Most of this stuff was previously on our mantle, in fact I think my header image still reflects that – I better update that pronto. But, since we decorated for Christmas and Kent didn’t want to drill a new hole for the hanging star for the nativity over the sideboard, I had to put it the same place as last year so I could use the existing hole in the ceiling. And then I thought this was best anyway because what good is a nature study shelf up on a mantle, where little hands are not free to touch and explore and just take it all in? So we gained a bit more space in the transition to the sideboard and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I just love to look at at! Adele spends quite a bit of time here too, examining things with the jewelers loupe or just the naked eye. Gosh, it’s hard to see all the little things in the front. Let’s try a better angle, shall we?
That’s better, right? So let’s see how many things you can find:
- milkweed
- black-eyed susans
- hydrangea
- bird’s nest
- assorted acorns nut shells (i.e. we haven’t identified them yet)
- a large and small bumble bee
- broken pieces of a star anise
- maple seeds (i.e. helicopters)
- assorted rocks (i.e. I have no idea what kinds since we haven’t ID’d them yet)
- some evergreen clippings from our yard
- shells and other beachy items
- butterflies
- lovely pinecones
- some beautiful leaves
- seed pods from garlic chives in the back yard garden
- and an empty glass cloche – I am trying to find the perfect things to go in there, but so far it’s just waiting expectantly =)
And here’s our little bird-watching area on the other side of the dining room. In the clipboard is a printable from Marbles and Wildflowers (which is my new fav blog) where we keep track of birds we’ve sighted at our feeders (which currently sit on the empty chicken tractor). Of course we keep our bird field guides handy to identify the birds before we forget what they look like. Also, we have a few nature study readers we are currently reading right here where we (I) won’t forget about them =)
P.S. We’ve REALLY enjoyed watching THESE short videos on birding skills! If you check the videos out or if you have a fun nature study area in your home, leave a comment to let us know.
