August of the 365 Nature Journal
Foraging.
We haven’t discussed foraging much before although there have been a few prompts in previous months. Foraging doesn’t have to be a big deal, picking kitchen herbs to use in cooking is a level of foraging I quite like. Also it has become a tradition that we pick the blackberries (27th) from near us every August and make jam (19th– I’m rubbish at it, always too runny) or BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE Sometimes they come earlier or later and we discuss why that is and how other events that are usually season specific might have varied too. This all builds up a connection to nature that is a personal one.
We do also like using fresh mint in mint tea (9th), just add it to hot water. Or the Wildlife watch have ideas for your own WILD-COCKTAIL to make. We always suck the nectar from the honeysuckle (28th). I always say I’m gong to harvest my own sunflower seeds at the end of the summer, but when it comes to it it always seems like too much work and I just put it out for the birds (30th)
Stay physical.
Make the most of this end of summer to be strong for going into the winter. Activities on 7th,13th,14th,2nd, 22nd all encourage checking on your physical fitness.
August sometimes has a long hazy feel to it and the daily prompts this month seemed a bit loose and free. Pick and choose as you want. Or just hang out in the elements –29th and 11th.
There are many Smart Happy Project Nature Scavenger Hunts in this article that you can make into a treasure hunt for 3rd with a prize at the end. The colour wheel hunt is always great fun and can be done again and again with different colours.
Natural Navigation
The 18th suggests making a sundial, and hopefully there is still sun with you to make it a worthwhile exercise. Sky and Telescope.com have a template to download and easy instructions to follow. Or you can try making your own. I do think these world observations are valuable. We can sometimes forget in the age of GPS that a little basic understanding of our place on this planet can mean lots to our psychology and personal geography. These observations and tides (12th and 26th) and knowledge of clouds (from April and May) all build to help us naturally navigate the world, which I believe still has its place today.
Again Wildlife Watch come to the rescue with an activity sheet on CRABBING (6th) and I’ve attached again the ladybird detective for 10th (I must have overlooked it being in last month too- sorry)
How is that feather collection getting on? Do you remember the different types of feathers (5th) you might have learnt back in April?
You can use feathers you find as writing or painting implements (25th). Can you use it to colour the pattern on the found shell of 21st? Simple colouring activity like this help us to see the patterns thats are naturally occurring in nature’s forms.
The activity for the 23rd and 24th August is a little science experiment. (random, i know!) The peel of the orange acts as a sort of lifejacket and keeps the orange bobbing at the water’s surface. Remove the peel from the orange and the density is suddenly greater and the orange sinks. The peel is light and fluffy with pockets of air in, I like to think of it as an orange life jacket!
Towards the end of the month you will start to see the seasons begin to change again. the leaves may be drying out and changing colour (8th) and on the 16th compare your darkness times from July, the nights may seem a bit darker earlier and it happens quickly. And finally on the 31st have you been lucky and seen your caterpillar hatch out?
text with links
couple of photos
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