Month: April 2019

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
How to Create a Magical Day in the Forest for Children
- April 30, 2019
Forests are naturally magical places with all kinds of possibilities for creative play and exploration. Today, we have Mary Henley, UK blogger and mom of two darling littles, here sharing how she infuses magic into a forest adventure with her kids. She’ll give you all the inspiration you need to create a magical day in the forest with your children, complete with magic wands, potion and imaginative activities! This is the perfect way to spend a day exploring or use this as a starting point for a children’s birthday party theme!

Creating experiences and memories for my children is one of my favorite aspects of parenting. However, sometimes we just want to get outside to play without having to do too much planning, preparation or packing. Outdoor adventures with your kids don’t have to be elaborate or complicated to be fun for them. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most to them and allow them the freedom to play and create their own experience. Often, when children are free to roam and play surrounded by trees, they feel better, behave better and (in my experience) ask for fewer snacks!! Unrestricted nature play is a great opportunity for children to lead their own play time and work together to make it fun. Plus, it’s more relaxing for us parents, too. Win, win…right??!

A magical forest day

Today, I’m excited to share our recent magical adventure in the forest and how you can recreate this experience with your kids. On this particular day, my husband was away playing golf and I wanted to spend time outdoors with my children, Freya (5 years) and Chester (2.5 years). It was one of the first lovely sunny and warm days of the year and we were all ready for an adventure.

We decided to design a day that was all about finding magic in the woods. We chose to go to the woods in the New Forest in Hampshire, UK. Such an amazing place, although to be honest all forests are beautiful. There is something so majestic and wonderful about trees, and calming too. I’ll tell you more about that in a bit.

Some of the magic of our day was “inspired” by me, but most aspects of our magical day were straight from the forest and took care of themselves. Very little planning was involved – just enough to add some magical touches, but still give the children the freedom to play and create. I’m sharing plenty of ideas below that you can pick and choose from to create your own adventure. And no matter what you choose to incorporate, I promise that you will all benefit from the magical wonder of just being in the forest.

Gather your magical ingredients & supplies

Before you head out into the woods, grab a few of these simple household items so that you can create some magic! These will be the supplies for making a few magic wands and some magic forest potion.
- Ribbon scraps cut into similar lengths. Choose all different colors, widths, and patterns and stuff them all into a jar, bag or basket. Feel free to get the children involved in this part of planning, too. Scissor skills in action!
- Glass or plastic bottles (small size with lid). You’ll need one bottle/jar for each child. If you have time, let the children decorate these with stickers, gems, paint, etc. before you go to help build the excitement (and keep them occupied while you are packing the car!).
Now, all you need to do is decide which forest area you will go to and grab your go-to snacks, packed lunch and drinks!!

Magical wands

When you arrive at your forest destination, look around for a table or bench. This is a great place to make the magical wands before heading too far into the woods. Making a magic wand is simple and creative. First, the children will need to go on a treasure hunt to find some twigs. Next, let each child choose their ribbons and tie them onto the twigs. If your kids are old enough, encourage them to do this themselves, while little ones may need your help.

Freya watched me tie the first one and then she went on to make 3 more wands. As she learned how to do it she got very excited and was incredibly pleased with herself! My two waved their wands around the entire day. They didn’t want them out of their sight for long. And after your magical day, they can even take them home as a memory of the day and to show their friends at school.

Beware: magical wands can turn you into anything! Some of ours were used to grant wishes! Sometimes they were used to turn me into all sorts of animals, which I had to then act out! Such a great exercise for the imagination and so much fun! Freya was convinced her wand made her run faster! You never know what powers your child’s wand will possess.

Magical forest potion

There are plenty of natural treasures to find on the forest floor. These magical items will be the starting point for making a magical forest potion! While you’re out exploring the forest, have your children collect any small treasures they can find. Add some water to the bottles/jars you brought along and then add your treasure! While we were out, we found tiny fir cones (so cute!), pine needles, mud, stones, tiny twigs, acorn shells, pebbles and leaf debris.

Combine all your treasures into your potion, give the bottle a swish (great fun jumping up and down while doing this) and then away you go! Let them explore the woods armed with a magical wand and magical potion! Think of all the things they could do! Let it all unfold and enjoy the magic you’ve helped create!

Mindfulness

I always like to add a few minutes of mindfulness exercises to our day when we need a moment to gather our thoughts or calm down. Mindfulness techniques come in handly any time anyone starts getting a bit tetchy (parents included… it happens to the best of us, right?). We sat down and took a few minutes to quietly take in our surroundings. Then have the kids name 5 things that they see, 4 things they could touch, 3 things that they can hear, 2 things they could smell and one thing they could taste. We each took it in turns. This really helped to ground us and because I was doing it as well, I enjoyed the calming benefits, too. It was a nice way to refocus and reset for everyone.

Benefits of being in a forest

Being in nature is great for us in so many ways, but being in the forest is very special. Spending time in the forest has been found to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and anger, strengthen our immune system and boost overall wellbeing. Wow!!!

There is a higher concentration of oxygen in the forest, according to Japanese medical doctor and researcher Qing Li, compared to an urban setting. Exposure to the plant chemicals, that are part of their defense system, has measurable health benefits for us. Benefits such as a reduction in physiological stress, lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Evergreen forests are particularly beneficial for our health. You sleep better when you spend time in a forest, even when you don’t increase the amount of physical activity you do.

It is simply enough to just be in the forest. Nothing additional is required! You do not have to walk or jog or do anything other than exist! However, chances are you will all naturally move around the forest. Whether you are hiking, wandering or not…we all know it’s pretty hard to sit still when you have children around. But just know that this experience is good for all of you, no matter what you end up doing.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it? What are you waiting for?

Yoga/grounding pose

Another fun activity to do on your magical forest day is to have your children become the forest! Ask your children to stand like a tree. Have them show you how strong the tree is by standing straight, imagining the roots are pulling your feet firmly down onto the ground. They could start off with arms by their sides and then show the branches with arms out, keeping feet firmly grounded still. It might then get a bit windy, and their branches sway, but they mustn’t fall over!! The parents could be the wind and see if they can blow them over. Really great fun and gets those imagination juices flowing!

Fun with leaves

If it’s the right time of year, have fun with the leaves in the forest. Have the kids try kicking piles of leaves or throwing leaves in the air! Running about and jumping in the leaves. Making a pile of leaves and jumping on it or twirl around like a tornado. Cover up your wellies with fallen leaves or bury yourself in leaves. We had great fun picking up handfuls of leaves and throwing them up in the air. We were then showered with leaves, wearing leaf wigs as they settled in our hair! Great exercise!

Den building

Den building is a great way to make a trip into the woods magical and get the whole family involved. It’s also a challenge for everyone and involves working together as a team. Have your kids choose what kind of den to build and how big it’ll be. Will it be small and just for fairies or toys? Or will it be big enough so you can all have your picnic lunch in it? Will it be a lean-to or a teepee style?

Den building is a great activity for all ages, particularly teenagers get a lot out of this, making it as challenging and big as they can. There were some 12-13 year-olds near us dragging great big fallen branches across the ground to make their den out of. They were having so much fun doing this and their parents ended up joining in too! The branches can be smaller for younger children.

