Chemical History of a Candle: bonus experiment

We are reading Michael Faraday's Six Lectures for the chemistry component of a Year 9 science class. As you can surmise from the title of the book, there is a lot of candle burning going on.

The experiments involve close observation of the flame and usually involves its going out in different situations using up many matches in the process of relighting the candle often.  One student casually wondered how matches work so I assigned that question as homework.

When we reconvened the following week, the students' narrations then led to wondering if all matches were the same? So we decided to find out and set up an experiment using different kinds of matches.

Surprisingly, I had 8 different types of matches on hand: ones with turquoise match heads, black, white or pink match heads, red with white tips of various sizes and matches with cardboard sticks from souvenir matchbooks.  We used the same igniter for each strike to keep that consistent.

The students decided what they could observe that might distinguish matches from each other: What does it smell like when it first burns? or when it is first put out? What colour is the flame and the smoke? How big is the flame?

One thing usually leads to another and investigations usually lead to more questions.  They wondered if the different colours were just a dye on top of the usually red phosphorus match head or its true colour.  They first put it under a microscope to examine the match head and then started scraping off layers of the colour to see how it was constructed.

The Best Part

This summer has been relatively dry.  Dry enough that the grass on my front lawn is a disappointing shade of dead but in the back yard, where the lawn is shaded with large trees, it is green. The kind of green that does not come from newly laid sod but from dandelion leaves, creeping charlie and clover.  And since there hasn’t been enough rain the few stubborn blades of grass have not grown high enough to warrant a pass of the mower.  So my backyard has swaths of flowering clover. 

And that clover is host to hundreds of honey bees.

So much good can come from just letting it be. 

Some would call that lazy. But truly, let the lawn go in the spring and it will be covered in dandelions and swarming with bees and the first butterflies and beetles and flies. Then the clover over the summer and voila! Nature happily taking up residence in your very own backyard. No intervention and manipulation required, just restraint from weeding and feeding and mowing and spraying. ‘Cause, really, all that would be left are manicured but barren blades of grass with literally no life in it.

Much like what Charlotte Mason calls Masterly Inactivity.  No need for manicured lesson plans and long lectures but just living books and things in the hands of a child and voila! Ideas and questions will sprout to be examined and narrated. Mason says, “We ought to do so much for our children, and are able to do so much for them, that we begin to think everything rests with us and that we should never intermit for a moment our conscious action on the young minds and hearts about us. Our endeavours become fussy and restless. We are too much with our children, ‘late and soon.’ We try to dominate them too much, even when we fail to govern, and we are unable to perceive that wise and purposeful letting alone is the best part of education.”

Purposeful letting alone allows your yard, your children’s education, an opportunity to be rife with life.

Not fussing nor restless but watching bees pollinate while lying in the grass.

Constellation Narration

I did a constellation chart with my daughter when she was about nine years old. It turned out to be quite beautiful. When she was a teen we attended a Royal Astronomical Society meeting and set up a private tour of the local observatory to explain further what astronomy was all about. That inch wide but deep work we did instilled a fascination for the subject that has now lasted ten years. She is even taking astronomy as an elective course in university.

I have a few young students this year and thought it would be nice to revisit this subject. We read the same book; it's not fabulous but for an introduction it works. What is great about it is that the constellations are presented in an order that makes it easy to jump from one star group to another. I have my students carefully copy out each constellation as it relates to one they already know. I have them do it in their nature notebooks going back to the same page so as to get as many of the constellations together within one picture.

My eight year old student insisted that each constellation had it's own box, she is at a stage where even her copy work has boxes around each entry. I was concerned that she wouldn't retain the relationships between all the star groupings.

Once they narrated what they knew of the position of the constellation they were allowed to pin it onto their star chart:

                         

 We had been adding one constellation a week since September. We then had a six week break over the Christmas holidays and I thought I would find out what they still knew about the constellations when we met again in January. I asked them to draw their star chart from memory with their proper names.

I was amazed. They both were able to recall each constellation and place them fairly close to their correct positions. I, too, did this exercise. I do have them all in my nature notebook but do not have a star chart of my own. I was able to recall that there were eight constellation but could only draw in five and name four.

Everyone needs a star chart.

Something Blue

I noticed that when the mud dauber wasp's wings catch the sun, 

they are shiny blue.

