There is a neat little place hidden deep within the majestic little community of Garden Ridge that is lovingly referred to as the Bamboo Forest. How poetic. Haha.. okay, so this is actually a secret known by some who hang out at Paul Davis Park. From the park, on the other side of the ball field, there is a wooded area. When you head back there, you'll find a path that leads through the woods. This area is mostly cedar/ juniper and live oak. The ground is somewhat rocky. We visited with this little striped guy who posed for the camera on the way there.
After walking on the trail for a while, you'll suddenly find yourself among bamboo towering over 20 feet high. Bamboo is fascinating! We took a look at the leaf type and arrangement, the "trunk" structure, and the root system.

Bamboo is the largest member of the grass family (no kidding... grass!) and they're some of the fastest growing plants in the world. I speculate that this is the reason we now find this little forest among the oak and cedar. Someone probably planted some in their back yard and off it went!Daniel thought that maybe we were really in China at this point and wondered where the panda bears would be.
Cool roots. Time to do more research on those.
Blurry picture... Daniel wasn't in pain there... just making another face for your benefit.On the way out of the woods, we found a bagworm moth. This is a big one! These are interesting creatures. If you see a lump of sticks or lichen moving right along, it's most likely a bagworm moth. They start building their cases with silk, then attach interesting items to it for camouflage.
For more information on bamboo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
For more information about bagworms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagworm_moth

We started using a new art book called the Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas. I've had it around here, but haven't put it into use.

So, we decided to pull out our art supplies. What a mess! I have a huge box of crayons that used to be several separate boxes. The crayons were discouraging for the kids to use because they could never find the color they needed. So, I pulled out a plastic drawer from one of our organizers, found some cardboard and cut it to make dividers in the box. Then, we sorted by color family.... kind of. Reds, pinks, oranges, browns, yellows, blues, greens, purples, grays, whites, blacks and metallics. They're much more excited about using the crayons now!
On another note, Daniel is enjoying math activities. Talley sticks, matching and order, and abacus. His reading is coming along well, too.
I'm learning that you really have to have fun with your kids if you want them to learn. Some of my greatest learning experiences were with teachers who had a love for teaching and learning and having fun with it all. I will never forget those teachers.

In other classes (which sadly was the majority of my elementary and middle school classes), the teachers did not have a heart for the children or the subjects. I often wonder what happened to them. They must have had some reason for wanting to teach, but they were always in a bad mood. They must have had to become hard shelled due to educational politics or one too many kids disrespecting them. I don't know.

As parents, we are the natural teachers for our children. We love them like no other person can.
A close friend of ours recently asked me if I thought it was right for a child to see their parent also as their teacher. I was totally confused by the question. It made no sense to me. Don't we teach our children about every other aspect of life? When children come home from the educational institution, aren't parents expected to do homework with their children? What's the difference here? It just seems more natural to me for children to learn from their parents than from anyone else as they did for thousands of years before government enforced institutionalized schools were created. I have nothing against other methods of education. If we faced the possibility of having to place our kids in public or private school, I'm sure things would turn out fine. I'd be involved as much as possible and that's what makes a difference in the education of our kids.

I'd love to read your comments on this if you'd like to post. Positive and negative perspectives are welcome.

The Tiger Cubs went to visit with the Firemen at the station in Boerne last night. They had a blast. Here's a pic of Daniel in the fire truck with an official hat on.
The most humorous thing about it was that Daniel, in all his curiosity, was intrigued with the crank on the door. When asking what that was for, all of the adults nearby went into laughing fits. Apparently the little tike has never seen a window crank. Dates us, doesn't it?

This summer we had a great opportunity to participate in horse camp in New Braunfels. The family that put this together is a wonderful family. They're a lot of fun! They love kids and horses and they know their stuff.

This was the highlight of Taylor's summer. She loves to ride horses.

