Archive for photography
Blending In With Nature
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A Great Horned Owl blends in with the trees it lives in.
This Grey Squirrel also blends with the trees where it lives.
One of things I find fun and educational is spending time in the outdoors, observing and photographing the marvels nature has to offer. In the animal kingdom are those which are brightly colored as well as those which are subdued or camouflaged.
In nature, survival is crucial for the continuation of the species. Being unseen in plain view is nature’s way of achieving just that. Whether it is birds, squirrels or deer, each has been given a color scheme uniquely their own that provides them protection.
Animals that spend a great deal of time in the open use both their color and the time of day to better protect themselves from detection. Owls hunt at night; during the day they perch in trees, where their feathers have a similar texture and coloration to that of tree bark. Deer love to graze in open meadows and fields, yet this makes them vulnerable to predators. Deer depend on their color as well as the time of day to protect them. Evenings offer the best protection; When the sun is low their tan-gray coloration lets them blend in well with their grass and woodland habitat.
A herd of Deer emerge from the woods and onto the prairie as the sun sets.
Take this turkey (left) as it makes its way through the brush, trying to elude me as I try to capture its picture. Its dark color blends in with the shadows as well as the trees and bushes. An animal that continues to feel threatened in the shadows, will escape by running or like the turkey on the right, take flight.
So, the next time you take a walk through the woods or an open field, take a few minutes to look around to see what is really there. You might be surprised at the wildlife hiding in plain sight, wildlife that you’d never notice with just a casual glance.
Take Time to Notice the Bugs!
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“Embrace the bugs … Bring them into your classroom, you’ll have science everywhere,” says Terri Swain, director of High Pointe Child Care at Southern Indiana’s Early Childhood Conference.
Bugs are fascinating to preschoolers, or at least they can be if we don’t teach our kids to be afraid of them. Exposing our children to the outdoors and nature at a very young age, helps them develop confidence, learn about interesting tiny creatures, and influences their attitudes as they grow older. More than that, when you inspire their curiosity about nature, it helps to get them hooked on learning.
85% of a child’s brain is developed by the age of five. At this young age, their brains are forming new connections, developing the capacity for lifelong learning. As parents, grandparents, and educators, we have the wonderful opportunity to stimulate their brain development through something as simple as getting our children engaged in the outdoors … and taking the time to notice the bugs!
Photo Credit: ceeshek on flickr
Related Products: Preschool Books About Nature
Related Article (off-site): Educators Embrace Science
Educational Hobbies Backyard Resources
Posted by: | CommentsYou can combine basic wonderment of nature with the complexity of technology very easily right in your own backyard, home or school through educational hobbies. Nature provides a plethora of plants, insects and animals as study material for this process. All you need to do is to have a simple basic digital camera and a way to print pictures of what you’ve taken.
One of my favorite educational hobbies is to look around my yard to see what I can of interest. Fortunately I can sit and watch for a little while allowing the critters around me to settle and accept my presence before getting closer to them. Some animals have a natural fear so they will be harder to approach, but in time as long as they begin to sense no perceived threat, they will allow me to get closer and closer.
Some of the animals and insects are obvious because of their size. However, there are others that one needs to look closely to see. But if you look closely you’ll discover more than you might expect. One simple way to study these critters is to use a simple digital camera to snap shots of them.
Take this little bee for example. You actually combine two educational hobbies…photography and entomology. Pictures often reveal more than the eye can see in a glance. The photograph provides one a detailed record of not only the bee but the flower it is on.
Now a trip to the library or a search on the internet for more information about both the little bee and the flower yields more information to expand upon in the classroom or the home “lab.” Being alert to the environment around you, you can find many creatures of interest.
Above: A spider in the garden. A field mouse seeking warmth and food on a cold winter night. A “Puff Ball” fungi harvested from the backyard. All make great subjects for educational purposes. Isn’t it time you got started in any one of the many Educational Hobbies?
