Chestnut Trees

"For many years, I was self-appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms."

~Henry David Thoreau

Before homeschooling, I liked to be outside.

I would spend hours (okay...before my children were born) gardening

and just putting my bare feet in the grass.

Then came the children and homeschooling.

Now, I spend time outside studying nature.

 Take a couple of weeks ago for example.

We were out enjoying a children's garden and having a picnic.

When I noticed something that I had never seen before.

I asked the student care takers what it was.

They didn't know.

I asked if I could take one.

They shrugged.

The asking was easy enough; however, the taking was a bit harder.

Red squirrels (the bossiest and most opinionated to be sure)

will (in their scorn at being jabbed)

often cut off the burrs early,

saving their sweet little paws,

but making it so that the chestnuts do not grow.

After being stabbed by the hateful things several times,

I finally got it to the car.

Once home and able to inspect it farther,

we found a chestnut.

Well ours actually had 3 (there can be 1-3 inside).

We also looked at leaf parts.

An interesting fact: The Chestnut tree can grow to 100 feet tall.

Wishing you homeschool blessings,

Bethany