Winter Nature Study: Conifers

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"Conifers" by They Might Be Giants

When we lived in North Carolina, my friend Sara led us through a nature study lesson on conifers (cone-bearing trees). To be honest, I thought of them all as "pine trees." Before I moved to the South, I called them evergreens, too. They are evergreens, but so are magnolias! I knew there were different kinds, of course; there were blue spruce trees, for example, because we had them as Christmas trees sometimes when I was growing up. I knew the Michigan state tree was the Eastern white pine, and that the loblolly pine is the state tree of North Carolina. I hadn't put much thought into the differences between different kinds of conifers, though. Between studying with Sara, and researching on my own, I learned a lot!

Because many of the conifers in North Carolina were the same ones I'd seen growing up in Michigan, I was familiar with them already and it wasn't too hard to determine their species. In Colorado, though, the trees are very different, and I'm still learning the specific kinds. As I was preparing for this post, I learned that there are TONS of kinds used in landscaping that aren't found in the wild, which means I won't necessarily be able to identify them with my tree books. Alas!

If you haven't done a general study of trees before, you might want to look into that a little bit as you begin looking at conifers. The Handbook of Nature Study has a great lesson on trees. I also have posts on the Year Round Homeschooling blog, about starting a tree study and studying trees in the winter time.

When we studied conifers specifically, we learned how to tell the difference between pine, spruce, and fir trees.

Pine trees are pretty simple: if the needles come off the branches in groups of 2 (red pines), 3 (yellow pines) or 5 (white pines), it is a pine tree. Spruce and fir trees have single needles that come directly off their branches.

 Pine trees tend to lose their lower branches, where firs and spruces keep them (unless they are pruned). When you look at a pine cone, its scales are tough and woody.

Telling the difference between spruces and firs takes a little more work. Here's a little cheat sheet: 

Firs:

• Needles are flat. If you pull one off and try to roll it between your fingers, it won't be easy to do. 
• Fir needles grow directly onto the branch, so when they fall off, the branch is smooth.

Spruces:

• Needles are four-sided, and will roll easily between your fingers.  
• Needles are attached to small, woody projections on their branches, so the branches are bumpy. 

Spruce and fir cones have scales that are thin, almost papery.

Here are some pictures, so you can compare the branches:

I am not sure what kinds of pine trees I have there, but I believe the fir is a White Fir, because of the fissures left in the branch from the pitch pockets. The spruce branch is from a Colorado Blue Spruce that grows in my yard.

Look around and see what kinds of conifer trees you have nearby! Is there one you can study outside? If not, do you have a "real" Christmas tree in your house? If you do, it's probably a spruce or a fir tree. Can you tell which one it is? And, don't forget, you can easily make pine cone bird feeders to help out your feathered friends this winter!

The Handbook of Nature Study, my very favorite resource for nature study, has sections on the pine (recommending studying a white pine if possible), the Norway spruce, and the hemlock tree.

Resources:

• Website: Tree Leaf Key: Spruce, Fir or Hemlock
• Website: The Native Trees of Colorado (Do a web search on conifers in your state. Many states have information pages.)
• Post from Elemental Science: Inside The Cone 
• Video: How to Identify Pine Trees
• Video: How to Identify Spruce Trees
• Book: Handbook of Nature Study (Paperback or Kindle)
• Book: Trees, Leaves & Bark (Take Along Guides) (There are several of these Take-Along Guides, and they're worth getting, especially for young children!)
• The two nature guides I have are Trees of Colorado and the Peterson Field Guide to Western Trees (here's a link to the Eastern version).

Over at Year Round Homeschooling today, I have a post about Christmas trees - a little history, some science ideas, and some craft ideas. Head over there and check it out! And, as my gift to you, please enjoy this free Conifer Copywork ebook. Put some of the quotes in your nature journal if you like.

Also, my friend Jennifer has a wonderful website called Advent Idea Box, with great information and resources for the Advent season.

REVIEW: Fascinating World of Birds DVD

Sometimes, a nice DVD can bring another dimension to a topic we're studying in school, or help fill a rainy afternoon. The Fascinating World of Birds DVD from Brainfood Learning sounded good - a DVD to pop in when you need a little TV break, and educational to boot! Everyone can learn a little something new about birds, right?

We love birds at our house. We keep our feeders filled and our entire family enjoys watching the birds as the visit. We've learned to identify several species just by having the feeders out. I was excited to receive a copy of this DVD to review.

The video first presents some characteristics that are common to all birds, and then moves on to teach about 10 specific birds, including ostriches, penguins, Canada geese, eagles, and more. The pictures and clips of live birds are beautiful. The program is set up in short segments, each giving some specific information. Following each segment, a vocabulary word is presented which relates back to what you've just learned. For example, after the segment on eagles, the vocabulary word is "raptors." After the section about hummingbirds, the word is "metabolism." My children and I particularly enjoyed the video of a young owl who was trying to turn his face upside down. We laughed and laughed at that! It was not only adorable, but a great illustration of how flexible an owl's neck is.

There is a four-part review at the end, progressing from the easiest topic (identifying specific birds) to the most difficult (vocabulary definitions). Multiple-choice answers appear on the screen after each question; both questions and answers are read aloud by the narrator, so even very young children can participate.

We learned some new things! Did you know that owls have those interesting flat faces for an important reason? They have facial disc feathers, which help them hear better, and they can move the feathers to channel sound to their ears more efficiently. I did a quick Google search and learned that barn owls have the most pronounced facial disc, and great grey owls have the largest disc of any bird. Thanks, Wikipedia! (You know you like to follow these little rabbit trails, too.)

The video program is basically someone reading facts about birds while we look at pictures and video clips. I would prefer to learn about the birds through a story, or perhaps a series of short stories, rather than a list of facts. However, this is just one resource. You certainly wouldn't expect to learn everything you wanted to know about birds from one short DVD program! I could see using this around a study of birds; many of the birds could be seen in the wild where we live, and special ones, like ostriches and penguins, are available to see at the zoo. That would be worth a field trip. We see lots of American robins and hummingbirds where we live, and sometimes we see Canadian geese. I will be sure to have my children watch for the things we learned in the video to see what they observe for themselves.

My children and I did enjoy watching this program. The kids had a good time with the review questions, shouting out the answers. Even Isaac participated, and he's not usually that interested in things like this.

The DVD is intended for all ages, and runs for about 44 minutes. It's available from Brainfood Learning for $14.99. They've recently added lesson plans for this DVD, and others, on their website. They are available here.

The Schoolhouse Crew reviewed three DVDs from Brainfood Learning.

Click to read more reviews!