HOLIDAYS

HIKE, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Valentine’s Day Outdoor Activity: Nature Heart Hunt
- February 1, 2021
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and that typically means a whole lot of love and hearts! Let’s embrace the hearts and invite nature to be our valentine this year. Today, Creative Team member, Katie Fox, an RV-living roadschooling mom of 2, takes us on an outdoor nature heart hunt. She shows us how we can take this love-filled holiday outside and enjoy time together as a family, connecting with each other and nature. Let’s all go hunting for nature hearts!

“Keep close to Nature’s Heart…” – John Muir

Hearts aplenty

It’s the time of year when many of us get crafty with heart shapes and spend time with our children making cards and decorations to show friends and family how much we care. If you are looking for ideas, these heart-shaped seed bombs are amazing! Or, maybe, we are busy (or our kids beg us) and we buy pre-made decorations and boxed valentines for our children to complete on their own. There’s no shame in saving your sanity and buying Valentines with your child’s favorite character.

But, no matter how your family prepares and celebrates, Valentine’s Day is the time of year when kindness and love shine through. This is important. Many holidays focus on giving, but Valentine’s Day is tied to the heart. Indeed, the holiday’s focus is entirely about love and kindness. It doesn’t have to be romantic love, either. It can be about the love you feel for your family, friends, and neighbors.

You do not need to buy into the commercialized element of the holiday to spend time with loved ones focused on connecting, being kind, and your love for each other. And today, I’m sharing with you a fun outdoor activity for the entire family. Going on a nature heart hunt is the perfect way to spend some time outdoors exploring and have a little adventure with the kids.

Valentine and heart fun facts

In fact, connection and love are essentially where the heart shape and holiday stem from.

I am a lover of history and learning new things, so naturally, I delight in finding reasons to look into why things are the way they are. For instance, why is the heart a symbol of love? Why does the heart shape occur in nature? Who was Saint Valentine? And why is this holiday named after him?

These are just a few examples of the questions that ran through my head as I began to brainstorm writing this nature heart hunt post. I won’t share all of the new facts I learned after diving down this rabbit hole of information (the amount of information may overwhelm you, as it did me), but here are the most interesting discoveries.

The heart as a symbol of love may actually find its origins in nature!

Ivy leaves, lily pads, and silphium leaves (an extinct ancient North African plant) are all heart-shaped, and their respective cultures connected them, in some way, to fidelity or reproduction. Over time, the depictions of these plants in art may have morphed from heart-shaped leaves to simply the heart shape.

The heart shape connection to love may come from anatomy drawings dating back to the Middle Ages.

Since the heart organ has long been seen as connected to human emotions, the heart-shaped drawing of the organ eventually began to represent love.

Saint Valentine and his role in the love-filled holiday is equally uncertain.

Some say Saint Valentine did not agree with a law forbidding young men from marrying (in hopes of making them more battle worthy), so he performed marriage ceremonies in secret. However, others believe Saint Valentine was another (of the dozen or so who held the name Valentine) martyred man altogether.

The heart shape’s prominence in nature was a difficult one to find information on.

The only thing that even suggested the reason for the occurrence of this shape in nature, referred exclusively to the leaf shape. It proposed the heart shape enabled the plants to obtain more sunlight.

The holiday was likely invented by a poet!

Geoffrey Chaucer, who often combined or altered traditions in his poems, wrote Parliament of Foules in 1375 and suggested that on the day February 14th birds and humans should come together and find a mate.

“For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Hearts found in nature

Now, you might be thinking, where are some good places to start hunting for nature hearts? This is a great question and the answer is simple. Pretty much everywhere outdoors! Check out these ideas to get you started on your nature heart hunt.
- Clouds
- Rocks
- Leaves
- Puddles
- Fungi
- Lichen
- Tree bark
- Shadows
- Animal spots
- Tree cavities
- Animal tracks (think deer hooves or dog prints)
- Cactus limbs
- Shells
- Tree stumps
- Cracks in mud or sidewalks
- Snow mounds
- Tree branches
- Flowers
- Black walnuts (look inside)
- Graffiti or murals
Hunting for nature hearts

The first rule in nature heart hunting is that there are no rules in heart hunting. There is absolutely no wrong way to go hunting for hearts in nature, so your heart hunt can be anywhere and any way you want. My family started going on nature heart hunts a couple of years ago. I cannot remember where I got the idea, but it stuck and we love it. So, whoever you are who shared this idea, thank you!

You may be surprised to know this, but the heart shape naturally appears in nature everywhere! There are literally hearts all around you! Once you start looking, you will notice them all the time. And if you are anything like me, you will begin to snap a photo each time, too. As a result, you may develop quite a collection of nature heart photos.

Eye spy – the heart-shaped version

Hunting for hearts is such a fun and easy outdoor activity. It’s basically iSpy (eye spy?) where you’re only looking for hearts. You can play this on any hike, walk, or outing. A nature heart hunt is perfect for kids of all ages (and adults). It can easily keep my young children engaged and moving forward on our outdoor adventures. So far, each and every time I suggest we hit the trail and search for hearts, my kids are 100% committed instantly! Certainly, this activity will fail me one day, but for now, I am enjoying hunting nature hearts with my children.

I search for heart-shapes right along with them and show them any I see. I always make sure to give them an opportunity to point them out first. My 3-year-old enjoys spotting the heart-shaped rocks, tree cavities, and lichen. Whereas, my 6-year-old usually dedicates his time to finding heart-shaped leaves or plants.

Find them or make your own

Do you want to know the best part about this particular nature heart hunt activity? We almost always find several examples, even if they are not perfect. And, if for some reason we don’t find any nature hearts. we simply make our own! It’s super fun to make a heart shape using a few pieces of nature nearby on the ground (leaves, sticks, flowers, etc.) and the kids consider it a complete success!

Love actually is all around

Hearts are literally all around us. They are in the sidewalk cracks, tree bark, playground equipment, leaves, rocks, and clouds. Most importantly, all of these things are available in most outdoor environments and all are great places to find those hidden hearts. You don’t need to go far or anywhere fancy for your nature heart hunt because love is all around, wherever you are!

So, as this love-filled holiday draws closer, take your family outside (a park, playground, neighborhood walk, trail hike, or any other adventure) and go hunting for nature hearts. It is easy and fun and will fill your heart with happiness.

Have you ever found a heart in nature?

“When you realise Earth and Heart are spelled with the same letters, it all begins to make sense.” — Unknown author

About the author

Katie lives in a tiny home on wheels and travels full-time with her two mostly wild children, tech-minded partner, two well-traveled pups, and adopted pet snail. As they wander the North American continent, Katie explores as much as possible, with a particular fondness for the adventures her family enjoys in state and national parks. When not trekking through the outdoors, Katie enjoys baking, homeschooling, consuming mochas from local coffee shops across the continent, practicing her photography skills, and soaking up as much knowledge as she can.

As an advocate for families exploring the great outdoors, Katie co-founded a Hike it Baby branch in her hometown in Northern California and tries to encourage families to get outside whenever possible. Katie has a Master’s degree in human development from the University of Missouri, Columbia, but her passion is really history and humanities (which is coincidentally what her Bachelor’s degrees are in). She currently volunteers on the Hike it Baby National team as a contributing blogger.