At this training center, they start the kids out without a saddle. Yes, baraback... isn't that fun? It teaches the kids to ride properly without depending on a saddle. It's very good muscle development for their legs, too.
Oh, and those aren't natural markings on the horses. The kids got to paint their horses! I never would have thought of such a creative idea.
After riding the horses, they took a little break and did some horsey lapbooking. Although Taylor is totally burnt out on lapbooking, anything horse is acceptable. She learned about different breeds and other horsey stuff. Roping! Now, there's a cool thing to learn! This training center also teaches roping classes on Thursday evenings for only $10 per lesson! Taylor really enjoyed this... turns out she was pretty good at it.She caught the cone! Always a good feeling. :-)
And who could turn down a wheelbarrow race? How long has it been since you've done this? Hey moms, let's get together and give it a try. I'm sure it would entertain the kids quite well!If you're interested in riding lessons (English and/ or western), horse camps or roping classes, you can get more information on the Hollow Tree Ranch website.

We've been enjoying participating the the Children's Fall Vegetable Garden Program at San Antonio Botanical Gardens. This is a free program designed by local Master Gardeners. There is a $25 supply fee for the entire 16 week program. It's been very educational for us. We've learned a lot about soil and fertilizer. We're applying what we learn here to our own vege garden at home so we can be more successful with our garden.

If you're interested in learning more about this program, click here. The fall program is closed to new families now, but they do this every spring and fall. So, keep checking the educational events page here for information about new programs.

In the map to the right, you can likely barely make out the Children's Garden on the top right of the map. The rest of the map is of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, which is absolutely beautiful. Not only is there a rose garden and areas that make you feel like you've stepped into the grounds of British royalty, there is a Japanese Garden that is lovely and peaceful, a huge terrarium area with exotic, rain forest plants to desert beauties, an area that represents the Texas Hill Country to make us feel right at home and if you're missing the East Texas Pineywoods... there's a home for you also. The pineywoods is our favorite area. There are tall trees shading the natural path around the small lake, water fowl and turtles and fish, some log cabins to bring you into history, and if you're a birder... this area attracts a wide variety of species.

So, coming back to the vegetable garden... Can you believe we've been out of the photo zone lately? I haven't taken a single picture of our garden and we've been at it for five weeks now. Don't worry... I'll get on it. My posts aren't nearly so interesting without pictures.
Blogger apparently doesn't love Microsoft Paint... it blurred out our garden plot here pretty good. Well, here it is anyway. From left to right we have brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber (my kids are excited about this... they adore cucumber), chinese cabbage, joi choy, beets, carrots, red lettuce, turnips, celebrity tomato, green beans, yellow beans, bulb onions, basil, cherry tomato, swiss chard, yellow squash (I don't know how on earth that squash is going to hang in the small area), bell pepper, kohlrabi and or course a couple of marigolds to add beauty and deter some bugs.

So, the very newest and more educational part of this was planting by seed, using Medina Organic Fertilizer and Hasta-Gro Plant Food. Did I mention that this is a completely organic garden? With twelve more weeks to go, I'm sure we'll pick up a lot more. My own garden gets out of hand and overgrown, so this will help us to figure out how to maintain a growing garden.

We get to harvest and keep all of our vegetables. We brought home some basil this week which I'll be cooking in my pasta sauce. Since there isn't much other than weeding and checking for bugs now, we'll get to visit with some special guests that will teach nature stuff. This week, we got to listen to a talk about Purple Martins. The kids also get to do a craft that is nature related. Good bang for the buck!

I'll take some pictures this Saturday to share with you all. Thanks for coming back to visit our blog page. I know we've been out of the loop with it for quite a while. Hopefully, I'll start posting more often again as we settle better into our school routine and start our nature walks again. Praise God for the rain and cool weather!

We went camping with the scouts this weekend at Garner State Park. The scouts were out of there around 9am on Sunday morning, just after the Scouts Own Service. We decided to hang out and enjoy our natural surroundings. We've suffered from a little nature deficiency lately. So, we really relaxed and enjoyed the river.

