Nature Studies: Eastern White Pine and Pine Cones

The Trees have been asking (and asking) about Nature Studies lately. Formal nature studies! We ALWAYS talk "nature" out on the trails, but they've been hankering for something a little more in-dept and hands-on with field guides. Not wanting to make our nature studies "schoolish" but at the same time meeting their learning desires, I decided to print-out and combine simple notebooking pages with outdoor exploration and hands-on activities. So, we're starting with our tree names! (I have no idea where we'll find MY tree name: Sweet Pepperbush! LOL)

Eastern White Pine and Pine Cones! The pine tree is our state tree and it's flower, the pine cone and tassel, is our state, well, flower. LOL These trees can grow up to 100 feet high and are plentiful in Maine forests and used for furniture making.

 No nature study is complete without some outside exploration, right? So, we headed out to compare young and old pine tree bark, and dead and living pine needles (leaves!).

 And then we gathered some closed and opened pine cones and a few bunches of needles and headed inside. Did you know that Eastern Pine trees have clusters of 5 pine needles? (It's easy to remember if you think that 5 needles can stand for W-H-I-T-E! LOL) Red pines have clusters for 2 needles. Anyway, the kids carefully took apart pine cones searching for seeds, and then decided to plant the seeds in pots.

Using our favorite field guides, the trees filled out notebooking pages.

Balsam Fir

Sugar Maple

White Pine

Up next: Sugar Maple...although the maples are looking a bit BARE this time of year! LOL