You can find more from Katie online in the following locations:
Instagram: @familyinwanderland
Website: http://www.familyinwanderland.com
Facebook: @familyinwanderland
RWMC posts: Katie Fox
FAMILY TRAVEL, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Our Favorite Adventures of 2020
- January 4, 2021
Happy 2021, friends! We are so excited to wish farewell to 2020 and to start a new year of adventures with you. No matter who you were or where you lived, 2020 was probably a tough year. And while it had its challenges for everyone, there were also a lot of amazing things that came out of those difficult times. We seemed to all feel a big shift towards what really matters, like family, nature, and self-care. The adventures we took in 2020 probably looked different than how we imagined them when planning. But, we still managed to make the most out of it and spend some time outside together. Today, a few members of our Creative Team are here sharing a little bit about their favorite adventures from 2020. Here are a few memories we’ll never forget.

Leslie – @c_l_allofus

Our family plan for 2020 was to spend the year clearing our newly acquired homestead land and beginning the process of building our house and barn. Even in our personal lives, not much else went we as expected in 2020, but that basic plan of spending the year working together outside never changed. It stretched and challenged us as we cut trees, burnt massive piles of branches, put in our driveway, and passed out endless snacks to our pint-sized helpers. Our kids learned to help with whatever jobs they could, to stay clear of moving equipment and falling trees, and to discover endless ways to create their own adventures on our homestead property. They found favorite climbing trees, built forts and hidden playhouses in the west thicket, and made playgrounds out of just-dropped trees. I love the above picture because it shows our whole family working and playing together–our three-year-old plopped down with her coloring book and crayons in the dirt driveway while the two older girls play in the dirt, our son and his dog dig up a groundhog hole, and my husband works with the mini excavator.

We’ve spent the year trying to balance work and fun, stopping to enjoy the little moments and accomplishments together. We camped out on our property, dreaming about the many nights there in our future. We’ve watched the sun set across the field and fog lift over our meadow. The autumn leaves have fallen and we’ve learned which trees have the most spectacular color. We’ve watched trees bud and left footprints in the snow. 2020 may not have held epic visits to exotic locations for us, but it’s been full of beautiful adventures right here on our own homestead.

Kristen & Jared – @kristcx & @bikeshikesbiners

Our favorite adventure this year was getting to take our kids on a road trip to visit a handful of National Parks. One of those parks was Arches National Park. My husband and I had visited this park on our honeymoon 12 years ago. So, getting to come back to explore it with our new little family was such a great experience. We made so many new memories together as a family. We loved getting to see our kids explore new terrains and experience a different region from our own, learning as they went and opening their minds to what else was out there. It really fanned the flame of our sense of adventure and we can’t wait to see where 2021 will take us!

Stacey – @familyroots.photo

2020 was a crazy year for everyone! It brought highs and lows to all of us. Our family is so grateful to have had some wonderful memories come from it. Here’s a photo of my kiddos and their cousins at the top of the deer loop trail. This trail is right down the street from our cabin in Vermont. It’s about a 3.5 mile loop and the kids absolutely love exploring this trail. We’ve gone multiple times this year, over various seasons – spring, summer, and fall. And it was right here at the top, with this beautiful view of Pico mountain, where they took their very first solo ski down the mountain. It was a memory I’ll never forget and one of our favorite adventures. I hope you and your families can dwell on all the good memories this year has brought you all and cheers to a happy + healthy new year!

Nichole – @coleyraeh

This year was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Unlike anything any of us have experienced. But for us, it was also a year of “level up” adventures. We weren’t able to travel quite as much but I decided to dig deep into shenanigans close to home. Lucky for us, Arkansas is full of adventure. My favorite adventure this past year was a canoe and camping trip, to a floating platform on a river in central Arkansas. Yes, my kids and I CAMPED on a platform, in a river, surrounded by massive cypress trees, blue herons, egrets, owls, and Pileated woodpeckers.

The experience stretched all of us – for me, loading and unloading the canoe from my car (by myself, thank you very much) and for my kids paddling in a river, and against a headwind on our return trip. We also learned the best way to pack the canoe to balance their weight with mine. My son slept in a hammock (with a bug net) and couldn’t stop talking about the stars. We also spotted a snake mid-meal, with the still croaking frog hanging out of its mouth. It was memorable. And yes, we even jumped on the Ocean Spray cranberry juice/Fleetwood Mac challenge, making our video while floating down the river. I’m so excited about where our canoe will take us in 2021!

If you’re interested in reading more about this trip, I wrote a post about it on my blog Luckey Wanderers.

Michelle – @wonderclubexplorers

I have to say, picking just one favorite outdoor adventure from this past year was tough! If nothing else, 2020 was a year that taught us to count our blessings and get creative, especially here in Southern California where safer-at-home orders kept us, well, home. Sort of. In search of new vistas and fresh scenery, we perfected the art of Sunday drives this year. Our destinations were always somewhere new and different filled with interesting roads and places to explore.

One of our family’s most favorite and memorable Sunday drives was to the Anza Borrego Desert in California. Here in the desert, we found more than 100 sun-bathed metal sculptures amidst the cactus plants, tumbleweeds, and sandy earth. As my son ran wild from sculpture to sculpture in the desert, he proclaimed that “This day was the most fun ever!” I have to agree, and as we waved goodbye to the dinosaurs, dragons, and wild horse sculptures on our drive home, I looked back and indulged in a cotton candy-colored sunset. How lucky are we to have this beautiful earth to explore?

Araceli – @roaminggonzalez

I read an article that described 2020 as the year that offered us a “reset”. That is the biggest lesson I am taking away from this year. Although it was difficult, lonely and some days were impossible, I am walking into 2021 with a grateful heart. We grew closer than ever as a family. I realized how over-scheduled life was for us. This year gave us an opportunity to slow down. Our days were filled with all the simple things that matter most and that is what I plan to take into the new year!

We are also unbelievably grateful that we were able to recreate responsibly throughout the year. Whether it was exploring where we live or camping along the coast we treasure what the great outdoors offered us this year more than ever. Sunshine, fresh air, and time together as a family. ADVENTURES are truly the best gifts. We remain hopeful for a better year.

SarahRuth – @kindle_togetherness

The devil came down to Georgia. Seriously, you’all. The devil came down here. This guy made 2020 his year. Maybe it wasn’t just Georgia, but can I tell you something? We had a hurricane. In the Appalachian Mountains. Pause there and let that settle for a minute. Five and a half hours from the nearest beach, our family lost power for four days. Our community had massive flooding, hurricane-force winds, and more. With three young kids and a camper hanging out in our driveway, we figured if the devil came here to Georgia, we would head to North Carolina! In a frenzy, we packed up enough clothing to get us through, tossed the bikes on the truck, and ran!

If 2020 was anything, it was unexpected. As we drove a couple of hours away, we laughed, we cried, and we counted our blessings. Not everyone could run away from 2020 for a few days and fish, ride bikes, count the stars. But, if they could, they should, right? So we did! And we had the time of our lives. If I learned anything this year, it’s that circumstances don’t determine outcomes. Often time, you can switch gears and change the atmosphere of a situation. It is hard to defy your feelings. Super challenging to go against the crashing waves of fear and anxiety….but when you do it, you don’t regret it. Instead, you walk away a victor. I’m all about bringing my kids along for that!

“Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua Marine

Meghan – @meghangarriott

We had a lot of growth in 2020 at the Garriott home. Our boys grew and grew and so did our garden! The initial shutdowns across the US due to COVID 19 just happened to be the same time to start a lot of my seeds indoors. This year we grew Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeños from seed. With all our added time at home it worked out perfectly to be able to care for our little seeds and expand our garden. As the weather warmed we planted green beans, carrots, green onions, basil, mint, and cilantro.

