UR online: Challenge #3

It's great to know that some of you are out there, checking into the blog and doing our challenges!  Here's a recap:

Challenge #1: 

Find, buy, or make a Nature Journal and begin making entries.

Challenge #2:

Observe and record insects for one week in your journal.

*If you post a comment, we'd love to share your findings here!  

Challenge #3:

You've got a nature journal.  You are making entries, (everyday is great, but a few times or once a week is just as great!).  Maybe you observed and recorded insects.  Please check out our posts from last week's UR Session 1 to see what we found in the courtyard!

This week, ask an adult in your life to assist you with this challenge.  Investigate the plants in your home, backyard, front porch, or even those growing out of the sidewalk!  Make a quick sketch of the plants you see and add labels to your drawing.  Use your senses--what does it smell like? what colors/sizes/shapes do you see? what textures? Describe the parts you see--stem/leaf/flower/root.  Jot down your ideas about what kind of plant it is, and use the Internet *with adult supervision, please!, or a field guide, book, magazine, or an adult as resources to finding out more, and record this info in your journal.

Special note: Challenge 3 is inspired by Urban Ranger Vincenzo.  Last year, this 3rd year Ranger donated some mint and parsley from his grandparents' garden to one of our courtyard planters.  The tiny herbs we planted last summer have returned!  Thank you Vincenzo!

Parsley is considered a biennial, which means when planted in spring/summer, it can survive the winter and return the next spring/summer.  Then it will go to seed, and even though it's not very tasty and pretty tough in texture, it's pretty in our planter!

Mint is perenniel, which means it will grow back year after year and spread.  Mint is hardy, strong, and is also considered invasive because of these qualities that allow it to get out of control in your garden!  That's just the type of plant we want in our Urban Ranger planters!

Herbs are great to plant because the most commonly used herbs for consuming are also usually fairly easy to grow--indoors or out.  They also are usually very aromatic so it's wonderful to rub a leaf between your fingers and take a whiff!

We'd love to hear about your findings, so post a comment to any post here and we'll share it!

In the courtyard this week we will be observing plants too, 

so stay tuned for our discoveries throughout the week!

Have fun exploring, recording, and discovering!