Autumn Series 2010 - #5 Seasonal Tree Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge - Autumn Series - #5 Seasonal Tree Observations

 For our outdoor time our family headed to a nearby park that has a path through a small forest of oak trees.  We were able to observe (chase?) more deer during this time as well.  In the above picture there are several deer in the grassy area near the middle of the picture.  You can also see the burn area of last month's fire on the mountains.   

 

 We brought home lots of "treasures" to look at more closely. 

 We decided to compare the oak leaves with leaves from our maple trees.  We read the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out science book Why Do Leaves Change Color? and learned about the how and why of leaves changing color, but also why Maples (red pigments=red colors) and Oaks (tannin=brown color) are different colors.  We also looked at the pages suggested in the  Colorado State Extension guide (pgs.3-5). 

For our journals:

 A decided to do leaf rubbings-

 I sketched mine by tracing the outside and adding veins.  I hope to add in the colors at some point. 

 N also traced the leaves, colored them, and created a story about a boy who shrinks to the same size and has to survive the rain and comes face-to-face with a centipede. 

Another EXCELLENT challenge!