Our extra time at home over the summer ended up making for a much larger and better cared for crop than in years past. We were able to freeze over 20 quarts of carrots, canned and froze 15quarts of tomatoes, and 20 quarts of green beans all while also eating fresh throughout the summer. Our time in the garden gave us some much needed physical and mental exercise. My boys loved helping me dig and water the garden, they were less thrilled with weeding but I took what I could get. I can’t wait to see what our garden brings in 2021 with all that we learned and expanded in 2020!

Ashley – @sage.and.summit

My favorite memories and outdoor adventures from this year would have to be hiking with my girls and incorporating trail cleanups on those hikes. It not only was a way to get us outside, strengthening our bodies and minds. It also made us feel good to leave the places better than we found them. The most challenging thing about 2020 was not being able to see our friends, however, it made us all more grateful for those friends that we will hopefully see in 2021.

Gaga – @groovybananaphotography

2020 has been a very weird year. We did quite a bit of international travel in the beginning of the year, then the borders to our island were closed because of COVID. As wedding, engagement and family photographers, we had much less work coming in, as people were not allowed to travel overseas for destination weddings. Incredibly, our island was very lucky to not get hit by COVID and we lived quite a bit of the year in a normal bubble where we could still hang out together. Having more time not working gave us more time to spend with friends, and above all, with our kids.

My favorite outdoor adventure of the year was probably our trips to Tanna, another island of Vanuatu. One time we went for a couple photoshoot on the top of a volcano and another time to cover a huge cultural event. In both cases, we went exploring the volcano ash plain which offers out of the world landscapes. It was the most amazing playground and a trip we’ll never forget.

Sara – @sara_mccarty

This may be a very unpopular opinion, but I did not think 2020 was the worst year ever. Yes, it was tough, challenging, infuriating, and heartbreaking. But, it was also beautiful, eye-opening, transformative, and resetting. When the world shut down, it forced us to reevaluate and reprioritize our actions. It was disappointing having to cancel adventures, trips, and extra-curricular activities, but it forced us to get creative and explore our local surroundings in a whole new way. We were scared and apprehensive, but spending time together as a family in nature seemed to make things feel more manageable.

In 2020, we did a lot of fishing, a family canoe trip, some camping, quite a few hikes, and more creek play than we knew what to do with. One of my favorite adventures from this past year was a 2-day getaway to a nearby lake, where my two big kids (6 and 8) and I rented a tiny cabin in the woods. We fished during the day, made a bonfire each evening, and spent our time enjoying the beautiful fall colors and nature around us. The weather was perfect and the kids got along the entire weekend (which is a miracle in and of itself after all the “togetherness” we’ve had). The kids also discovered a newfound love of kayaking and I could barely get them out of the water to eat or go home. It was amazing to see their confidence grow with each trip out and we can’t wait to do it again. It was a bit of a last-minute trip, less than an hour from our house, but it was just what we needed to re-energize and reconnect.

What were your favorite adventures from 2020?
We’d love to hear all about it!
CRAFTS, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WINTER
Dried Fruit Holiday Garland
- December 9, 2020
We love holiday crafts, projects, and traditions. If you’re looking for a fun new tradition to start with your kids, making dried fruit garland is a great one! This fun and easy project is made from natural items, is eco-friendly, and easy enough for little kids to help with. Plus, you’ll end up with a beautiful decoration to hang on your mantle, tree, or cozy spot of your choosing! Today, the uber-talented Tiffany Griffin, Texas homeschooling mom of four, walks us through the process of how to make your own dried fruit garland with kids. She’s got a step-by-step tutorial with all the details – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fun and easy this project is!

Starting a new holiday tradition

Traditions are a big thing in our family. I find around the holidays, my heart aches for slow mornings, simple crafts, and quality time with my children. I can only hope my love for traditions rubs off on them to pass down to generations after me. One of our favorite holiday traditions is the ever popular dried fruit garland! If you’re looking for a fun new tradition to start with your kids this year, making a dried fruit holiday garland should be at the top of your list!

There are so many reasons this activity is so wonderful. It’s great for little hands and helps with dexterity and fine motor skills. Not only is drying fruit a gift of beauty from mother nature, but it is also a sustainable craft that requires little to no waste. Leftovers can be composted, used to infuse for water/homemade cleaning solutions, or in our case, fed to our pet Lizards. Win! It will also add so much natural beauty to your home (and smells great, too!).

The history behind holiday citrus

While the drying of fruit has been around for countless years, are you aware of why oranges are seen as a “holiday” fruit? During the Great Depression, oranges and citrus fruits were considered a luxury item. Most families could not afford citrus fruit at all, any time of year. But they’d splurge at Christmastime and give oranges, which became a symbol of gold and wealth! Ever received an orange in your stocking? That is why!

Optional air-dry clay beads

We decided to add in some hand made beads to turn this project into a fine motor skills activity. Molding clay improves children’s spatial awareness and 3D visualization abilities. Throw in the wonderful dexterity workout that is threading the oranges and beads and you have a full force sensory craft to share with your children, while also creating a tradition that can be shared each year!

How to make your own dried fruit garland with air-dry clay beads

STEP 1: Cut the oranges into 1/4 in slices.

STEP 2: Pat dry as much as possible, the drier the better!! It is very important to get as much juice off of the oranges/grapefruit that you can. Paper towels and terrycloth rags do wonders!

STEP 3: Once the fruit is as dry as you feel you can get it, place the slices on parchment paper on a cooking sheet. I found it was helpful, but not necessary to bake them on a cooling rack. If you don’t have one, no worries!

STEP 4: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and put in your fruit! The middle rack works best! Cook them for about three hours, making sure to flip halfway through. Be sure to check on them about every 30 minutes to make sure they are not browning. If they are, take them out and allow them to cool and dry out for 12-24 hours before resuming.

Step 5: Allow the fruit to set out until they are completely cool. This is a good time to make your beads!

Step 6: Using air dry clay, have your kids roll the clay into small balls. You can do all the same size or various sizes. Use a toothpick to make a hole through the ball big enough for your string/jute/twine. Allow to dry and harden.

Step 7: Once the fruit slices are cooled and dry you can use a toothpick to make two small holes through your fruit to thread your string/jute/twine through the oranges to create a garland! Alternate between fruit and beads.

Step 8: Hang your garland and enjoy!

Have you ever made dried fruit garland?

About the author

Tiffany is a homeschooling Mama of four earthside children, one baby girl that travels among the stars. She is a vintage-obsessed, wicker-collecting, tree-loving photographer, creator, painter, and writer. She loves to document her children’s childhood and is passionate about sharing her take on motherhood, raising children outside of the “norm” and in nature. She’s crafty, creative, and passionate about mental and emotional health. She’s a big believer in the healing power of nature.

You can find more from Tiffany in the following locations:
Instagram: @dear.wildlings
RWMC posts: Tiffany Griffin
BOOKS, HOLIDAYS, NATURE SCHOOL, WINTER
Nature-Themed Holiday Books for Kids
- November 30, 2020
With the holidays fast approaching, we wanted to put together a big list of some of our favorite nature-themed holiday books for kids. We hope this list will help you find the perfect books for celebrating the season with your children. Add a few of these to your Christmas wishlist, shopping list, gift-giving list, or library list.

{This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of our links. Thank you for supporting a small business.}

Holiday book countdown

One of my kids’ (and my) favorite holiday traditions is our monthly countdown to Christmas with holiday books. Our house is filled with books – they’re one of those things I think belong in every room of the house. For the most part, all our books stay out and are available year-round. However, there are special “holiday” books that only come out once a year.

