Category Archives: science notebook

Becoming a gardener (or a writer) – someone who learns

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Joanne Toft

“To become a gardener means to try, to fail, to stubbornly plug away at something, to endure serious disappointments and small triumphs that encourage you to try and fail again. But it means, above all, perking up your ears, sniffing, … Continue reading →

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How do gardens change? Looking for Cause and Effect

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Joanne Toft

Each year a garden experiences many changes. Just like us it grows and develops. A garden is expected to change each year and so are we. We get taller, stronger and our body change. These changes also happen in the … Continue reading →

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Thinking of Fall – colors, leaves? No Seeds

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Joanne Toft

It is now really fall. The leaves are changing to beautiful reds, oranges and yellows. The weather is cooler and there is a bit more rain. (even some snow if you live in the Dakotas or western mountains of the … Continue reading →

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Summer of Bugs

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Joanne Toft

It is August and I am tired of these bugs! I don’t need any more mosquitoes or flies or beetles or spiders or worms! But wait before we get rid of all these crawly things we might want to know … Continue reading →

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A Walk in the Woods

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Joanne Toft

We often go walking and see plants, trees and animals. What is the difference between a group of trees and a forest or woods? Why do we call a place a forest and what will we find when walking there? … Continue reading →

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Flowers and Bees and Honey

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Joanne Toft

It is summer and the garden is wild with flowers and green plants. The spring rains have made a big difference but we need more than just sun and rain. We need some friends to help our plants along the … Continue reading →

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Looking closely – changes in the garden

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Joanne Toft

Close observation is one of the skills we use as scientists, naturalists, artists and writers. If you think about it close observation helps with lots of things.  It is one of the ways we learn about the world around us. … Continue reading →

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What is a plant library? Compare and Contrast

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Joanne Toft

What is a plant library? We are all familiar with our public or school library. They are these great quiet places where we go to learn, research, read and check out books. Have you ever thought about a plant library? … Continue reading →

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Variations

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Joanne Toft

After looking so closely at our drawings of leaves I started looking at trees not just leaves and noticed that there are lots of things that are the same and different.  I noticed that there are many varieties of evergreen … Continue reading →

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Is a Bog the Same as a Swamp?

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Joanne Toft

I know that a swamp and a bog have lots of water, green plants and you really can’t walk in them.  Well, unless you are someplace like Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis where the quacking bog has a floating walkway. … Continue reading →

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