 I did my slow quiet walk around my back yard 

and noticed the dragon fly, also blue. Blue. 

Do we see blue often in nature?

 Yes, I turned in my spot knowing 

the blue spruce stood tall right behind me. 

Stealthily I made my way back to the pond

 and was greeted by this damselfly.

 Blue, not only for summer skies and open waters.

"Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean - roll!"   Lord Byron from Childe Harold

The Ten Step Nature Walk

Literally. Ten steps. 

I did not have to pack my nature notebook. I did not fill my water bottle. 

I did not need to find my keys or the energy for the journey to a place where I can see God's creatures.

great golden digger wasp

I took ten steps out my back door to where my pond, 

overgrown with water lilies and filled with frogs, stands.

 Every year I tear mounds of  the invasive hydrilla out of the water

 and pull up tons of mint that throws runners over everything.

mud dauber wasp

But the mint that does grow back blooms and when it blooms,

everyone wants some.

Yesterday I took ten steps from my house, stood still 

and watched nature come to me.

metallic green bee 'Agapostemon'

cabbage white

carpenter bee

Nine different species that were kind enough to pose for a photo. 

And this was not even looking in the pond or counting what landed on the other plants.    I stood there for a good thirty minutes hardly noticing the heat of the unclouded sun.    I did notice it when my shadow obscured my view and disturbed 

an insect.

Plant something that brings nature to your door step. 

Or at least within ten steps of it.

It's not Mange!

I am always learning and it's nice to think that I can also remember what I learn.  For my last post I researched the squirrel since they are so abundant in my own back yard. I've been away and was sitting back at the computer that purposely sits right beside the sliding glass doors and noticed a sad looking squirrel.  It took me a few moments and I remember that squirrels molt!  All these years I thought I was seeing some mangy rodent on it's last legs.  Mange is actually a real thing, it is caused by mites which bite the animal and irritate the skin follicle.

bald patches on his neck and waist

Molting is triggered by secretion of the thyroid and pituitary glands. Since it is his spring molt, he will undergo a compete head-to-tail molt. The fall molt is only rump-to-head and maintains his tail fur.

it's a happier picture knowing it's not mange

While on my walk today I saw a squirrel with a mouthful of leaves and bits of string and stuffing. He bounced across the street and then quietly slid around the trunk of a large maple tree and settle in the crotch of the large branches.  I will take care to walk this way again to see the progress. I will also keep an eye out for the trees in my own backyard and see if the squirrels nest there again.

The photos of the squirrels in the last post were taken on February 2nd.  So just six weeks ago they had not yet begun to molt.  I wonder what signals the body to begin the secretions that shed fur? It is still below freezing here and no sign of getting warmer. Maybe they have little calendars in their dens and noticed that spring indeed has arrived.

In The Shadow of His Tail

We can not possibly know about every living thing on this earth. Nor do we need to know. So why are we drawn to the exotics when there are animals in our own back yards that we give no more than a cursory glance? How much do you know about the most common animals in your neighborhood?  I wonder how many delights we miss because we are so used to seeing them.

"I will sit still and let the marvels and the adventures settle on me like flies. There are plenty of them I assure you. The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder." G.K. Chesterton

One of these non-exotics I have decided to spend a little more time examining is the squirrel. The only thing I knew is that they nest and play in my backyard and that there are grey ones and black ones.

Do you know the difference between the two? Apparently there is no difference, they are the same thing.   "Indeed, many people believe that black squirrels are a separate species rather than a colour phase of the grey. In fact, his colouring may be grey, dark brown or black, red-brown, or pure white, but his most common colouring is grey or black.

Grey or Black Squirrel, the scientific name, Sciurus carolinensis, refers both to his plume-like tail, and the locality where he was first identified. Sciurus comes from the Greek and means "creature who sits in the shadow of his tail":, while carolinensis is the Latinized name for the original state of Carolina.

The halo effect of their tail is created by silver-tipped guard hairs.

The grey squirrel moults twice each year; in spring and in autumn.  All his fur is replaced in the spring moult, which commences at his head; the autumn moult moves in the opposite direction, and excludes his tail."

I spent a few hours watching this one squirrel eat seeds and proceed to engage in a lengthy cleaning regiments every ten minutes or so. I was amazed at his flexibility and thoroughness.