Every December 1, I pull out the bins full of our holiday books from the attic. Each night in December, the kids get to each pick out a book from the bin and we read them together before bedtime. You can wrap them individually (we used to do this, but it takes a lot of time and is a bit of a waste of paper with three kids) or put them in a bin, box, or bag. The kids love this tradition so much and start talking about their favorite books in October!

After nine years, we’ve built up quite a collection of holiday books. We have enough now that each kid gets their own bin of 24 books – all the books are related to winter, snow, or the December holidays.

Building a holiday book collection

If you’re new to the concept, it might sound expensive to collect all these books. But, don’t worry, there are definitely ways to make this project inexpensive (or even free!). You don’t have to start with 24 books. Even just a handful of books will work just fine. You probably already have some holiday books at home that you can use to get started. Instead of doing a book every day, choose a book each week or one book every 3-4 days. Or start later in the month and only do the last week leading up to the holidays.

Local libraries usually have HUGE holiday kid’s book sections. You could easily check out some holiday books for a few weeks to do this project. Ask your local librarian to put together a fun mixed assortment of holiday and winter books that are age-appropriate for your kids. They usually have really great suggestions and you might be surprised to find some new favorites. This is also a great way to supplement the books you already have or add a few new books to the rotation each year to mix things up!

If you’re looking to purchase the books, I love hitting up thrift stores and second-hand bookstores for kids’ holiday books. Thriftbooks.com and Half Price Books are a few of my favorite places to find quality pre-loved books. I purchase them throughout the year and add them to the collection whenever I pick one up. A lot of the books on this list are for older (not recent) books, which means they’re more likely to be available at second-hand bookshops.

Check out garage sales, local BST pages or even Facebook pages for books swaps or “no buy” groups. Many families with older kids probably have lots of holiday books that their kids have outgrown that they’d be willing to gift down to a new family. If you know of families that have kids much older than yours, ask them if they have old books they’d like to pass on. Or organize your own book swap party!

Or, give this list to relatives, friends, and grandparents to help stock your kids’ bookshelves full of fun outdoor nature-themed holiday books for next year (and beyond). In my opinion, books make the best presents!

Holiday books for everyone

We have a lot of “traditional” holiday books (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, etc.), but I’m not including those on this list. While those are wonderful and have a special place in our heart, I’m focusing today on nature books. I love finding books that incorporate nature, animals, wildlife into stories and encourage kids to get outside during the cold winter months. Those are the books that I’ve included here. Most of these we either own, have read, or were recommended by friends and followers.

While our family celebrates Christmas, that’s certainly not the only holiday this time of year and we appreciate reading books about how others celebrate the season, as well. I’ve added a few books to our collection about other holidays and celebrations so that my kids are aware that not everyone celebrates the same thing and we can learn about other holidays. I’ve listed a few of the nature-themed ones here.

Finally, I threw in a few general “winter” books about snow, hibernation, the winter solstice, and general winter observations. The first day of winter comes right around the holidays and the change in seasons is always a reason to celebrate. Hopefully, there’s something on this list for everyone!

Nature-themed holiday books for kids

Here are over 40 nature-themed holiday books for kids. From animal characters to beautiful winterscapes, each of these books incorporates aspects of nature and the outdoors. We hope you’ll add a few of these to your holiday book collection and that they inspire your child to love and appreciate nature and the world around them.

The Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen

Little Christmas Tree by Jessica Courtney-Tickle

Hanukkah Bear by Eric A. Kimmel

The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola

The Great Spruce by John Duvall

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas by Pat Mora

Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger

The Tree That’s Meant to Be by Yuval Zommer

The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler

Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares

Little Robin’s Christmas by Jan Fearnley

The Christmas Garden by Caroline Tuohey

Christmas with the Mousekins by Maggie Smith

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis

A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea

Yoon and the Christmas Mitten by Helen Recorvits

The Lost Gift: A Christmas Story by Kallie George

This Is Christmas by Tom Booth

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel

The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear

Lights for Gita by Rachna Gilmore

Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Richard B. Smith

The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

Night Tree by Eve Bunting

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

The Deep and Snowy Wood by Elwyn Tate

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel

La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story by Antonio Sacre

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

The Message of the Birds by Kate Westerlund

Goodnight Stories from the Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Saniyasnain Khan

Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro

Home for Christmas by Jan Brett

My Wonderful Christmas Tree by Dahlov Ipcar

All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by Gayle Boss

Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy by Carl R. Sams

The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren

Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker

The Yule Tomte and the Little Rabbits: A Christmas Story for Advent by Ulf Stark

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider by Richard H. Schneider

Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam

The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuk

The Mukluk Ball by Katharine Johnson

Winter nature books for kids

Here are a few of our favorite winter-themed nature books for kids. These books are not holiday-related (per se) – they are more about the celebration of the winter season and solstice. I love incorporating a few of these into our holiday reading to educate the kids on what’s going on in the world outside around them this time of year.

Winter Song: A Day In The Life Of A Kid by Anetta Kotowicz

Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

The Solstice Badger by Robin McFadden

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

Winter’s Coming: A Story of Seasonal Change by Jan Thornhill

The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett

The Snow Dancer by Addie Boswell

Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter by Eugenie Doyle

Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor

The Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers

Snow Still by Holly Surplice

Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan

Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli

When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

Snow by Cynthia Rylant

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Anything we missed?
What are your favorite nature holiday books for kids?
CRAFTS, FALL, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, RECIPES
DIY Fall Fairy Garden in a Pumpkin
- October 15, 2020
Fall is such a magical time of year! The turning leaves, the beautiful colors and the crisp cool air! It’s also a great time for nature crafts and getting outside to play! One of our favorite ways to spark imagination and creative play in our kids is through fairy gardens. Today, Megan Rigdon, Maryland photographer and mom of three is sharing tips on how to create a fall-themed fairy garden with children! She’s included materials needed, a list of fall flowers that will look beautiful in the magical fall garden, as well as a delicious roasted pumpkin seed recipe for you to make with your little ones!

Children naturally live in the moment and they allow that moment to be what it is, magical and beautiful in every way” -April Peerless

Magical childhood memories

As I look back on my childhood, I have countless memories of times that felt magical! My cousins and I would create forts in my grandparents’ backyard. It did not feel like any old fort, it was a magnificent castle nestled in an enchanted forest. And when we were inside, when my mother would wash my hair in the bathtub, she would have me look way up high at the vent in the ceiling. That’s where the fairies lived! I would imagine the magical world that lived beyond that vent. I would squint my eyes so hard to see if I could see just one of the many fairies that lived up there. The creativity and imagination of little kids have no end!

Keeping the magic alive

When I became a mother myself, I was over the moon excited to create magical memories for children. Fast forward almost ten years. I am now a mom to three children (ages 5, 7, and 9). I absolutely love watching the magic of childhood through their eyes. And I love helping them create and magical places that inspire them to dream. My children enjoy sitting under our evergreen trees and play with their fairy garden that they recreate every summer. We plant a few shade-loving plants and add some fairy accessories to make the garden come to life! They spend hours and hours playing in the charming little garden.

Fall themed fairy garden

Summer quickly came to an end up here and Maryland and we recently welcomed a brand new season. I noticed that our summer plants faded away in the kids’ fairy garden under the evergreen trees. A few weeks ago I asked my children if they would like to create a fall-themed fairy garden. They squealed with excitement and wanted to get started right away!

The children picked out a few large pumpkins at our local family farm stand. We cut a large opening on the top of the pumpkin making sure it was wide enough to allow room for the fairies to play. Then, we scraped out the pumpkin seeds and set them aside in a bowl to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds later that evening (recipe below). We filled each pumpkin with potting soil to the top and patted it down evenly.

