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Flower Observer: Shapes

Nature Study· Plants· Spring

7 Oct

Spring is celebrating its arrival with a fantastic show of buds, blossoms, and flowers. Rainbow colours are scattered across gardens and bushlands as plants proudly declare the beginning of a new season.

  • Chocolate Lily
  • Fringe Lily
  • Bushpea

As a flower observer, spring offers the opportunity to see again with new eyes and to search for and observe plants we may have missed seasons before. Perhaps, instead of walking by and glancing at a plant you’re familiar with, stop to zoom in at the flower and leaf shapes, then zoom out to notice the plant’s shape as a whole unit.

  • Zoom In
    Bottlebrush
  • Zoom Out

What kind of shapes do you notice in flowers? Plant shapes are tubular, cylindrical, cupped, globular, and spidery. Find circles, pentagons, bells, fans, and hexagons. Count the petals then use your imagination to draw the connecting lines around the petals to see what shape suits the flower best. Download this Plant Shape page to get you started.

Plant ShapesDownload

Once you have noticed the shapes in plants, what do they remind you of? Balls, cups, fans, or spiders? Take this page with you and see how many shapes you can find as a Flower Observer.

This Plant Looks like aDownload

Or play Flower Shape Bingo! Or perhaps, you’d like to draw a grid of flower shapes yourself? Scroll below for the worksheet you need.

Flower Shape BingoDownload
Flower Shape GridDownload

Once we see the shape in the flower, we’ll be able to draw them with confidence. John Muir Laws will show us how we can use a circle to draw the face of a composite flower in this video.

Our Nature Club Flower activity sheet offers prompts to observe flowers with print and go lists to complete. The lists are categorized into three levels. As the hands-on activities and challenges are accomplished, badges are earned for the Nature Club Badge Booklet. It’s an incentive to becoming a fully-fledged Nature Club Member.

Our Nature Study Guide lessons do cross over with the Nature Club activities. They can be used together to enhance the study of themes and topics within the nature guides.

  • Zoom in on the flower
  • Zoom in on the leaf

  • Zoom out on the plant
    Grevillea

If you’re unable to enjoy spring outdoors, perhaps search for common flowers online that you know grow in your area. Or page through Plant Identification Guides for plants you love and take note of the plant’s shape. Maybe you have images saved on a device of seasons past you could scroll through?

If you know of a friend who is in lockdown or ill, I’m sure it’ll brighten their day if you shared spring with them by sending images of your adventures and encounters.

If possible, visit a botanical garden, engage all your senses, and take a picnic. Decide if you’d like to simply observe plants, collect data, or nature journal. Download the activity list from Nature Club and take the necessary equipment for the activities with you. Don’t forget to take a storybook along!

You may be interested in:

Scout Your District | Flowers
Make Your Own Herbarium
Nature Club
Australian Nature Study | Spring/Summer | Volume 4
Backyard Edition | Spring/Summer | Volume 8
A Handbook for Amy Mack’s A Bush Calendar: Exploring Nature with Living Books

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About Marie

Come, walk with me! We have outdoor expeditions to undertake and adventures to embark upon. We'll explore the outdoors together, side by side and uncover miraculous mysteries, and secrets. We'll wander, and wonder in amazement as we become familiar with the Australian fauna and flora.

I desire to come alongside you in the muddle, making nature study the joy it's meant to be. This is the purpose for the Australian Nature Study Guides for the Aussie homeschool family seeking to explore the outdoors and are not sure where to start. Outdoor adventures will become a regular part of your life as you make connections to the natural world with a sense of awe.

Homeschooling is a gentle amble for me since four of my five children are adults. I share my joy with things beautiful, good and lovely with my grandchildren where I live contently with hubby in rural South Australia.

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Testimonials

Sally

We have really enjoyed the program this term. We have gotten outside more often and the children are definitely taking more notice of things when we are out. Having a place to share what we have done and seen has been an encouragement to keep it up. I sometimes felt like we could spend longer on some topics as they were so interesting but that is probably just my obsessive "we must cover everything now" problem. 
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:48:30+10:30
We have really enjoyed the program this term. We have gotten outside more often and the children are definitely taking more notice of things when we are out. Having a place to share what we have done and seen has been an encouragement to keep it up. I sometimes felt like we could spend longer on some topics as they were so interesting but that is probably just my obsessive "we must cover everything now" problem. 
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/sally/

Jessie

I looked high and low online for an Australian nature based curriculum and when I found Australian Nature study Guide on Instagram I was so excited to have finally found something that my family can relate to. My favourite thing about this guide is that Marie is so hands on and involved with her customers. I have never felt alone in the journey, she is there to guide and encourage us every step of the way in the Facebook group. Thanks Marie for welcoming us to your nature study family 🙂
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:52:36+10:30
I looked high and low online for an Australian nature based curriculum and when I found Australian Nature study Guide on Instagram I was so excited to have finally found something that my family can relate to. My favourite thing about this guide is that Marie is so hands on and involved with her customers. I have never felt alone in the journey, she is there to guide and encourage us every step of the way in the Facebook group. Thanks Marie for welcoming us to your nature study family 🙂
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/jessie/

Rachel

We began our homeschool journey this year keen to explore all that nature study entails. I had searched the web for weeks to research what we would use as our framework. I cannot describe the elation I felt when I came across an AUSTRALIAN nature study guide! Marie has done all the hard work and put together a wonderfully elaborate resource for all ages. You can dip your toe in or dive right into all the ideas and links. There’s so much here we could spend all week doing nature study, and often we do.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:53:11+10:30
We began our homeschool journey this year keen to explore all that nature study entails. I had searched the web for weeks to research what we would use as our framework. I cannot describe the elation I felt when I came across an AUSTRALIAN nature study guide! Marie has done all the hard work and put together a wonderfully elaborate resource for all ages. You can dip your toe in or dive right into all the ideas and links. There’s so much here we could spend all week doing nature study, and often we do.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/rachel/

Cheryl

We didn’t find out about the program until about half way through term, so we played catch up most of the time. I love how open ended the lessons are, but with enough structure to work well for those children needing such a program. We have been able to cover much of the required curriculum whilst enjoying the activities we love. Your program has been such a blessing to us, because we needed a change to our homeschooling lessons which would still cover curriculum, but would enable us to relax and enjoy “school” together. Thank you.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:50:47+10:30
We didn’t find out about the program until about half way through term, so we played catch up most of the time. I love how open ended the lessons are, but with enough structure to work well for those children needing such a program. We have been able to cover much of the required curriculum whilst enjoying the activities we love. Your program has been such a blessing to us, because we needed a change to our homeschooling lessons which would still cover curriculum, but would enable us to relax and enjoy “school” together. Thank you.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/cheryl/

Sarah

Absolutely love the activity books my whole family can learn together and it’s Australia based. Highly recommend
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:52:01+10:30
Absolutely love the activity books my whole family can learn together and it’s Australia based. Highly recommend
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/sarah/

Valerie

I totally enjoy using the Nature study guide. The children enjoy learning about the different animals and plants.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:51:39+10:30
I totally enjoy using the Nature study guide. The children enjoy learning about the different animals and plants.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/valerie/
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