 2nd place among the 8 participating schools.

Before the competition.

Getting ready for Team Problems and Bell Ringer.

"What do you think?" Working on a Team Problem.

James got bored watching the competition, snuggling with "salmon eggs".

Taking a break.  They met a friend from church who was on another team.

The 3rd and 4th grader SCOPE team with coach Mrs. Fenner.

Award Ceremony.  

Homeschool Project Fair

The whole week before the SCOPE Project Fair, Daniel did not do any regular school work but worked on his project. It's his first time participating. Because he is in 4th grade, he has to do written work besides an exhibit (a display board). He did most of the work, including reading a book, researching on the internet, drafting the written report, and designing the display board. I was his secretary, helping him with editing, formatting,  purchasing materials, and putting the pieces together for the board. While it was busy and fun working on the project, seeing all the wonderful works done by these homeschooled children at the Project Fair is truly inspiring and encouraging.

Here are a few selected favorites.

Attracting Pollinators. By Daniel, 4th grader. He got a blue ribbon!

He picked a few wooden accents and drew a diagram of the inside of a flower.

Art: A Reflection of Western Philosophy. One of my favorite at the fair. Very well researched. Beautifully laid out. Pleasing to the eyes and a delight to the soul. Done by a highschooler.

Hunting with Dogs. This is James' favorite. With lots of interesting objects on display, such as animal skins, horns, feathers, and skulls, and bullet shells, etc.

All About the Yo-Yo. By Nolan, a friend of Daniel and James. He had a video showing himself demonstrating some cool Yo-Yo tricks.

Some of the fine art entries.

Human Anatomy: Medical Illustration. Both Daniel and James liked it. 

American River Ecology. Another favorite of mine. A group project by eight highschoolers. Very comprehensive and intriguing! It came out of their high school biology co-op class and was based on three field trips to the American River.

Wild Edible Plants Sacramento Region. A unique collection of wild edible plants.

Volunteering at Native Plant Nursery

It was was exam/break week last week on our homeschool calendar . Monday and Tuesday were exams, mostly only for Daniel. Wednesday morning we went to Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery at Rancho Cordova.

Daniel is working on a school project "Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden" for both the Nature Bowl  hosted by California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the SCOPE Project Fair. It is a tiny nursery run totally by volunteers. We were assigned to pull weeds from the walk way and were treated with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch after work. We then bought several plants to take home and plant in our yard. James got distracted after half an hour or so. Luckily, one of the volunteers brought along a friendly golden retriever, who James had fun playing with.

James' First Basketball Game

James' very first "game" on March 23, 2013. I have to say that he has more athletic talents than mom. Dad says that it's all from his. Haha. It's really fun watching these little kids playing so seriously or so causally.