Fall friendly plants

Next, we researched plants that would work well in pots in the fall time. Mums, Pansies, Marigolds, Violas, Celosias, Kale, Asters and Ornamental Peppers are all wonderful choices for a fairy garden in the fall. We had room for just about two plants to be added to each pumpkin. This allowed room for the fairies and some accessories too. The children dug a little hole, placed their plant in it, and patted it down gently. They loved this hands-on activity and the chance to get their hands dirty!

Fairy garden accessories

The hard part was now behind us and they were ready to accessorize their fall fairy garden! This is probably the most fun part of the process for little kids and where you can really see their imagination and creativity coming to life! They get to use natural objects found around the yard and home to decorate and accessorize their fairy garden.

The children found round-shaped rocks and painted them orange with acrylic paint. After the rocks were dry, they drew faces on the orange rocks to make them look like little jack-o-lanterns. My daughter ran over to the cornfield next to our house and picked a cob from the stalk. She pulled the kernels off of the cob and placed them in the soil to make it look like little stepping stones or trails in the garden. They gathered acorns from under our oak tree and pulled some moss that was growing on our patio. So many treasures were found just in our own backyard! The fairies and gnomes can be found at most craft stores.

Fall fairy garden giggles

I sat back and watched them giggle and come up with wonderful stories for their fairies as they explored in their new pumpkin fairy garden. The conversations and questions were priceless and adorable. You could literally see their eyes sparkle and their happiness overflow. My heart felt that same magical joy as I watched them play.

I have always believed in the magic of childhood and think that if you get your life right that magic should never end” – Colin Thompson.

Roasted pumpkin seed recipe

When we cleaned out our pumpkins for the fairy gardens, I reminded my children to save the pumpkin seeds. We made the most delicious Roasted Pumpkin Seeds! To make these seeds, all you need to do is pull the seeds out of the pumpkin and separate them from any pulp. Wash and pat dry the seeds with a paper towel. Then, toss a cup and a half of the seeds in a bowl with two teaspoons of melted butter and a pinch of salt. Stir them up and then spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on oven temperature of 300 degrees. Let them cool. Pop them in your mouth and enjoy!

Have you ever made a fall fairy garden?

About the author

Megan Rigdon is a mother to three energetic children and lives on their family farm in Harford County, Maryland. She is a lifestyle family photographer and a lover of joyful and colorful images. Megan has a degree in Early Childhood Education and taught Kindergarten prior to having her own family. They spend as much time as possible outdoors exploring the farm and going on adventures. Raising chickens, fishing, gardening, camping, and crafting are just a few of her favorite things to do with her family.

You can find more from Megan in the following locations:
Professional Instagram: @meganrigdonphotography
Personal Instagram: @megmrigdon
Website: meganrigdonphotography.com
RWMC posts: Megan Rigdon
BEACH, BIKE, CRAFTS, GARDENING, GOOD FOR NATURE, HIKE, HOLIDAYS, INFORMATION, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SPRING, WATER
15+ Activities to Celebrate Earth Day with Kids
- April 14, 2020
Earth Day is next week and the world needs you and your actions! There are so many things parents and kids can do to help protect, preserve and restore our planet – from cleaning up, to recycling, composting, planting a garden or just enjoying the beauty of nature! Today, we have Chelsea Furlong (professional photographer and eco-conscious mom of 2) here with 15+ eco-friendly activities kids and families can do together to celebrate Earth Day. And bonus that all these activities can be done at or around the home, while socially distancing.

15+ Earth Day Activities With Kids

Earth Day 2020

April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. On that historical day, 20 million Americans filled the streets with protests to stop the destruction of our precious planet. This essentially started what became the planet’s largest civic event and an environmental movement. Since then, Earth Day has been celebrated annually worldwide on the 22nd day of April.

While this year is a bit of an anomaly and we’ll have to celebrate at (or close to) home and away from others (no marches or protests this year), there’s no reason why this can’t be the best Earth Day celebration ever! Use this as a way to avoid shopping/purchasing anything new (especially plastics) and use what you’ve already got on hand in new ways. Get creative and make the most out of the things you already own or can find in nature close to home.

Celebrating Earth Day with kids

Getting kids involved in taking care of the planet when they’re young encourages them to continue the tradition as they get older. It’s a parent’s job to teach kids to be good stewards of the earth encourages them to love and respect their planet and nature. There are so many amazing ways you can celebrate this day with your kids and family while being conscious of your carbon footprint. Here are some of my favorites!

1. Nature scavenger hunt

Make a list of things found in nature around your home, neighborhood or a local park. Then go out for a walk or hike with the family and see how many items you can find. In order to save paper, you could make the list on your phone or a reusable dry erase board or reusable writing board. We love our Boogie Board writing tablets for things like this!

2. Neighborhood clean up

Grab some gloves and garbage bags and beautify your neighborhood by removing all the trash humans have tossed around. My kids actually love doing this because they almost always find treasures they want to clean up and keep. Our oldest son keeps a whole lot of other people’s discarded items to use in creating art and sculptures, and we don’t mind one bit! We get to enjoy his creative mind while giving the trash a second life before it’s tossed into a landfill for decades, centuries, or possibly forever.

3. Family bike ride

Going on a family bike ride is a great way to get the family outside enjoying what Mother Earth has to offer while being active and adventurous! Head to your favorite bike trail or try a new one. You can enjoy your town or city without polluting the air and you’ll feel so great afterward!

4. Get out on the water

Spend the day observing nature from the water. Instead of using something motorized, try a kayak, rowboat, stand-up paddleboard, or other pollution-free water vehicle.

5. Make a bird feeder

There are TONS of ways to DIY a bird feeder using recycled materials. We made bird feeders using recycled toilet paper tubes, popsicle sticks, and even pine cones! We have a great post on making ec0-friendly bird feeders with kids using materials you already have at home! No need to leave the house!

6. Practice Earth Day yoga

My kids love doing yoga! Celebrate Earth Day with kids by doing a special outdoor kid-friendly yoga session. Stand barefoot in the grass so you can feel the earth under your feet and are grounded. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the sunshine and wind on your skin. You can pick some earth and animal-related poses to do. Tree, turtle, butterfly, lotus, and frog are some of my children’s’ favorite yoga poses.

7. Make seed bombs or seed paper

Another great activity to celebrate Earth Day with kids is to make seed bombs (with clay) or seed paper using recycled paper scraps you have lying around the house or in your recycling bin! You can bomb an area in your yard or neighborhood and see how they grow over the spring. Or give them out as gifts to friends or leave them on a neighbor’s doorstep as an Earth Day present. Feel free to use my seed paper valentine instructions as a guide, with a few swaps. Change the color (to blue/green) and shape (to a circle like the Earth) to match the Earth Day theme.

8. Start a garden

Kids love playing in dirt! Have them help you make a family garden. You can plant a flower garden or edible garden, and work together to take care of the plants. If you don’t have a lot of space or live in a city, you can always do a potted garden or patio garden! We don’t have a lot of space to plant edibles where we live, but we still try to grow some herbs and vegetables every year using pots and containers. Here are some recommendations for easy vegetables to grow with kids and a great post on how to make gardening enjoyable for kids.

Eco Tip: Be sure to buy the pots/containers pre-loved at a thrift store or from someone else!

9. Plant a tree

There’s no better time than Earth Day to plant a tree! Spring is a great time to plant and Earth Day is a great reason. Pick a special spot to plant a family tree that you all can visit for years to come! If you plant a fruit tree, you’ll also have the added benefit of beautiful blossoms and fruit you can enjoy once your tree is mature.

