September 19, 2013
Nature Hike
The class was had a guest speaker who held a great passion for nature. Sarah collaborates with various camps and groups, educating children about the wildlife. She takes them on hikes, allowing the children to closely observe nature.
Reflections
We went on a hike ourselves during class, which was held outside. Throughout our walk, she pointed out various facts she had accumulated throughout her schooling. She pointed out different types of trees and how you can narrow down what type of species a tree is by looking at its leaves, and not just by its shape but whether the leaves branch out at the same spot or whether they are staggered. It was both relaxing and interesting to observe nature and just take in all the subtle information surrounding us.
One thing she stressed was to slow down. Today, people in general, children especially, have grown accustom to a fast-paced lifestyle. Even Sarah Sze said that when it comes down to observation, it is extremely hard for people to sit and look at something for ten minutes. Some surveys state that the average person in a museum will only look at a painting for ten to twenty seconds. The Louvre found that people looked at the Mona Lisa an average of 15 seconds, which makes you wonder how long they spend on the other thirty five thousand works in the collection.
After we traveled through a short scenic route to the lake and back, we individually separated in order to find something(s) to observe in depth. We then reconvened to share with the group what we had observed and what we had learned from our observations. To the left is a sketch of what I was observing along with some jotted notes of what I observed. Although I did not know what the flower was called at the time, I noticed many things as I closely observed. There were rough, stiff, lance-shaped, dark green leaves attached to a rough stem, which was topped with multiple large blooms. The flowers had black and yellow, thimble-like spikes that felt similar to pine needles gathered in a ball-like mass, which was surrounded by ray of petals in hues varying from a grayish white to deep pink and light purple. Upon researching the flower, I learned that these were purple coneflowers, or Echinacea purpureas. I discovered that the iridescent shades of all parts of the flower attract insects of all kinds. Birds love the seeds that form and persist in the head after the petals have fallen off. Removing the spent blooms will encourage multiple successions of flowers.
One thing she stressed was to slow down. Today, people in general, children especially, have grown accustom to a fast-paced lifestyle. Even Sarah Sze said that when it comes down to observation, it is extremely hard for people to sit and look at something for ten minutes. Some surveys state that the average person in a museum will only look at a painting for ten to twenty seconds. The Louvre found that people looked at the Mona Lisa an average of 15 seconds, which makes you wonder how long they spend on the other thirty five thousand works in the collection.
After we traveled through a short scenic route to the lake and back, we individually separated in order to find something(s) to observe in depth. We then reconvened to share with the group what we had observed and what we had learned from our observations. To the left is a sketch of what I was observing along with some jotted notes of what I observed. Although I did not know what the flower was called at the time, I noticed many things as I closely observed. There were rough, stiff, lance-shaped, dark green leaves attached to a rough stem, which was topped with multiple large blooms. The flowers had black and yellow, thimble-like spikes that felt similar to pine needles gathered in a ball-like mass, which was surrounded by ray of petals in hues varying from a grayish white to deep pink and light purple. Upon researching the flower, I learned that these were purple coneflowers, or Echinacea purpureas. I discovered that the iridescent shades of all parts of the flower attract insects of all kinds. Birds love the seeds that form and persist in the head after the petals have fallen off. Removing the spent blooms will encourage multiple successions of flowers.