Weekly Wrap Up ~ Week 4: Camping and Nature Study

I am a little late with my weekly wrap-up post! We were on vacation last week, camping in a provincial park near Lake Huron.

We took several walks, two on nature trails. We climbed to the highest point of the park, on the oldest and largest dune ridge. The view from the top was spectacular! We could see endless farm lands on one side and Lake Huron on the other. We did a lot of "nature study", nothing planned but as we walked and saw interesting things in nature, we talked about it. Here is a quick family photo we took at that highest point with the camera self-timer:

We observed different types of pine (red and white) trees and oaks. We saw invading wild grape vines and lots of wild flowers. I love moss and found a lot. We also saw various types of mushrooms and fungus, especially turkey tail fungus (last photo).

We also noticed many butterflies and moths. We found several dead ones and took them home to identify. I found a dead bat in the bathroom near the dog beach. I used two sticks to move it outside so we could see it better. I took several photos and we left it there (I am ok with moths or butterflies, but that's about it!), talking about how some scavenger would surely find it later. Today, at home, we looked at the photos more closely and researched what type it was. We think it is a little brown bat . 

The kids and my husband took a little paddleboat ride down the small river in the park. They spotted a Belted Kingfisher bird, Canadian Geese and a turtle too!

We also spent a lot of time on the beach, even if it was a little cool. We watched two sunsets and played in the waves and the sand. It was a wonderful vacation!

It was a wonderful trip for our family, lots of fresh air, nature, and time together.

If you would like to read more weekly wrap-up posts from other homeschooling families, you can visit Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.