Finding shapes and faces in trees

Isn’t it lovely how children notice things that adults don’t? They have such an amazing imagination. Put it to work finding the magic in the forest and you’ll be amazed at what is right in front of you that you might not be seeing! Freya was climing a tree and stopped and said, “Look! Look, there’s a face in the tree!” And there was! The bark and branches gave the appearance of a face, which only she noticed. This started our game of spotting what we could see in the tree bark. This is so much fun and imaginations go wild! A rabbit and bear were also found!

Reflecting on the day

At the end of the magical day, be sure to spend some time talking about and reflecting on the things you experienced and the values that were shown during your time outside. For those of you with children at school, I expect each has their own school values. Freya is in Year R, so we have heard about these a lot while she has been learning about them. This was a lovely way to pass the journey time on our car ride home and we felt good about all that we had done. If you find you have sleepy children on the way home (quite possible with all the fresh air and exercise) this could be done at home afterward, maybe chatting about it over a family dinner.

Demonstrating values
- Collaboration – working together to help each other find the ingredients for the magical potion.
- Reflective – deciding what the fairy wand will look like, what ribbons to use. Also, deciding what will fit into the bottle for the potion (Chester learned that the big fir cones couldn’t be pushed into the bottle!).
- Persevering – climbing trees when it was difficult and finding alternative ways to get up. Learning how to tie a knot in the ribbons when attaching to the twigs and then keeping trying to do it themselves.
- Creative – how to make their magical wands, making adventures with their wands and potions.
- Respectful – listened to Mummy when she was showing how to tie ribbons. Listening while each took their turn with the mindfulness.
- Caring – Freya helped Chester tie ribbons on his wand. When Chester fell over, Freya ran to him to see if he was ok.
About Mary

Mary lives in Hampshire, UK with her husband and two children. She is passionate about wellbeing and creativity. She’s a country girl at heart and loves the outdoors. Mary especially loves making things out of twigs and natural finds picked up during walks. Follow Mary on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with her latest creations and other passions. Mary’s entertaining and inspiring blog, Rose and Lewis, is a great read for craft ideas for your home and to make with children, plus, parenting and wellbeing tips and more outdoor family adventures.
ANIMALS/WILDLIFE, FAVORITE GEAR, GOOD FOR NATURE, PHOTOGRAPHY
Making a Difference with Vivobarefoot Kids
- April 25, 2019
We humans have been pretty terrible to the planet we live on and the animals that inhabit it. Just since 1970, human activity has destroyed 60% of all the world’s animals. There are now over 16,000 endangered species threatened with extinction. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird, and mammal become extinct EVERY 24 HOURS. Insect populations are declining at a rate that could be “catastrophic” for our ecosystems within two generations. Scientists are describing what’s happening to animal life on earth as “biological annihilation.” Something has to change. And that change starts right here, with us! We are making a difference, one kid at a time!

Here come the wild ones

Last month we had the honor of teaming up with one of our all-time favorite outdoor kid’s shoe brands – Vivobarefoot Kids – to host a hashtag campaign to raise awareness for our planet and its animals. VivoKids recently launched a new line of eco-friendly kids shoes inspired by endangered species. These “Wild” shoes have minimal impact on the environment and are made with cleaner, greener materials. For example, the Ultra Blooms are made from algae blooms and each pair returns 25 liters of clean water and reduces 6 balloons worth of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

A portion of the profits from the sale of these shoes go directly to The Aspinall Foundation, a British charity that works to promote wildlife conservation through education, captive breeding programmes and, crucially, by reintroducing endangered species into the wild wherever possible. Over the last few years, the Aspinall Foundation has successfully reintroduced a range of animals (including 8 black rhino, 49 Javan Langurs, 9 Javans gibbons, 11 European bison and over 60 western lowland gorillas) back into the wild in their natural habitat.

#wildkids4wildlife

In connection with this amazing collaboration, we became inspired to encourage kids (and their parents!) to learn more about the animals in whose footprints they are walking and to take action to help our planet. We believe the more kids know about the environment and wildlife, the more ingrained it will be in them to care for it and act accordingly as they grow.

During the month of March, we ran a hashtag campaign on Instagram with VivoKids and our favorite hub @wildandbravelittles. We encouraged kids (and parents) to take action with a good deed for the earth and tag us! Our #wildkids4wildlife campaign was born and it was absolutely amazing! Throughout the month we featured these tagged images and were blown away with the incredible response and feedback we received.

Be the change you want to see

We saw kids doing all kinds of good deeds, from picking up litter to planting a tree. From gardening and composting, to recycling and attending rallies on climate change. Some kids made donations to their local wildlife rehabilitation centers, stopped their use of single-serve plastics and wrote letters to their congressional reps about changes that could be made to protect our earth. We saw kids reading books about endangered animals, visiting their local zoo and learning about them and making a commitment to help. It was inspiring! We hope this will be the starting point for a lifetime of conversations, actions and changes so that we can all be kinder to our planet.

With VivoKids’ help, we chose three “winners” from the tagged images. Each of these winners received shoes for their kids from Vivobarefoot. Their images were not only inspiring but told a beautiful story about the compassion and power of kids. We asked the winners a few questions about their images and the story behind them. Their answers are below.

@amys.place

NSW, Australia, on the Coffs Coast
4 children; Lara (10), Dylan (7), Freya (5) and Ciara (3)

The story behind the image

On 15 March 2019, I accompanied my eldest daughter to a local student strike against climate change, which was a globally organized event inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish student who began striking each Friday in August 2018. Greta has been a source of inspiration for my daughter, who is an aspiring biologist and who cares deeply for our planet. On 15 March, Lara woke early and set to work on her sign. Her message was clear, and indeed helped set the theme for the day, that no one is too small to make a difference.

How do you teach/inspire your kids to help protect our planet?

My husband is an environmental scientist and I have a legal background. Both he and I have raised our children with an awareness that our planet cannot be exploited and taken for granted as it has in the past. On a household level, we make efforts to reduce our waste and produce our own food when possible. We use solar energy at home and we collect rubbish from waterways, parks, bushlands, and beaches. Our children all know and recite the phrase “take three for the sea,” (though we often end up with large collections of plastic after a beach trip). We continue to educate our children to respect our planet and to advocate for it. We encourage them to enjoy it, to learn from it, but to never to take it for granted. They will, after all, be the next generation of leaders and decision-makers. Moving forward, I hope that they will learn from our mistakes, but I also hope that we can show them that we learned from them too. We must not wait for the next generation to fix what we broke, because this is impossible. We have to make the change now.

@soulshinephotographer

Southeastern Wisconsin
2 children – Lorenzo (4.5) & Halona (3)

The story behind the image

This photo was taken while we were planting our first garden at our new house. We really wanted to have the kids be hands-on (literally!) with the gardening process, which they love. This picture was taken on our transplant day when we moved our plants outside. We started all our vegetables from seeds, so when the time was right, most had to be transplanted outdoors into the garden. The kids and I spent the day transplanting our little seedlings with love, care, and tenderness. Yes, it took most of the day as we have well over 200 plants growing!

How do you teach/inspire your kids to help protect our planet?