I picked up this wonderful book because I was beginning to realize I was missing out on the wonders right outside my own door: The Squirrels of Canada by S.E. Woods, Jr. where the 1980 edition has a wonderful drawing on the cover by Jan Sharkey Thomas.

A Snow Plow and a Spider

I watch an adorable four year old most Wednesday nights while his parents lead our high school youth group.  Last week he and I snuggled in to read a huge pile of books. He excitedly handed me one favorite after another, the same way my children did, never seeming to tire of the same old story.  Every week I sneak in a few new titles and this week, in celebration of a recent snow fall, we read Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton.

I love all her stories as well as the illustrations that fill the page with tiny details and so much to look at. As I was enjoying each simple scene I suddenly was reminded of a previous 'friend' I had studied.

"But Katy was so big and strong

she had to stay at home, 

because there was not enough snow for her to plow."

But Spider was so shy and wary

he had to curl the leaf,

because that was the only way to feel secure.

I gleefully showed my daughter my personal connection.  She whimsically looked at the illustration of Katy in the garage smiling as she remembered the story. I then showed her my photo of the spider and she had to agreed that yes, it was quite like Katy preparing to plow.  Then, in disgust, she said I had ruined the sweet image of Katy diligently plowing out a city from the big snow.  To her the spider is a shudder-inducing creature that  now replaces dear Katy in a once beloved book.

Connections our children make between different stories, ideas and adventures they have are as different as you and me. You may not 'get' my connection between Katy and the spider, but it was mine to make and mine to keep mulling over. I wonder if the spider's big snow is a big insect instead. I wonder how long he waits in that one leaf like the snow plow in a garage. Katy has a purpose proper to her as does the spider. 

The spider laid in wait for days

so he could catch just the right insects for his supper

Then he went home satiated.

Then....and only then did the spider stop.

Nature Study Idea: Winter

It is wonderful that we have different seasons.  There may not be new species to see in winter but we certainly can see things in a new way.  Winter also reveals things previously hidden. 

What have you discovered?

Squirrel nests, three of them!

There were hundreds of blooms on the tulip tree,

but we just couldn't see them because of the leaves.

Nature Study Idea: Colors

My property is not huge. When we moved in 21 years ago there was the one apple tree that we kept for the beautiful leaf shade it still provides for our patio. Since then we have spent the time planting other trees, flowers and shrubs mostly from cuttings and transplants given to us by neighbors. It takes patience and vision to build a nature sanctuary of beauty and function.  The function being the habitat and food for animals; nectar from the flowers for bees and butterflies, yummy hosta leaves for slugs and earwigs, berries for birds, trees for squirrel nests and all those sights and sounds for us humans. This is only to say there could be plenty of things to see in your own backyard for nature study. 

Join your children, go out your own backdoor and look for things that are red:

cherries left for birds and critters

maple leaves

Japanese maple

English buttercups

rose hip

burning bush berries

Of course going down the sidewalk or through a park or nature trail is great too. Don't make nature study a chore by thinking it has to be a complicated outing. If you have something specific to look for chances are you will see something else along the way. Stop, look, really look and describe what you see, sketch it, use the perfect shade of red for painting then label it. 

Nature Study Idea: Seeds

It's that time of year where the seed pods are revealed after the leaves have fallen: 

1. go on a quest for what has produced seeds.  

2. collect some seeds and mark them carefully for planting in your own garden or

3. share with someone who is willing to send you their seeds. I would be willing to send you some of mine.

4. sketch some of the different shapes of pods and seeds noting what plants they they are from.

5. if your students find something else more fascinating while searching for seeds, then explore and sketch what has attracted their attention instead.  The point is to get them noticing.

Here are some of my plants that have produced seeds:

Red bud seed pods looking like laundry on the line.

The silver dollar, money plant or "Lunaria annua",

if you gently rub the outer shells,
the parts with the seeds slip off,

the 'silver dollar' is revealed
and you have a beautiful dried plant for your home.

Seeds fall and drift everywhere producing many plants,
 if you don't like them they pull  up easily.

Purple flag iris pods reflect the number 3 in their flowers,

the shells are hard and three sided.

Columbines gather their seeds as in a miniature rattle,

shake them gently to hear the tiny sound
 then dump them upside down to spread the seeds.

Plantaginea hosta, the one with the lovely white flowers,

their seeds almost look like tiny maple tree keys.