Psalm 148

1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.

2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.

4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.

6 He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,

10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,

11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

12 young men and maidens,
old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14 He has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD.

New School Year Approaching

Some of you will remember the two bunnies we rescued the weekend before Easter. Here they are, having been hand-fed and cared for by a good friend until they were old enough to survive on their own. We released them in our yard at the beginning of the summer, and I've seen one or both of them frequently through the summer months. They have grown very large, and are still quite tame about eating contentedly even though we walk by them to go to the workshop behind the house.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family:Leporidae

Genus:Sylvilagus

Species:Sylvilagus floridanus

Fungus Among Us

My husband said, "I found this amazing fungus, and I thought of you!" Now that is true love.


It is a gigantic specimen. We were lucky to capture it on camera before the squirrels ate it!

Anyone know what its name is?

Summer animals

I love the summer wildlife. Animals on the move. Last week at the teachers' retreat, I was amazed by the lack-of-wildness in the squirrel population at the Trinity Center. This little guy was particularly friendly.

I also ran across this little lizard as I was dropping off my key to my room. He was having a late breakfast.

Then, this morning driving home, this little fellow was beside the road, smiling for his picture to be taken. We have more turtles in our pond this year than ever before. Yesterday's rain did them a world of good!

The Nature of Summer

Summer continues to be a great time to be outdoors, especially in the early morning or evening just before sunset. The pond got a nice shower this afternoon, and the bream, catfish and carp were feisty this evening when we fed them. After two summers of very low rainfall, it's a nice change to have a full pond as the end of June approaches.

We found a beautiful lichen along the pond this evening--"land coral." The garden is yielding abundant amounts of beans and cucumbers, and the vines are loaded with tomatoes! It's just a matter of time before every meal is tomato-centered.

Take time to notice the nature in your backyard. Go to the park, or just check out the bark on a tree in your yard. Do some observing, and ask some good questions. The nature of summer includes longer days, slower pace, and extra time to wonder. Explore.

Unicorn Beetle on the CCS Playground!

Three of my students found me in my classroom this afternoon, and delighted me with the gift of a marvelous beetle specimen. They found it on the playground, and "rescued" it from being consumed by ants. "It's so cool--and smells like broccoli!" they proclaimed.

Here is a website that identifies the beetle the boys found. It’s a great specimen…really stinky!

http://www.naturalworlds.org/scarabaeidae/species/Dynastes_tityus.htm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Dynastinae
Genus: Dynastes
Species: tityus

http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Unicorn_Beetle.html

It’s called a “Unicorn Beetle,” and is the largest beetle in the United States! It is one of two species of rhinoceros beetles in America.

Thanks for helping me get a great start on my insect collection! Keep collecting, exploring and observing!

Welcome to CCS Science!

20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. --Romans 1:20

Middle school science is an exciting transition for students as they continue to explore God's creation, but begin drawing connections and posing questions in areas that prepare them for further study in high school subjects. Perhaps in no field as much as science, students must continually train their minds and hearts to see the creation of our universe as revelation of God's order, majesty, creativity and beauty.

Sixth graders at Christ Covenant School will study Life Science, complete with a dissection lab series and opportunities to perform several other labs throughout the year. I'll post pictures when available!

Seventh grade will explore a wide variety of topics this year in an investigative science series based on real-world phenomena like thrill rides and art fraud, and disasters like hurricanes, oil spills, forest fires, contagious diseases and groundwater contamination. We'll use a team-based approach to exploration and presentation of solutions that the students will develop with their own research and problem-solving processes. I can't wait to see what they create!

All middle school students in grades six through eight will explore independent research topics and submit science fair projects to our annual CCS Science Fair. This year's fair will take place on November 14, 2009. Five middle school students will be selected to attend the Region 7 fair at East Carolina University in the spring of 2010, and several student winners will be eligible to attend the ACSI Regional Science Fair at North Raleigh Christian Academy in February 2010.

I am looking forward to using this blog to share general information, science websites and resources, and some history of science and scientists who have shaped our world. Please feel free to comment, ask questions, and send me emails so this blog can better enhance our classroom and research experience!