We are a homesteading family and have been teaching the kids all about the natural world and how to help protect it since they were babies. Taking care of our environment is a big part of our lives. Getting the kids involved in gardening has really helped them become aware of the earth and all it has to offer when treated right and what happens when you don’t. I love talking to the kids about the process and teaching them when to water and feed plants, how the soil absorbs the nutrients and what helps the plants grow strong. Then we introduce other ideas, such as what might happen when other (harmful) things are absorbed by the soil? I like to introduce these types of open-ended questions and let the reasoning happen naturally.

We are also a big hiking family and on our hikes, we observe the natural world. On these hikes we be sure to bring our reusable bags and pick up any trash we see on the way. We have been teaching our children the importance of taking care of our earth by also doing the things listed below. Things you and your family can do too to help protect our earth!

What are some everyday activities we can do to make a difference to our planet?

Some everyday activities we have done/do to make a difference to our planet:
- turn the lights off when you are not using them;
- unplug things not in use;
- use cardboard for burning to reduce the amount being put into landfills;
- use reusable bags instead of harmful plastic bags;
- recycle;
- hang clothes on the line to air dry;
- use cloth diapers;
- potty train as soon as possible to eliminate diapers and extra laundry;
- pick up trash even if it’s not yours;
- be a part of the community and participate in clean ups;
- plant tree and bee-friendly flowers;
- grow our own food to alleviate food transportation waste; and
- eat less processed foods.
@erinbethray

South Florida
2 boys, ages 7 and 8

The story behind the image

My images show my boys cleaning up the Broward County waterways. We participated in the 2019 waterway cleanup, which is held across our entire county, from the beaches all the way to the Everglades, and everywhere in between! Wherever there’s a waterway, river, or canal, we’re trying to clean it up. It’s our county’s largest and longest running environmental event!

How do you teach/inspire your kids to help protect our planet?

We are constantly learning and trying. Every day is a learning experience on how we can help mother earth and protect our planet. I believe if you do good, your kids are always watching and, in turn, they’ll do good! I try to lead by example. We also love to learn about animals. I believe that if you teach children that our earth is the home for these animals, it can help them want to do better for those creatures and our planet. Give them a love of the world and nature and they’ll WANT to help.

What are some everyday activities we can do to make a difference to our planet?

I think one of the easiest things people can to do to make a difference for our planet is to use metal straws. Also, if you’re going out into nature (to the beach, a park, trail, etc.), bring a bag and pick up as much garbage as you can. It’s simple and effective! Also, we should all recycle as much as we can!

The earth is not ours to inherit – it’s on loan from our children and grandchildren. If we want there to be anything left we have to act now. All of us.

* This hashtag campaign and giveaway is sponsored by and in collaboration with Vivobarefoot Kids.
BEACH, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PHOTOGRAPHY, SUMMER
10 Tips for Taking Amazing Photos of Your Kids at the Beach
- April 18, 2019
Summer will be here before we know it and I know lots of you are already planning your upcoming beach adventures. Today, we have the amazing Jeanni from JKutz Photography sharing all the tips, tricks and advice you need to know for capturing amazing photos of your kids on the beach. Make sure you read this awesome tutorial on beach photography before your trip and keep all these things in mind when capturing your cuties in the sand this summer.

The mountains or the sea? Where does your photographer’s heart call you to go? While I love the mountain views, there is something about those ocean waves that keep me coming back over and over again. The beach is truly a magical place and a great one for photographers. One of my most favorite things to do while sitting on the sandy shores is to capture images of my crew. I’ve learned a lot about what to do (and what not to do) when photographing kids on the beach. Here are my top 10 tips for capturing beautiful beachy images of your family.

10. Avoid high mid-day sun

I know, you have heard this a thousand times, but there is a reason photographers avoid the super-bright mid-day sun. That harsh bright sun creates harsh bright photos. And although we (as beach-goers) hate those overcast beach days, they’re much more photograph-friendly. If you are looking to create softer light airy beach photos, try photographing on a slightly overcast day. Beautiful beach photos happen when the bright sun is a bit muted by some cloud cover.

9. Be patient

Sit back, relax and wait for the right moment. Some of my favorite beach photos were taken when no one realized the camera was around. I like to sit a distance away from my children and watch them play. Forcing a cute playful moment often ends in frustration, tears and resentment of the camera. Try sitting back from the action and observing. You are guaranteed to see the magic moments unfold before your eyes and will be better prepared to grab the camera when the time is right.

8. Small can be mighty

Like every mom out there, I think my littles are the star of the show. I often fill the entire frame with their sweet beach babe bodies. Although these images are adorable, over time they can all look the same. I have to remind myself to mix up my shots by stepping back and capturing the entire scene. Try making your littles a small part of the shot by filling the frame with more of the beach. This is a great way to capture the entire experience of your beach trip.

7. Find the path less taken

Half the fun is getting there, am I right? The path leading to the beach might just have as much charm and beauty as the sandy shore itself. Take time to look around for that dreamy spot just before you reach the shores. You will end up with great views of the sea in your background.

6. Get cheesy

Getting that creative praise-worthy photo is every mom/photographer dreams. Candid images that tell a story are all the rage, which means cheesy posed images get a bad rep. However, sometimes a good old-fashioned stand there and smile photo is so worth it. Especially if you have young children that are always on the move because it can be really difficult to capture their sweet face. There is nothing wrong with a classic stand there and say “cheese” at the camera kind of photo.

5. Find the small details

As much as I love capturing the entire scene, I really love zooming in on the small details of the beach. Not only will the detailed pictures help you remember the way the sand felt in-between your toes, it will also give a good amount of variety of your gallery of beach images. Pay attention to those details and be sure to capture the tiny little details you never want to forget.

4. Sunrise can equal sunset

There’s a reason you see so many classic beach sunset photos – sunsets can be epic. We all love the pastel colors that paint the sky and we’ve all tried to capture that beauty as our kids frolic and play. But, depending on the direction the beach faces, the sunrise can actually create better images than the sunset. If the beach looks out towards the West, try photographing the “sunset” photo in the morning. When the sun is low, the landscape can block some of the harsh sun that is often found on open beaches.

3. Look for the quiet moments

The best beach moments don’t always happen on the beach with a sand shovel in hand or while the littles are jumping in the waves. Napping on the beach often results in a frame-worthy photo. As do beach picnics, snack breaks and all the little moments in between the action when the kids are resting and refueling.

2. Get directional

Do you have a perfect beach photo in your mind that you desperately want to create? Me too! Help your children create that image by positioning them where you want them and letting them know just what you would like them to do. Use gentle encouraging directions to get the shot you envision. Start by pointing out a perfect spot on the beach where the light is just right. Then suggest that your crew build a sand castle there or have them pick up that super cute floaty. Need them to turn and face the ocean? Ask if they see any dolphins jumping in the waves. Get creative and they’ll never know that this is all part of a plan.

1. Keep it simple

Cutting out the clutter of a beach trip will absolutely give your images a more editorial and stylized look. I am in no way suggesting not to pack all the coolers and bags. You need those! However, when it comes time to capture that perfect beach image, leave them out of the shot. Try having all the beach chairs, towels, and fun floats behind you or off to the side so they’re not in all your images. Move the kids away from the gear, for a few shots. If you have a lens with a longer focal lens, try zooming in or moving closer to cut out that clutter. One or two cute beach toys might be just perfect, but three or more is definitely a crowd.