I love Cypress trees. They have such an aged, majestic presence about them. These have endured quite a bit of flooding. There were signs of flood clean-up that we noticed as we walked up river. Flooding tends to clean out the inside of these trees, which is all dead wood anyway. The outside of the tree is actually the living part.
The water in the river was very clear. You could see the roots of the Cypress trees extending into the depths of the river. The green algae has made a home amongst the rocks and roots, providing food and protection for the fish living in the water. Do you see the minnows?Ducks and geese love to hang out in well trodden human areas because easy food is usually plentiful. People love to toss bread, chips and other yummies out to these little beggars. Why is it that we do that? I think we just enjoy the attention that we get from the water fowl. Baaaa... I believe these are domestic goats, but it doesn't stop them from climbing. The guys came down what looked to us like a shear cliff! The kids were amazed that they were walking fearlessly on a ledges that seemed no wider than a foot wide. There are two goats in the picture. Can you see them all? If not, click on the picture to get a better view.

If you've followed our blog at all, you won't be surprised to find pictures of birds. We love birds. My new camera has made birding even more rewarding! And, this place was a wonderful place to go birding. This is a picture of a cute little Black-Crested Titmouse. He has an acorn in his mouth. Click on the pic to get a closer look.
For more information or to listen to the bird song of the Black-Crested Titmouse, click here:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crested_Titmouse/id

Ah yes... who can resist the striking color and beautiful song of the Northern Cardinal. Click on the pic for a better view. We've learned to recognize many of it's songs and calls. You can listen to those here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/idThis is the Carolina Wren. We learned their sounds this weekend after observing them for a long while. They're easy to pick out if you get familiar with their posture. They lean forward and that tail is always stickup up when they stand.
Here's more info: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/carolina_wren/id
I believe the Golden-Fronted Woodpecker is one of the most common in this area. We see them around the suburban neighborhood and out in the natural areas. Their call is very recognizable. The males have a red spot on the top of their heads. Both male and female have the golden yellow/ orange marking above their beak and at the back of their necks.
Click on this picture to get a better look at this male and female on the table. The orange construction net takes away from the romantic scene, but it's neat to see them on a surface rather than the side of a tree. For more info on these guys, check out this link:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-fronted_Woodpecker/idI did not expect to see an American Robin in the woods, but we saw several. They do actually migrate down this far south during the winter. You'll probably have to click on the picture to see these guys better. Here's more info: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_robin/id
God really gave us a gift here. Taylor and I have always wanted to see a Cedar Waxwing... and He sent thousands! These birds are some of the prettiest birds around. They have such lovely markings and the colors blend so nicely. There are a couple of them in the tree here. Click on the pick to get a better look.
Here are a couple more.And if you click on this picture, you'll get to see some great detail. He has a black mask outlined in white, a rust colored head with a crest on top... the rust color fades into a lovely bright yellow belly. The very tip of his tail is a bright yellow. Amazing!
Here's more information on Cedar Waxwings:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id

Every time we see another on of God's wonderful creations, we are in awe of His creativity, His grace and His precious gifts. His creation is so amazing, even in it's cursed state. I can only imagine what heaven is like in it's original perfection. God's creation teaches us about His character in ways that nothing else does. He has left evidence of Himself everywhere.

I just love my new camera. I can take pictures of critters and actually see detail! These pictures were taken from our back yard. Has anyone noticed that we have a lot of hawks around lately? Maybe I've just been paying special attention to them.

This is a Red-Tailed Hawk. If you click on the picture, you'll get a better look at him. For more info about Red-Tailed Hawks, check out this link:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-Tailed_Hawk/idA few days earlier, I spotted something light brown in another tree. I couldn't make out what it was until I took a picture of it and zoomed in. To my pleasant surprise, it was a cute, cold little squirrel! He's got his little arms crossed. And, check out those white feet. Yep, we know this little guy. We call him white feet.... real original, right? Be sure to click on the picture! And finally... who can ignore the sweet little House Sparrows. I love the little tux the guys wear. We threw some bread out for the birds. Here's more info on House Sparrows:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id

I actually missed a shot of a Golden-Chested Woodpecker that landed on top of there. He looked awkward because we normally see them hanging on the side of a tree. I also missed an olive-colored bird that I didn't get to identify... possibly a female Painted Bunting. Well, maybe next time I'll be faster.