Nature notebooks

The girls keep nature journals (they call them nature notebooks) and write/draw pictures in them sometimes when we're doing things related to nature. Usually I'm the one who has to remind them to bring along their notebooks, but the other day when we were headed out to go fishing Larkin said, "I want to bring my nature notebook and draw some worms!!" That made the teacher in me smile!

There's a storm pond near out house that someone has been keeping stocked with fish. It's the perfect place for little kids to fish!

Larkin taking a break from fishing to go press/dry flowers in her notebook

Joel handles all the fishing related stuff--I just take the pics! I tried to take a hook out on this trip and got totally grossed out.

Larkin's page on worms--worm drawings and two W's--and then said
"I put two W's--W for Willa and W for worm!"

Another day we cut open a pie pumpkin and made guesses about what the inside would look like. Then we cut it open and the girls drew seeds, pumpkins, and even a few purses and deer footprints. Willa was especially into this --she sat there for over 20 minutes drawing tiny pumpkin circles.

Speaking of writing, Willa wrote her name for the first time this week! She was drawing and then said, "Mommy, will you help me write my name?" She wanted it on her favorite color paper--purple. I wrote her name letter by letter at the top, and then she wrote her name underneath. She's only made a few letters before this (H, T, L) so was very excited to write her name!