More photography resources

If you’re interested in more photography resources, download our FREE guide with our best tips and tricks for taking better photos of your kids’ outdoor adventures with the camera on your PHONE! From creative composition tips to our favorite editing apps, this guide includes everything you need to know to make the most out of the camera in your pocket!

Jeanni, originally born and raised in St. Paul MN, has traveled the country and world searching for a place to call home. She is a mom to a crew of 4 littles; 1 boy and 3 girls. After a 7 year career as an early childhood teacher, Jeanni is now proud to be working as a full-time mom. The bittersweet emotions of watching her children grow motivated her to pick up a camera and become a photographer. Photography is her heart’s work and she loves to capture joyful, natural moments. As a lover of natural light, Jeanni strives for fresh and airy images. She also has a deep love for her husband, a strong cup of coffee, the color white, and all things vintage. It is truly her great joy to share her work with you at jkutzphotography.com.
CRAFTS, GARDENING, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
How to Make DIY Wildflower Seed Bombs with Kids
- April 15, 2019
One of our favorite outdoor crafts is to make DIY wildflower seed bombs. Not only are these DIY seed bombs easy enough for kids to make in under an hour, but they’re good for the birds, bees, and butterflies in your area. They only require a few ingredients and have the added benefit of letting kids get their hands really messy! Make these and let your kids “seedbomb” the neighborhood or give them as homemade eco-friendly gifts to teachers, neighbors, family, and friends. Everyone will love watching the seed bombs grow into a beautiful patch of colorful wildflowers.

Guerilla gardening with seed bombs

Did you know that “seed bombs” originated in New York City in the 1970s? People use to make these tiny “green grenades” of native herb, flower, and vegetable seeds and then “bomb” large vacant lots where it was illegal or impossible to plant. They called it guerilla gardening! It’s definitely caught on and now seed bombs are still the main weapon guerrilla gardeners use to grow flowers in bare spots, creating pockets of beauty and habitats for pollinators. Seed bombs enable seeds to be sown in hard-to-reach places and locations where the gardener is unable to adequately prepare the ground for traditional gardening.

Bomb responsibly

I’m sure you already know better, but make sure you bomb responsibly. Do not drop seed bombs on private property or in protected parks. Try to stick with spaces that have been neglected or local public areas that could use a bit of rewilding. You may want to check local ordinances before bombing around your town or neighborhood. Also, make sure that the seeds you use are local and native to your area. You wouldn’t want to introduce any new or invasive species of plants or flowers into your local ecosystem with these seedbombs.

Benefits of wildflowers

Growing a patch of colorful native wildflowers not only adds beauty and charm to your space, but they provide many benefits to the world around us. Wildflowers are native to the area where they grow, meaning they’re conditioned to thrive there. They require less water and fertilizer, are less prone to disease and are more tolerant to pests. They also provide critical habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects and wildlife, which is important for ecosystem function and pollination. Wildflowers can also improve soil health, prevent erosion, improve water quality, increase yields and enhance forage conditions for livestock. When choosing seeds to use in your seed bombs, make sure you use wildflowers that are local and native to the area they’ll be planted to avoid introducing invasive species.

Make your own seed bombs with kids

Wildflower seed bombs are surprisingly easy to make and so fun! They only require a few ingredients and about an hour to make. They are definitely messy though, so be prepared to have a tub of water or a hose somewhere close to rinse your hand. My kids loved this project and the sensory feeling of squishing the clay between their fingers. They also loved gifting their homemade seed bombs to our neighbors and friends. We can’t wait to see patches of wildflowers sprouting up around our area soon!

What you need to make seed bombs
- Air dry clay (we used this clay for the bombs pictured here, but we’ve also tried this one and it works just as well)
- Potting soil or compost
- Native/local wildflower seeds
- Water
How to make wildflower seed bombs

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

Mix together about 4 parts clay to 1 part potting soil. You don’t have to be exact, but you want more clay than soil so the bombs hold tightly together.

Add your wildflower seeds to the clay mixture (we also added some sunflower seeds). Be sure to only use seeds that are native to your area and not invasive. Native plants will grow better and support more wildlife than non-native species. Not all of the seeds will sprout, so it’s best to have an assortment of flower species and varieties.

Step 2: Add water

Add a little bit of water at a time and squish with your hands until everything is mixed and about the consistency of thick cookie dough. This is definitely a good job for the kids! Make sure not to use too much water or it gets gooey and runny. If you use too much water, add more soil.

Step 3: Roll into balls

Once everything is well mixed, roll the clay into balls about the size of a golf ball. Set them on a tray and let them dry completely until hardened. This may take a couple hours or a couple of days, depending on the humidity levels where you live.

Step 4: Bombs away

Once dry, package your seed bombs in small envelopes or bags to gift to friends, neighbors, teachers, or family members. They’d make great gifts for Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Teacher Appreciation, or just because.

A few extra tips for making seed bombs

We made these seed bombs on a pretty chilly day. This led to our clay being very hard to squish/mold initially and made our fingers very cold! We ended up using warm water in our mix, which helped tremendously. So, if your clay is really hard or cold, try warming your water for the mix.

If storing your seed bombs to gift or use at a later date, just be sure to keep them in a cool, dry, dark location to prevent them from germinating.

If you want to package them use as gifts, I found this cute printable label, which I printed on cardstock and attached with washi tape.

When to bomb

The best time to get out there and start slinging your wildflower bombs in the spring. Check your local weather and try to get them out just ahead of some rain and choose a sunny spot. That will give them the best chance of growing. If there’s no rain coming, maybe add some water. Plant your seed balls anywhere in need of some beauty and color. Hopefully, in a few weeks, you’ll have the beginning of a beautiful patch of your own native wildflowers!

Not interested in getting dirty?

If you’re not into getting your hands dirty, or perhaps you can’t get your hands on all of the ingredients you need, there’s another option! Seedbombs can also be purchased. Seedles makes a really cute and colorful option. Or you can purchase a large pack of 50 native wildflower seed bombs.

Have you ever made seed bombs?
INFORMATION, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Tapping Trees & Making Maple Syrup with Kids
- April 10, 2019
The process of making maple syrup is one that absolutely fascinates me. The whole concept of tapping trees, collecting sap and creating your own syrup is something I’ve been curious about and interested in for years! Today, the amazing and inspiring Leslie Alvis is back sharing her family’s adventures in tapping trees and making maple syrup on their family cattle farm in Ohio. The Alvis family takes maple syrup seriously. They have nearly 300 taps and quite the set-up. While this may not be practical for everyone wanting to try their hand at making maple syrup, it is absolutely fascinating and you’re sure to learn a lot about the process and walk away with a newfound appreciation for the hard work and dedication that goes into making delicious treat!

Winter is ending

Every year, just when Ohio winters have reached the peak of their monotony and we’re not sure if we can’t survive another week of dreary coldness, a subtle shift occurs. You can smell it in the air when you step outside in a crisp February dawn – a hint of green, of dirt, of life. It can be heard it in the trees, as the bird cacophony increases. You can feel it in the ground, as the frozen dirt begins to soften. In the rhythm established by our great Creator, the world is waking up.

And we are ready. The end of winter means the days are lengthening and temperatures are finally rising. Although, by this time cabin fever has become a very real malady, and we are overtaken by another sort of seasonal madness: maple sugaring! Each year our family heads to the woods in these late winter days to begin the age-old process of making maple syrup.