10. Make earth art

Doing an art project is always a fun way to celebrate and document any holiday. Making art from natural materials is so much fun to create. Plus, there’s a fun added benefit in that other people will find joy when they come across your artwork! You can use any kind of materials you find in nature to create a masterpiece on the ground. We like to use shells, sticks, rocks, leaves, flowers, petals, nuts and sand.

11. Start composting

Starting a compost is something that has been on my list to do for years now and I think Earth Day is when we’ll start! My oldest son has been bringing me food scraps daily, asking to put it in a compost instead of the garbage. I promised him we would do some research and begin one soon. We don’t live in a rural area and don’t have much of a backyard space so our compost will need to be small. However, there are plenty of great options for composting in small spaces and in the city! A friend uses this composting tumbler in their backyard and adds the finished compost to their flower beds. You could research composting with your kids and start this year, too! And when you start your compost project, make sure to include a few bins for little hands so the kids can help out, too!

12. Have a picnic

A great way to get outside and enjoy nature is by having a picnic. You can have a picnic inside or outside! But be sure to keep it earth friendly by:
- packing your picnic in reusable containers,
- bringing reusable utensils/straws/water bottles, and
- bringing cloth napkins/hand towels.
Bonus: Try to reduce your picnic carbon footprint by preparing a vegan meal!

13. Take a hike

One of our favorite outdoor activities is hiking. Hiking always inspires us to take care of our beautiful planet by reminding us just how impressive nature can be! This year, if you can safely get out to a place away from others, take a fun Earth Day celebratory hike. Bring along a bag to pick up any trash/litter you see and some binoculars to do some birding while you’re out!

14. Make nature crowns

Nature crowns are a really fun and easy craft you can make and wear in celebration of Earth Day! No need to buy anything, just use whatever you can find in nature. You can make nature crowns out of just about anything – flowers, grasses, clover, vines, sticks, dandelions or wildflowers! Be creative and have fun with it!

15. Make nature paint brushes

Head out on a nature walk and collect different materials to use as paintbrushes! Pick up things like sticks, leaves, long blades of grass, flowers, etc. Take them home and dip them in paint to make a family piece of artwork to hang up forever. It’s a great way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. You’ll be able to look at the art you made and remember the time you spent with your children for years to come.

16. Earth Day puppet show

Another fun way to celebrate Earth Day with kids is to make puppets with materials from your recycling bin. Or, you could make sock puppets from all those single socks you have lying around! You can have your children do some research online or read some books about ways to protect our planet. Then they can share what they’ve learned by putting on a puppet show! This is also an amazing activity to share with family and friends on FaceTime or other video chatting app during quarantine. You don’t have to leave your house and you can bring some joy to others in isolation from a safe distance!

17. Make sculptures, art, or robots using items in your recycling bin

My kids love making art from trash! It gives those items one more life before they get tossed into the recycling bin or trash can. Use materials you would normally throw away or recycle and repurpose them into art, a sculpture or a robot (or a monster or an alien or anything!). Let them paint and decorate their creation. Display it proudly!

18. Build a fort

Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is to head out into the woods with your family and make a fort together! Use materials found on the ground to design a shelter. (Do NOT take down anything alive! I’m sure you’ll have plenty of options that are no longer alive and that have fallen to the ground without the help of humans!) You could have a picnic inside your fort, read some books, or just sit in the quiet and observe Earth’s gifts surrounding you.

How will you celebrate Earth Day with your family?

About the author

Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. Our family loves biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.

You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com
RWMC posts: Chelsea Furlong
CRAFTS, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, RECIPES, SPRING
How To Make Natural Dye For Easter Eggs
- April 8, 2020
Spring brings with it blooming flowers, rain showers, and Easter eggs! If you’re like us, you’re probably stuck at home right now looking for things to do with the kids (here’s a huge list if you need more ideas for outdoor spring activities for kids). Dying eggs with natural ingredients one of those activities (#88)! It’s also a super fun social distancing activity for the whole family. Today, Texas photographer and mom of two (with another on the way), Tiffany going to walk you through how to make natural dye for Easter eggs, using household, backyard and pantry items that you already have at home like spices, fruits, veggies, and foraged plants! Get ready for the fun!

Up your Easter fun without leaving the house

While lots of egg dying tutorials will use super colorful dyes made from fancy ingredients, we’re going to make this simple and easy for you. We want to show you how to use household items from your fridge, pantry, and backyard to make dyes. No need to put yourself at risk by going to the grocery store. And no need to purchase expensive store-bought Easter egg dyes. There are lots of items you can use to make all sorts of colored dyes right around your home. Your kids will be so surprised and impressed that dyes can be made from so many ordinary things! And this will surely elevate your Easter egg hunt to the next level.

Gather your household materials

Start by having the kids collect items that can be used to make dyes. For this tutorial, we used blueberries, beets, the tops of carrots, wildflowers, and turmeric. So many things you have on hand WILL work! Have some fun by searching your yard, pantry, and your fridge! Have some fruits or veggies going bad?! Perfect!

Some other ideas for items to use to make natural dye are: purple or red onions, dandelions, raspberries, spinach, paprika, kale, green onions, chili pepper, red cabbage, red peppers, or yellow onion skins! The options are endless, and super fun to experiment with!

Supplies for naturally dyed eggs
- hardboiled eggs cooled to room temperature (note: brown and assorted color eggs will dye differently)
- fruit, veggies, spices, foraged plants and flowers from the backyard
- water
- white vinegar
- glass Mason jars
- sheer pantyhose
- rubber bands
- scissors
- wildflowers/foliage for decorating eggs
- strainer (cheesecloth or a paper towel also work!)
How to make natural dye for Easter eggs

Put 6 cups of water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 2-4 cups of whatever natural substance/ingredient you are trying to pull color from to the boiling water. Make sure your ingredients are chopped up, which helps with the color extraction process. Add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. Let the mixture boil for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 more minutes. Remove from heat and strain the liquid into a mason jar(s). Repeat the process for each additional dyes and colors.

Naturally dying eggs

Place hardboiled eggs into each dye and let them sit. We HIGHLY recommend you soak the eggs at least 24 hours! The longer you leave them in, the more pigmented your eggs will be! After eggs are desired color, remove from dye and place on a towel or paper towel until dry. Please note these dyes WILL stain fabrics, so be extra careful.

Adding flowers and prints

We love to make our naturally dyed eggs a little extra fancy with flower and leave prints and added dried wildflowers. To do this, start by cutting pantyhose into 5-6 inch strips. Lay the small plants/flowers of your choosing across the egg. Carefully place pantyhose around the egg pulling them as tight as possible from the opposite side and secure with a rubber band. Repeat as desired. Place the eggs in the jars with the dye for at least 24 hours (as recommended above). Remove the eggs and let dry. Use scissors to cut pantyhose off off eggs at the base of rubber band and carefully remove the pantyhose. This is the fun part! You can leave the flowers/greenery pressed on or remove them for a print!

Natural dye for Easter eggs

And that’s it! Making natural dye for Easter eggs is easy as can be. We hope you’ll give this fun technique naturally dying eggs using household items and foraged materials a try. Make sure to tag us in your images if you post them online and we’ll be sure to share! We can’t wait to see how your eggs turn out and all your creative dyes. Stay safe out there.

Have you ever made natural dye for Easter eggs?

