Outdoor Hour Challenge #31 & #32 ~Trees~

We're back to blogging and back to Nature Study!  I hadn't mentioned it before, but Barb's "Outdoor Hour Challenges" were another contributing factor to my decision to start blogging again.  For some reason I can't motivate myself to do the things I know I should without some form of outside motivation...  

Well, I could tell we were out of the habit of "Nature Study" because when I mentioned that we were going to start doing nature study again this week I got lots lots of moans and groans from the boys.  I thought we had gotten past that by the end of last school year!  Oh well.  At least I have the hope that they will start looking forward to it again once we get back in the habit.

We decided to combine Challenge 31 & 32 so we wouldn't be behind to start out.  I am really looking forward to this challenge!  I love trees, but I really can identify only a few of them.

Here are some of the trees we saw on our walk down our street today...

This was G.'s favorite.  I believe it is a honey locust tree.  It is one of my favorites too.  I love the delicate leaves.

Here is G. resting in the shade of an apple tree.  This one doesn't have any apples on it, but the one right next to it does. 

I'm not sure why....

On to the Pine...  This tree is over the fence in our back yard.  I think this is an Austrian Pine.  It had two needles per bundle and they were about 3-6 inches long.  The needles were dark green.

I. found a young pincone on the tree that hadn't matured and opened yet.

We also found this pinecone at the base of the tree.  The kids were excited about their finds.  It felt so good to be out enjoying nature again.  We spent a lot of time outside this summer, but most of that was spent at the pool, or riding bikes and playing with the neighbors.  We ended up spending a lot of extra time out doors after we were done with our nature study, just playing and hanging out.  The weather was perfect!

The boys had fun doing crazy poses for me on the trampoline...

H. man,

G.,

and I-mac.  He is still holding his pinecone in his hand! =)

Little C. had fun mastering the slide.

again,

and again,

and again,

and again...

Then she and I-mac found some treats on our yellow-raspberry bush.

I-mac is such a good big brother.

Little C. had so many I was worried she might get sick...

They really are good though.  If you haven't tried the yellow variety, you really should get one.

Sorry this has turned into such a long post.  I guess I have harbored a lot of pent up blogging in the past three months, and I just needed to get it out...  (I also took 80 pictures today.  What fun!) All-in-all it was a wonderful day.  It's amazing what a little outdoor time can turn into!