Maple sugaring

For hundreds of years, residents of the North American continent have tapped holes in maple trees in late winter. They’ve collected the sweet sap that flows through the trees as the days warm above freezing, and boiled it down into pure maple syrup. The Native Americans taught this process to the early settlers and the tradition has continued throughout the years, changing and adapting with inventions and technology.

Today, major producers in the maple syrup industry tap hundreds of trees. They collect the sap through a vacuum tubing system and boil it down in huge, state-of-the-art evaporators. On the other side of the scale are the small hobby producers, who tap a handful of trees in their yards and boil the sap in a single pan. Our operation falls somewhere in the middle. We put in between 250-300 taps each year, collect it in buckets, and boil it down in a moderate sized wood-fired evaporator.

A family affair

Maple sugaring is a family affair for us. We began this enterprise, together with my parents, 6 years ago. My husband had dreamed of making maple syrup for years. My parent’s farm has acres and acres of woods with hundreds of maple trees. After talking about it for ages, we finally decided to give maple syrup making a try. We went to a local maple supply store with the idea that we would just dip our toes in the water, so to speak. We thought we’d put a few taps out in Dad’s woods, boil the sap on a propane burner and see what happened. Somehow, with a little education and evaluation of our woods’ potential, this plan quickly escalated into a full-blown project.

We bought a used 2’x6′ evaporator, put in a lot of hours scrubbing it up, and began tapping trees. Before the first week was over, we were back at the maple store buying more taps. Only our limited manpower and evaporator capacities have kept us limited to 300 taps!

We include our children in every part of it. From washing buckets to tapping trees, gathering sap, splitting and hauling wood for the evaporator. Making syrup is a huge amount of work, but it is also a grand adventure. The children love being in the woods….as long as we keep their hands and feet warm and their tummies fed. I learned early on to have snacks, lots of them. And a full change of clothes for every child. Those two things are key to making sure the kids have fun throughout the long days we spend making syrup.

Timing is key

Our “sugar bush” (stand of maple trees) is tucked deep in my dad’s woods, down the road a half a mile from the main farm. The sap begins to flow when the days rise into the 40s and the nights fall below freezing. Producers like us who have open taps have a 6-week window once we put in the taps. After that, we risk harmful bacteria getting into the trees. So we watch the weather carefully to decide when to tap. As soon as we see a weather pattern of days well above freezing with nights still dropping into the 20s, we start putting in taps and the clock is ticking.

Tap carefully

We tapped our trees on a chilly day in late February this year, with snow still on the ground but sun warming the trees. The trees immediately began dripping sweet sap into the buckets, and the beginning of a new season filled the air with excitement as we hurried from tree to tree. The children raced around with buckets, handing them off to their dad, uncle, and grandpa as they drilled holes 1.5” deep in the trees.

There’s a careful science to tapping trees responsibly to avoid injuring the tree and to allow for the best yield. We don’t tap any trees under a 12” diameter, giving them time to grow. A large tree can support 2-4 taps, and our largest tree has 5 buckets hung from it! We move the position of the taps in each tree from year to year, allowing the tree to heal up and continue to grow and be healthy.

Old-fashioned fun

When the sap is running, it has to be gathered and boiled frequently or it will spoil. So when the days warm up, we head out every day to gather sap. We haul 55-gallon barrels out to the sugar bush on a trailer behind a four-wheeler. Everyone tall enough to carry a bucket grabs a couple and we start going from tree to tree, emptying the buckets from the trees, then carrying each bucketful to the barrels. This is the old-fashioned way to gather sap, and there is no way to make it easy. But as long as it’s not pouring rain and the four-wheeler doesn’t get stuck in the mud, we have a lot of fun.

We are trying to teach the kids that they can work hard and have fun at the same time. Fun conversation, cheerful encouragement, and frequent smiles as we trudge through the woods remind us that our attitudes make all the difference. Despite the heavy work that needs done, we are doing this because we love it. After all, the woods are one of our favorite places to be. And making syrup is a fascinating and fun experience.

Gathering the sap

The amount of sap we gather varies from day to day and from tree to tree. Some trees are big producers; filling their buckets with startling ease. A tree that isn’t as healthy or doesn’t have as large of a spread of branches overhead will produce much less. But with 275 taps, even if every tap only produces an average of one gallon of sap in a day, that’s a lot of sap to boil!

Our sap has averaged 1.5% sugar content this year, which means it takes 58 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup! That’s a lot of work for a small yield…which may help you understand the high price of a gallon of pure maple syrup. The entire process is incredibly labor intensive.

Sugar shack

After we gather the sap, we haul it back to the main farm to boil it down in the little “sugar shack” near my parents’ farmhouse. It takes our evaporator an hour to boil down 30 gallons of sap. So, a big day means ten hours of work in the sugar shack. My dad, my husband, and I all take shifts running the evaporator. The evaporator allows the sap to flow through a series of pans as the water boils off and the remaining liquid increases in sugar content and density. When the syrup flows into the final pan, we monitor the temperature until it reaches its finished temperature of 219 degrees.

Running the evaporator means: (1) pumping the sap into the preheat tank, (2) monitoring the fluid levels to make sure a constant flow is feeding into the evaporator, (3) feeding the roaring fire every 5-10 minutes to keep the boil going, and (4) constantly checking the temperature of the syrup. Finally, we draw off the finished syrup, opening the nozzle and trickling it through a triple-layered filter to remove any impurities before we bottle and seal it.

Sugaring safety

The sugar shack is a cozy, steamy place to be on a chilly late winter night, but it is also a frightening place to have children! The evaporator fills the space like a fiery beast, breathing out smoke and spewing maple syrup. We are ever-conscious of the dangers of having little ones around this fiercely hot boiler. The rule is that if they are in the sugar shack, they have to be sitting down in one of the seats along the wall.

Most of the daylight hours the children spend running and swinging and climbing trees outside anyway. Sometimes after dark on a chilly winter evening, after they are worn out from playing and working outside all day, we get out a tiny portable DVD player and have a family movie night while we boil. It keeps everyone still, safe, and warm together. We keep a picnic table nearby and eat our meals at the sugar shack. March picnics are a real thing during sugar season!

Dedication to the craft

This year’s maple season has been a good one, with some major runs and long boils. Usually, my husband does the majority of the boiling after his day job. He runs the evaporator till late in the night, then gets up at 4:30 a.m. to go to work again. This year, I’ve also spent a lot of hours boiling sap during the day, just to keep up with our sap flow. We’ve also been keeping our homeschooling days going on the run. Plus, I’m constantly trying to watch out for our two littlest ones! They are all independent, busy, outdoors-loving rascals who love to run around the farmyard, play on the swings near the sugar shack, and help Grandpa with his chores in the barn.

I have spent the last couple weeks a little wild-eyed and wild-haired. I’ve been shoving wood in the evaporator, checking the temperature and fluid levels, then dashing back outside to do a head count on the kids. One on the swing behind the sugar shack. One doing school on the hale bales in front of the sugar shack. One reading in the top of the juniper bush near the swings. One headed to the barn to see Grandpa. With everyone okay for the moment, I hurry back to check on the syrup. Every time I’ve been about to lose my mind, Grandma or a friend has arrived to help me out. I have been so blessed by their extra hands and eyes.

