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mama2many
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| Posted: May 23 2011 at 4:51pm | IP Logged
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What books are a "must have" for doing nature journals?? Is there ONE book that covers plants AND animals/birds?
My poor kids ask "Mama, what kind of plant is this?" I reply with "A green one"  That's not what I want for them!!
So, I'd like to find a book or 2, not a billion, and not one that costs a $1billion..LOL
Thanks
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Krystin
wife to Kevin
mama to
M (12/00)
J (12/01)
K (6/06)
J (7/08)
A (7/10)
C (11/12)
My Clones in Action
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 23 2011 at 5:01pm | IP Logged
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If you want a book that let's you figure out which plants are which.. the best one is the one that covers YOUR area well. There are wonderful books filled with plants that we never encounter in our immediate area and that's not what will help you.
If you have any offices nearby for The National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Managment, National Fish and Wildlife Service, a national park or recreation area.. something that focuses on nature as well as history. If they don't have an visitor center with books you can browse for the local area.. they'll have someone who can tell you some books that are good for your particular area.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Mackfam
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Readers Digest North American Wildlife - this is my FAVORITE catch-all-general-all-purpose reference.
Will it miss some plant/animal life? Yes, probably...it isn't going to be comprehensive, but it has been a fantastic general reference. It's easy to use, and the illustrations are lovely and realistic. The blurb of information given is enough not to be overwhelming and just enough to get you started if you're looking to search more. It covers a good amount of information - birds, animals, insects, trees, plants, flowers...a few more I think but I don't have my copy sitting right here in front of me. I know I've reviewed it somewhere here before though...I'll look for the review which is more detailed if you're interested.
Another useful benefit we get out of the book is that my kids enjoy propping it open if they're trying to illustrate something from a nature walk because the illustrations are just detailed enough to be accurate, but still simple enough to help them with a sketch.
This is a book my Mom used with my brother and sister when they were homeschooling a gazillion years ago (she found it for a song at a used book store), and when my little family started homeschooling, my mom found another used copy and gave it to us and we have been using it for the last 10 years as well. You can grab it for next to nothing used, and it is always my #1 *this-will-get-you-started* reference to recommend! You can always build from here if there is interest/budget. After 10 years we still pull this book off of our shelf frequently!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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mama2many
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| Posted: May 24 2011 at 5:45am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
If you want a book that let's you figure out which plants are which.. the best one is the one that covers YOUR area well. There are wonderful books filled with plants that we never encounter in our immediate area and that's not what will help you.
If you have any offices nearby for The National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Managment, National Fish and Wildlife Service, a national park or recreation area.. something that focuses on nature as well as history. If they don't have an visitor center with books you can browse for the local area.. they'll have someone who can tell you some books that are good for your particular area. |
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We're military, so I'd like a more general knowledge book, as we are never in the same place for long.
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Krystin
wife to Kevin
mama to
M (12/00)
J (12/01)
K (6/06)
J (7/08)
A (7/10)
C (11/12)
My Clones in Action
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 24 2011 at 11:42am | IP Logged
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oh that makes sense Krystin. We moved alot but with a husband who's a botanist.. a general book just doesn't have enough. Plus we've lived in locations.. like now.. that a general book really is almost worthless for local plants.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Nature books??