End of the season

Despite the hard work and busy days, the kids get up every morning and ask me when we are going to the farm. If our toddler even thinks she hears something about going to the farm, she’s racing for her boots and coat. But the calendar has turned to spring and the maple season is beginning to wrap up as the days warm and the trees begin to bud out. When the trees bud is determined by the number of days we’ve had over 50 degrees. We are nearing that limit for the maple trees. The sap begins to turn cloudy and sour-smelling and the flow slows down. Soon we will pull our taps, wash hundreds of buckets, and clean out the evaporator so everything will be ready for next year as the rhythm of the seasons continues.

Leslie Alvis is a wife, mom, follower of Christ, and lover of all things outdoors. She uses writing and photography as ways to keep her sanity amidst the chaos of rearing and homeschooling four children. Outdoor activities with her family are some of her favorite things. You can see more of their family’s adventures on Instagram at @c_l_allofus.
INFORMATION, OUTDOORS INSIDE, URBAN NATURE
20 Ways to Incorporate Nature into your Daily Life
- April 4, 2019
While getting you outdoors with your kids is our main mission, we are also parents and know that’s not always easy or possible. Sometimes weather, work, illness, injuries, lack of daylight, chores or other circumstances keep us from getting outside as much as we want (or at all). In those instances, there are tons of ways you can bring the outdoors in. Today, we have Jessica Jackson here sharing 20 simple ways that you can easily incorporate more nature into your daily life and routine. These tips are great for anyone (even those spending tons of time outside) wanting more nature in their homes and indoor lives.

Getting out can be difficult

This past winter began with the best intentions of spending lots of time outside and doing lots of outdoor exploration. We were excited to bear witness to the changes that happen during the cold season. We love learning about creatures and wintertime habitats as they survive the cold temperatures. Watching the sky colors change, catching snowflakes, and sliding about on frozen paths were all on our winter bucket list. There is so much beauty and wonder in our world during the winter season.

However, as the winter passed, we also began to feel it’s brutality. Record-breaking lows, piles and piles of snow, slippery ice, power outages, school closures, early darkness and dangerous road conditions kept us inside more than we expected. As beautiful as the winter can be, it can also feel isolating and dreary. We faced one polar vortex after another. The negative temperatures and brutal conditions halted our winter outdoor play. Even after properly bundling up, sometimes it was just too much for the kids to endure and enjoy.

This is also the time when seasonal depression can set in. We can feel trapped in our own homes and hopeless in winter. We crave sun, warmth, and the reawakening that spring brings. Kids feel this, too. After the initial appeal of sensory bins, indoor tea parties, new holiday toys, living room obstacle courses, dance parties, and basement forts has worn off, we just want to get back outside and into nature. We desperately want to hike, camp, fish, garden, swim, and enjoy the beauty of our outdoor world.

Incorporating nature into your life

I’ve found that there are may ways to combat the wintertime woes, which can also be used year-round to improve your mood and mindset. Incorporating more nature and natural elements into our daily rhythm has been therapeutic and rejuvenating. Bringing bits of the outdoors into your “indoor life” is a great way to stay connected to all the beautiful things nature provides. These elements reduce stress, relieve anxiety and refocus your attention when it’s not practical or possible to get outside. By incorporating these ideas into your daily life and routine, you can keep a healthy, positive outdoor mindset year-round.

Here are a few small things you can do to incorporate nature into your daily indoor life.

1. Sprinkle plants in every room

Bringing more plants into your home is a great way to incorporate nature into your life. Pick out a selection of plants that are easy to grow indoors. Consider where you’ll place them in your home and how much sunlight they’ll get. Make taking care of the plants a family-centered activity. Let your children choose plants for their bedrooms and let them be responsible for their own plants. Feeling ambitious, try growing an avocado from a seed. Adding plants throughout your home is such a fun hobby and a great way to get your kids involved. Plus, plants help reduce the number of airborne pollutants in your home, so it’s a win for everyone!

2. Choose natural items as decor

Another way to incorporate nature into your home is to use natural items as home decor. When choosing storage bins, accessories, and colors for your interiors, consider choosing natural-made or natural-looking items. Select a color palette inspired by your favorite garden or landscape. White and grey stone pair well in minimalist settings. Wood furnishings can be dressed up or down to suit any theme. Taupe, tan and camel are trendy neutral beachy colors that pair well with nature-inspired wall coverings or rugs. Incorporate decorative items made from wood, stone, antlers, branches/stumps, driftwood, pebbles or other textures found in nature. Paint a mural of trees or frame pressed flowers. Buy wicker baskets for storage and shelves.

3. Natural scents

You can also bring the smell of nature into your home. You can find candles, wax melters, diffusers, and sprays in many natural scents like pine, rain, fresh cut grass, citrus, oregano, lavender or lilac. There are so many different applications to bring scents into your home to excite your sense of smell and fill your space with something fresh and natural.

4. Nature journaling

Nature journaling is a great hobby that you can do both in and outdoors with a focus on nature’s fine details. Gather a quality-made journal, pens, colored pencils, and some watercolors. Or just some scrap paper and your kids’ crayons! No need to be fancy. Take your time and draw nature. You can draw what you see, copy from a photo or sketch from memory. If you need extra inspiration, go sit in a forest and journal about every detail. If you can’t draw, find a nature-themed coloring book – there are great ones for both kids and adults. Getting creative by practicing this stress-relieving form of expression is a great way to unwind with nature.

5. Indoor Herb Gardens

Incorporate nature into your life by bringing the garden indoors. You might be surprised to know how easy it is to grow edible plants in your home. All year! Simple clay pots of herbs next to a window are always a good place to start. Basil is an easy choice and will provide lots of yummy leaves for salads, pesto, pastas, and more. Turn your countertop or windowsill into a small garden with pots of your favorite herbs such as rosemary, mint, and thyme. You can also regrow some vegetables from kitchen scraps. Try your green thumb on regrowing celery stalks, green onions and romaine hearts from leftovers. Countertop hydroponics gardens are another neat way to garden indoors. It’s easier than you think to grow everything you need to make your own salsas, salads, and more inside your home!

6. Edible flowers and fresh herbs

Another way to bring the outdoors in is to opt for edible fresh flowers and herbs to garnish and cook with. You can do this easily by freezing them directly into ice cubes to add to your drinks. You can cut up herbs and flowers and use them to brighten up a salad or garnish a plate. Adding these bright bites into your daily meals will not only please your palate but give you a boost of antioxidants and vitamins. You can grow your own (see above) or find them at a natural grocer or your local farmer’s market.

7. Soundscapes

Tap into your auditory sense by bringing the sound of the outdoors inside. Create a nature-themed playlist that you can listen to at home, in the office, or on your commute to work. Nature has its own music – ocean/wave sounds, gentle rain, whale songs, thunderstorms, bird calls or a crackling campfire. Close your eyes, listen carefully and connect yourself to the sound of nature for instant relaxation and stress-relief. Kids really enjoy these sounds, too and you can incorporate them into so many daily activities. Next time you’re playing with your kids, turn on the playlist and see how they react. Pretend you’re SCUBA diving while listening to whale sounds. Or hide out in a blanket fort in the basement while listening to a thunderstorm track. The meditating and playtime possibilities are endless.

8. Scroll nature

If you’re going to be online, incorporate nature into your media by following accounts and pages that share amazing shots and videos of nature, wildlife and outdoor activities. Consider this time as research to get inspired by new adventures and activities when you get back out there. Relax by looking at photos of the depths of the oceans, wildlife in the desserts, or camping under the stars. Overload your feed with all things nature. Stay connected with local farmers, garden shops, florists, and state parks. Find online nature-based communities and become involved – this is a great way to also meet other like-minded parents in your area and make new friends. Incorporating nature into screen time is a great escape to beautiful places and a nice break from the daily grind.

9. Nature studies

Find a good nature study book or nature-based curriculum and follow along with the activities to learn new things about the outdoors. Set up a bird feeder outside your window and place a bird guide and binoculars next to it for easy access. Read about wildlife habitats, local flora and fauna, and study trail maps for hikes you’d like to go on. Learning about nature can be done through books when being outside to study isn’t possible. Learn about the plants that grow in your area and identify the trees in your neighborhood. Review animal track guide to figure out who made those footprints in your yard. There are so many ways to study nature on a daily basis that will inspire many adventures to come.

10. Garden dreams

It’s never too early to start planning your outdoor garden space and figuring out what you’ll plant this year. Use the time and preparations indoors to kickstart a thriving outdoor garden. Research what zone you’re in, what plants grow best there and when to start planting. Learn about soil types. Start indoor seedlings. Stroll through your local nursery to get ideas and ask questions. Collect planters and supplies during the offseason when things are on sale. Gardening can be a year-long adventure and a part of your routine every day. And when you’re ready, choose some easy vegetables to grow with kids and work on your garden together.

11. Find a sunny spot

Pay attention to the times of days when the sun is shining through the windows of your home and find that super sunny spot to warm yourself and soak in the sunshine. Set up tables in that spot, play areas or cozy sitting spaces. Add a comfy chair and some pillows and turn it into a reading nook. Rotate your houseplants in this sunny spot. Notice how the light changes in that location throughout the day and at different times of the year. During the perfect time of day, when the sun is shining through, sit, play, and enjoy it’s warmth.

12. Fresh flowers

Decorating your home with bouquets of fresh flowers are a wonderful way to incorporate nature into your daily indoor life. Grab a bouquet of cut flowers during your next grocery trip. Take time to hold each flower and smell its fragrance. Carefully trim off leaves and snip the end of the stems. Place all the flowers in a vase or spit them up into lots of smaller bouquets. Spread them throughout your home in places where you spend a lot of time: next to your bed, on the kitchen counter, or on a mantle. Seeing bright bouquets can bring so much freshness and happiness to your indoor space.

13. Nature-themed play

To keep your kids connected to nature while playing indoors, choose toys that incorporate nature into your children’s daily lives. Look for toys inspired by nature or made from natural materials like wood and stone. Create nature-themed sensory bins. Bring in bowls of snow for the kids to play with and eat! Paint on collected leaves, sticks and rocks. Use loose flowers and let them make their own arrangements, dissect them to see all of their parts or use them to make flower jewelry or crowns. Create little worlds of landscapes and leave animal figures inside. Creating natural themed play areas is so satisfying for parents and kiddos and will encourage them to be curious about the world outside.

14. Nature documentaries

When getting outside isn’t possible, take advantage of the vast selection of earth and natural wonder documentaries on your streaming services. These exciting series can take you to places you’ve never even heard of and introduce you to animals you never knew existed! Choose episodes of places you dream of going or wish to revisit. Watch as life cycles change, seasons pass, and animals travel. The calming voices and beautiful cinematography are captivating to all ages. Discuss what you see with little ones and ask them lots of questions about their favorites and interests. Use what you see to incorporate into play area themes, sounds, and journaling when you need a fresh perspective.

15. Display nature art

Displaying nature art on the wall of your home is another easy way to incorporate nature into your indoor space. Shop thrift stores and find vintage paintings of landscapes, wildlife, herbs, plants or other natural elements. Order canvases of photos of your kids/family on your latest adventure or enjoying nature. Purchase prints from your most admired nature photographer or a local artist. Display projects that you and your family have created together, such as pressed leaves or flowers. Switch them out through the season or with holiday decor.

16. Open the curtains

Bringing the outdoors in can be as simple as adding more light to your day. Make a morning ritual of opening the curtains and let the fresh light fill your space. This can be just as invigorating as your morning coffee and is a wonderful natural way to start your day. Bringing natural light into your home is so much better on your eyes, and aesthetically pleasing. More light will improve your mood and help your body adjust to the day.

17. Plan celebrations

There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate nature, the seasons and holidays. Plan celebrations around the changing of the season or the full moon. Plan a garden tea party or a May Day celebration in the middle of winter. Check out some of the more obscure holidays and plan a celebration around them, such as World Wetlands Day, World Bird Day, World Soil Day, International Mountain Day and World Animal Day. Craft natural decor, design invitations, and plan a fresh menu when you are needing some nature inspiration.

18. Indoor magic gardens

Kids love creating imaginative worlds, so play to that strength using natural elements. Painted rocks, figures, and tiny accessories can turn any potted plant into a magical world. Use your child’s favorite dinosaurs, fairies, or lego figures to create a magic forest around a plant and make it special to them. Adding whimsical touches into your house plants is an inviting way to add some more focus onto them. Choose one item and move it around regularly and make a game of who notices first.

19. Pressed flowers

Save flowers throughout the year from your bouquets, gardens, or dandelions given by kids. Find a couple of heavy books and press flowers inside sheets of wax paper. Wait a few days to reopen the pages to reveal a preserved flattened flower. These are delicate reminders of bright blooms that will lighten your space and bring back precious memories. Use the flowers in artwork and hang them on the wall. Glue them onto paper and create cards and stationery to send to friends and loved ones. Cut them up and use them to make an organic confetti mix.

20. Botanical baths

Finally, one last way to incorporate more nature into your daily life is to literally bathe in it! Fill your tub with bubbles, salts, scents of your choice and a sprinkle of fresh or dried flower petals. This is the perfect way to warm up after a long winter day. Unwind in a botanical bliss and transport yourself to a luxurious spa after the kids are in bed. The flower petals are a perfect touch of nature to a relaxing indoor bath.

Bringing nature indoors

These are just a few fun ways to incorporate more nature into your day. If you’re looking to make some changes and bring the outdoors in, I recommend starting small. Choose one thing from these ideas and grow from there. You do not have to be an outdoorsy naturalist to reap the amazing benefits of bringing nature into your daily routines. Look for moments to bring in small touches and add them all year long. You will appreciate them during long winter days and throughout the year. Especially on days when getting outdoors wasn’t feasible. Incorporating nature into your life is important for all ages and lifestyles and can add so much value to your days.

About the author

Jessica Jackson is a homeschooling mother of three. She currently has roots planted near Kansas City, Missouri where her and her family live, grow, and explore. Growing up in Colorado, Jessica has been an avid nature explorer, hiker, and camping enthusiast since childhood. She spent some time living in the Caribbean, exploring beaches, ocean life, and island landscapes before settling into motherhood. Jessica enjoys photographing, nature journaling, and sharing about her family’s adventures.

Instagram: @irieideas
ANIMALS/WILDLIFE, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Nature Study: Raising Tadpoles with Kids
- April 1, 2019
Spring is here! And with the warmer weather comes a plethora of new opportunities to experience nature with your kids. One incredible way to teach children about wildlife, the phases of metamorphosis and caring for animals is by observing the life cycle of a frog. Today, we’re sharing the amazing experience of raising frogs, from spawn to tadpole to froglet! Ann Owen is here with the most beautiful images and the story of her family’s adventures with tadpoles. She’s also included everything you need to know before go and what you should have on hand if you want to collect and raise your own tadpoles this spring. Happy frogging!

Tadpole season

Last year was our first time raising tadpoles. Watching our frogspawn go through their metamorphosis into little froglets was such an incredible experience for our family, especially for my daughter, Phoenix, that we had to do it again this year. Spring is the best time to find frogspawn, so now is the perfect time to share all the lessons we learned last year on how to raise them.

I hope this blog post will help anyone else who would like to give raising tadpoles a go. I highly recommend doing this with your little ones, as it’s such a great way to observe the life cycle of a frog and learn about metamorphosis. Plus, it’s a great excuse to get outside and go on an adventure in search of frogspawn! We definitely had lots of fun collecting ours this year!

What you will need

You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment or specialty items to get started raising tadpoles. Here’s a short list of a few items that you’ll want to have on hand when you get started. Most of these items can be found at your neighborhood pet store (or online, of course).
- Water from the pond/stream where you found the frogspawn (you’ll use this for the initial water in your tank)
- A small fish tank (we bought a 6 liter one but this year bought another one due to having so many)
- A bag of aquarium gravel or rocks from the pond
- Some artificial foliage/plants (so that’s the tadpoles have places to hide, otherwise, they can get stressed)
- A few larger stones
- Bottled still water (tap water will kill them; however, you can use tap water if you let it sit for 24 hours)
- Tropical fish food flakes (for young tadpoles)
- Freeze dried bloodworm (for tadpoles when they begin to form legs )
Important things to remember

Here are a few things to remember and bits of advice that may not be obvious to you, particularly if this is your first time raising tadpoles. These are all lessons we learned last year from our tadpole experience.
- Once the tadpoles begin to form legs and arms it is extremely important that the gravel in your tank is at an incline so that they are able to get in and out of the water easily.
- When your tadpoles turn into froglets they will not eat for a few days because they get their food from eating their tail!
- Make sure you regularly clean the tank and add fresh water.
- Once they have transformed into froglets, release them back into the wild. Ideally, you should release them where you found the frogspawn.
Our tadpole experience

Our tadpole experience all began last year when we were on a walk in the woods and we came across some frogspawn. We didn’t know we were going to come across this and therefore hadn’t planned to bring any home with us, so we were unprepared. We only had coffee cups to put our frogspawn into, but it did the job until we got home! Since we weren’t prepared and didn’t have a tank we put them into a bowl until we could get one.

The bowl was not going to cut it, so we immediately ordered a tank. It arrived within a few days and straight away we added the gravel and foliage. We also added some extra water (bottled) to the water from the pond.

Due to our indoor environment being so much warmer than the temperatures outside, within a week the frogspawn began hatching. In just a few days we had hundreds of little tadpoles. This was incredibly exciting for my daughter, who was almost three at the time. She instantly fell in love with all of them called them her “babies!”

She took her feeding duties very seriously and it was something she looked forward to each day. We started with fish food flakes, once decent sized pinch a day usually, depending on how many you have (be aware that overfeeding them can kill them).

Tadpoles to froglets

A couple of months after we had found the frogspawn we finally saw little legs begin to form. We had also reached a stage where the more developed tadpoles began eating each other and many of our tadpoles didn’t make it. I was totally unprepared for this! Just know this is part of the lifecycle and prepare your children for the carnage.

About a week later more and more tadpoles developed their back legs and we had our very first froglet who we named Star. Isn’t she beautiful?

Sadly Star didn’t make it. I had found her dead in the water the next morning. She had drowned. It was an absolute tragedy in our house and we were all so sad. However, from her death, I learned the importance of the tank needing to be at an incline so as to allow the frogs to get out of the water and breathe air. We revamped the tank straight away. During this phase (when the froglets take their first breath of air and go out of the water), they are at their most fragile. During this time they also get all that they need from eating their tail, so you may notice they don’t eat their fish food for a few days.

From here on out, things began to happen fast. More and more tadpoles developed their back and front legs. At this point, we had to remove some of the water and give them space to get out into the air. Around this time is when we introduced freeze dried bloodworm and this they really loved!

Releasing our froglets

Unfortunately, around this time we lost a few more froglets. However, the ones that came after those were much more robust, hardy and healthy. About a week later we finally reached the stage where we could release a couple of them! You are supposed to release the froglets where you found them to give them the best chances of survival. However, the puddle where we found our frogspawn no longer existed, so I found a nice little stream nearby where we could release them. Phoenix loved being able to set them free. She carried their little container ever so carefully, constantly kissing them. We gave them a beautiful little send-off and thanked them for their time with us.

A few days later we had more frogs to release! From here on out we kept getting more and more little froglets and released them back into the wild a small batch at a time.

This was a very exciting time because pretty much every day we would have another new little froglet to love.

Fun with froglets

At one point, I had to clean out their tank, but with so many frogs I didn’t dare open it up! Even tiny frogs can really jump! I didn’t want dozens of little froglets jumping around our kitchen, which would have gone terribly wrong since we have cats! Instead, I just scooped out as much of the dirty water as I could and replaced it with bottled water. Phoenix constantly asked to hold the froglets, but I would always tell her they were too small. However, it was finally time! When she was finally able to hold them, we discovered how much fun they are. She especially loved having them on her face!

Operation Freedom

About three full months after we first found the frogspawn, it was finally time to do a big release back into the wild. We called it Operation Freedom! On this day we released about 22 little froglets back into the wild! But not before telling them goodbye and doing a little photo shoot. It was such an amazing experience for all of us and one I hope Phoenix will remember forever.

Have you ever raised tadpoles?
We’d love to hear about your experience.

I’m Ann. I live with my husband, Kevin, our 3-year-old girl, Phoenix (AKA Nixie) and our newest addition to the family (born in January of this year), our little boy Forrest. Craving a quieter, more peaceful life and one closer to nature, we relocated a couple of years ago from the big city of London, England to the beautiful New Forest a few hours away, where we are surrounded by the forest and the sea.

I’m a wanderer and a nomad at heart. I feel the most at home when I’m out in the wilds: the forests and the sea are my tonic. They are sacred to me. I’m a lover of love, synchronicity; of the unknown and its infinite possibilities, a lover of opposites; of light and dark, our mind and heart, our soul and spirit and discovering all the different ways they work together.

I’m a family photographer and I love finding the beauty in everyday moments. Since becoming a mama my most favorite thing to photograph is our own family life, it feels like such an honour and such an incredible gift to be by our children’s side as they explore and discover our world. I’m also a holistic massage therapist/bodyworker and have a deep interest in all forms of healing but especially people’s journey into their authentic, true selves.

You can see some of our adventures on Instagram @therisingphoenixuk.