About the author

Tiffany is a homeschooling Mama of three earthside children (one baby boy on the way) and one baby girl that travels among the stars. She is a vintage obsessed, wicker collecting, tree-loving photographer, creator, painter, writer and loves to document her children’s childhood and is passionate about sharing her take on motherhood, raising children outside of the “norm” and in nature. You can find Tiffany on Instagram at @dear.wildlings.
CRAFTS, GARDENING, GIFT GUIDE, GOOD FOR NATURE, HOLIDAYS
DIY Eco-friendly Plantable Seed Paper Valentines
- February 6, 2020
February is the month of love! We not only want to encourage you to spread love to friends and family, but to make sure you’re also loving on your planet. As Valentine’s Day approaches, parents are faced with trying to figure out what to send to class with the kids. We know plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, and pre-printed cards are fun and easy. But those things aren’t always great for the environment. This year we hope you’ll consider some eco-friendly alternatives. Today, we have the amazing Chelsea, professional photographer and eco-conscious mom of 2, sharing a simple project for turning recyclable paper into adorable Valentines that are good for the birds and bees! Chelsea walks us through how to make DIY wildflower plantable seed paper Valentines that are fun and easy for kids to make from materials you already have at home.

Making a change

Each year I try to make a few changes in our lives that allow us to leave a smaller footprint on Earth. As I was thinking about what to do for this year’s valentines for my kids’ classmates, I realized this was another area we could make improvements. It seems like every year my kids bring home more and more stuff from their class holiday parties. Little plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, plastic baggies stuffed to the brim with junk that eventually ends up in the trash.

And let me be honest, my kids absolutely LOVE IT. They love receiving all those fun treats and they love giving them out as well. But this year I can’t do it. I can’t add to the growing problem. So, I decided to find an alternative that would more closely match our values.

DIY plantable seed paper Valentines

Instead of buying something that would be thrown away, we decided to make something. These DIY plantable seed paper valentines made from recycled paper are a perfect alternative to the usual store-bought valentine items! They check all of the boxes when it comes to a Valentine that aligns with our values. They’re handmade, which allows for me to spend extra time with the kids. They’re made from recycled materials, giving a new life to things that would otherwise be thrown away. And they’re plantable, which means our little Valentines will keep on giving long after we’ve gifted them!

Not only will these homemade Valentines provide beauty when they’re grown, but they’re extra good for the environment. We deliberately chose a wildflower pack that’s specifically made for birds and butterflies! Win-win for everyone! We had so much fun creating these eco-friendly seed paper valentines and hope you will too. They’re super simple to make and absolutely adorable!

Plantable seed paper materials

The great thing about these Valentines is that you don’t really need anything special to make them! Other than the wildflower seeds, you probably already have all the materials necessary to make your own plantable seed paper at home right now. Here’s what you’ll need to get started.
- Paper scraps
- Food dye (optional)
- Wildflower seeds
- Water
- Large bowl
- Blender or food processor
- Grease splatter screen (or screen material)
- Towels
- Cookie sheet
- Pencil
- Scissors
How to make plantable seed paper

I was pleasantly surprised just how fun and easy it is to make your own DIY plantable wildflower seed paper. It didn’t take us long at all and we were so happy with the way it turned out. The paper is also so versatile and can be used for any variety of holidays, gifts or projects. Tuning the plantable paper into Valentines was so much fun and we truly loved the way they turned out.

Step 1: Gather paper and rip

The first step is to gather scrap paper and let the children rip up the paper into small pieces. I highly recommend using paper that has been used and that you’d normally recycle, as opposed to new clean paper. You can really use any kind of paper, from printer paper to construction paper. You can use junk mail, papers from the kids’ schoolwork that you aren’t keeping, flyers, old coloring book pages or even newspapers.

We used a stack of papers that would be normally tossed into the recycling bin. We also used one piece of red construction paper, just for some added color. You can use any colored paper depending on the color you want your seed paper to be, or just leave it out altogether.

Step 2: Soak the paper

Next, place the ripped pieces of paper into a bowl of water. Let the paper bits sit in the water for 10-15 minutes to allow the paper to fully soak and saturate.

Step 3: Puree to a pulp

Once the recycled paper is soaked, place the pulpy mixture into a blender or food processor. If you want create colored paper, now is the time to add a few drops of food coloring to the mix. We used two drops of red dye for ours. Put it all in the blender and liquefy it! This step should definitely be supervised by an adult!

*Please note: the blending can be hard on appliances so you’ll want to use a high-quality appliance. This may also dull your blades. Blend at your own risk*

Step 4: Add seeds and spread

Place a towel on a cookie sheet. Then place a splatter screen over towel. Once the paper mixture has been blended into a pulp, pour it back into the bowl. Then mix the wildflower seeds into the recycled paper pulp.

Have the children use a spoon or their hands to spread the pulp onto the screen. Using your hands or a spoon, spread the pulp as thinly and evenly as possible over the entire screen, pressing lightly to squeeze out any extra water. The towel beneath the screen will also help absorb the extra water that comes out of the paper.

Step 5: Let dry

Once the pulp has been evenly spread on the screens, leave it to dry. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the pulp and humidity. Our paper took several days to dry completely. Give it time! During the drying process, you’ll need to remove the wet towels under the paper and replace them with dry towels. Once the seed paper was stiff enough to handle without falling apart, I flipped it once to help with the drying time.

Step 6: Cut into shapes

When the plantable seed paper is completely dry and stiff, it’s ready to be made into Valentines! Use a cookie cutter as your template or even just a cutout shape of your choosing. We chose a heart (naturally!). Trace your shape onto the seed paper using a marker and then carefully cut them out. You may want to have the children do the tracing and have an adult do the cutting because the paper is quite fragile!

Step 7: Share the love!

Once you have your plantable seed paper cutout into the shape of your choice, that’s it! Your frugal, earth-friendly valentines are complete and ready to give to friends, neighbors and family members. Let them know that they just need to plant the paper in a sunny spot to grow a beautiful little patch of wildflowers that will brighten their days and help the birds and bees. You could even print off some cute cards with fun phrases on them to attach to the Valentines. Pinterest has some great free printables to use!

Plantable seed paper makes a great gift!

Plantable seed paper doesn’t only have to be for Valentine’s Day. You can make wildflower seed paper for so many occasions, using any kind of cutout shape, size or color. So it would be great for Earth Day, Mother’s Day, or any special occasion or holiday. These little cutouts make a great take-home favor for birthday parties and bridal/baby showers as well.

Do you make your own Valentines?
How do you make holidays more eco-friendly?

About the author

Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. Our family loves biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.

You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com
RWMC posts: Chelsea Furlong
ANIMALS/WILDLIFE, GOOD FOR NATURE, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WINTER
Winter Solstice Family Traditions & DIY Ornaments
- December 18, 2019
The Winter Solstice is quickly approaching. December 21 marks the first day of winter (here in the Northern Hemisphere), which is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The days ahead will be longer and brighter, which calls for a celebration in my books! Many families adopt traditions for the Winter Solstice that they do every year to get outside and celebrate the change of the seasons. Traditions help us remember the past and are wonderful ways to pass love and memories to the next generation. If you’re looking for some fun festive traditions to start with your family to celebrate the Winter Solstice, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we have Holly Morgan, a Midwest mom of two here, sharing a few fun and simple ways her family celebrates the Winter Solstice, plus a tutorial for making DIY Winter Solstice ornaments.

The Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice occurs around December 21st (in the Northern Hemisphere) and marks the beginning of the winter season. It is also the shortest day and longest night of the year. After this day, the days begin to lengthen and the nights begin to shorten, which will continue until the Summer Solstice (around June 21st). The arrival of the Winter Solstice has been celebrated since ancient times. Both then and now, people use the sun, stars, and planets to keep track of time and seasons. We also look to nature to mark the change in seasons and understand more about the world around us and how it works. The Winter Solstice and many of the traditions associated with it center around fire, light, and nature.

The rhythm of winter

For our family, the Winter months are a time to slow down and live in rhythm with the darkness of Mother Nature. To rest and root deeply in our intentions. Each year, the winter season officially begins with the Winter Solstice. This is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year. While winter can feel like a time of dormancy for some, we choose to enjoy the opportunity to slow down. We choose to live in rhythm with the quiet stillness of Mother Nature. We intentionally turn inward and delve into our inner light and intentions. And we always make time for nature play!

Winter Solstice traditions for the family

For us, celebrating the Winter Solstice also means welcoming the return of the light. We thank Mother Earth and celebrate the longer days to come. We do this with several family activities and offerings to Mother Nature and our creature friends. Our Solstice traditions include celebrating with a candlelit family dinner on the first day of the winter season. We also set intentions as a family for the coming year and reflect gratitude for the seeds we have planted. We light a fire to honor the returning light and work together to make an edible offering to our animal friends outside.

These are just a few of the many things you can do together as a family with your children to celebrate the Winter Solstice and welcome back the longer days. Every family is different and can celebrate in their own way. Other ideas could be to have a bonfire with friends, make a snow cake decorated with edible items for the animals, go on a winter hike, bake a yule log, watch a sunrise/sunset or make/light candles. Each of these activities (or any of your choosing) are simple ways to thank Mother Earth for the return of the light and celebrate the longer brighter days ahead.

Celebrate the Solstice with an offering

We celebrate the Winter Solstice each year by making treats for our feathered and furred outdoor friends. These easy bird feeders are made with dried orange slices, pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed. For the past three years, we have made these Winter Solstice ornaments that we use to decorate our backyard cedars. It is a great child-friendly activity and a fun way to get the whole family outdoors for some fresh air. With just a few simple ingredients (and maybe a few sticky hands) you will have engaged kids and very happy animals in your yard!

DIY Winter Solstice ornaments

Below is a simple tutorial on how you and your little ones can make some Winter Solstice offerings of your own. Even if you don’t celebrate the Solstice, these easy treats are a perfect way to offer some winter reprieve for our furred and feather friends. These are our ornaments from last year, and we made a few more as the winter months passed on. My son was especially interested in trees and pine cones last year, so we gathered all shapes and sizes from our property and had a very healthy pinecone collection! We strung all our ornaments from the trees with simple jute. They became a treat for the birds and squirrels, which we really enjoyed watching over the season.

What you’ll need
- Oranges (or any citrus fruit of your choice)
- Pinecones – we collect these on walks or in the yard
- Peanut butter
- Birdseed mix (or any seed/nut mix of choice)
- Jute or natural fiber to string ornaments
Directions for DIY Winter Solstice ornaments
1. Evenly slice citrus and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake on lowest oven temperature (my oven goes down to 170 degrees Fahrenheit) for five to six hours, turning once to dry. You can also use a dehydrator.
2. Tie jute onto citrus slices and pinecones for hanging outdoors.
3. Roll pinecones in peanut butter and then roll again in birdseed mixture.
4. We let our dry for a day since the peanut butter was very thin; this seemed to help the birdseed adhere.
5. Find a tree or bush and string your Solstice treats for the birds or squirrels to enjoy on the longest night of the year!
Does your family have any Winter Solstice traditions?

About the author

Holly Morgan lives in the Midwest and is a stay at home mom of two. She loves gardening and growing flowers and herbs for cooking and holistic wellness. Her other crafts include photography, kitchen adventuring, and writing. A Wisconsin native, she is raising her littles to be wild and free through nature play. You can follow Holly and her family’s daily rhythm on Instagram at @hollyandhomestead.
HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Outdoor Holiday Activities for Kids
- December 16, 2019
Don’t let the December cold keep you indoors this entire holiday season. Get outside and have some fun with your kids during the holidays. There’s so much to do outside this time of the year; so many fun things to see and places to explore. Today, we’re sharing 15 outdoor holiday activities to do with kids. Many of these outdoor activities can be done no matter where you live or what holiday (if any) you celebrate. This December, make it a goal to spend more time outside celebrating together in nature. Put your own twist on these outdoor activities and make them your own. Maybe they’ll even become yearly traditions! So, what are you waiting for? Bundle up and get outside!

Special thanks to all the amazing members of our Instagram community that allowed us to share their special images in the post. We appreciate you all so much!

Outdoor holiday activities

When you think of the holidays, you probably don’t immediately think about outdoor adventures. We want to change that! Regardless of how many things are going on inside this time of year, kids need outdoor play. They need to burn energy, explore and play outdoors. They need fresh air and sunshine (what little there is this time of year) and room to move! Kids should be enjoying nature and the outdoors year-round. The holiday season is no exception.

There are so many fun things to do and experience outside in December. We’re sharing just a few of our favorite ways to get outside, get active and have fun amidst the holiday chaos. I have a feeling that the more of these activities you incorporate into your holiday, the more fun you and your kids will have! We’re hoping you make getting outside a priority for your family this holiday season.

Photo credit: @andreamartinphoto

1. Make a wreath

Making a holiday wreath with kids is such a fun craft. My favorite craft projects usually start with time outside, exploring and collecting materials. For a holiday-inspired wreath, head outside and look for evergreens and anything colorful. Bring a bag with you to collect all your finds and goodies. You’ll need quite a few branches, so consider bringing scissors or something to use to safely cut the plant without damaging it (leave this with a grownup). Make sure you’re in a public area or have permission to make any cuts to trees/plants or take anything.

Once you’ve collected enough materials, head home and arrange everything around a wreath structure or even a cutout piece of cardboard. Choose your method of adhesion (hot glue, rubber bands, etc.) and get started! Let the kids help as much as they can and give them free rein over their creation. When all’s done, add a few pinecone embellishments, some holly berries or a big bow. Finally, hang on the door for all to see!

2. Hot chocolate stand

While lemonade stands might be all the rage in the summer, hosting a hot chocolate stand in the winter is a great way to put those entrepreneurial skills to good use. The cooler weather is a great excuse to put a new spin on a traditional outdoor childhood activity. Plus, get your little ones in the giving spirit by selecting a charity or cause to receive half (or all) of the profits of their shop. Then, help your kids come up with everything they need to set up a booth to sell hot cocoa, spiced cider, coffee, tea, or baked goods. All you need are your supplies, some change, a table, and a big sign! Choose a location where you’ll encounter some foot traffic and voila!

Photo credit: @dorenehookeyPhoto credit: @embrace_the_deep

3. Holiday lights walk

Going on a holiday lights walk is one of my kids’ favorite holiday traditions. We choose one night in December (close to Christmas) to bundle up and go for a holiday walk to see lights. The kids get dressed up in their warmest clothes and grab a blanket of their choice. We fill travel mugs with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Then we load everyone up in the wagon, stroller or buggy and go for a walk around the neighborhood.

The kids stay nice and toasty in the wagon, all snuggled up together. I drag or push them down our street and around a couple of blocks in our neighborhood to find the houses with the best lights. We ooh and ahh over the decorations and pick our favorites. Sometimes we’ll even bring a Bluetooth speaker with us and play holiday songs and sing along to the music. Depending on how cold it is, we usually stay out around 30-40 minutes. But even 10 minutes up and down our own street feels great once you’re outside and moving!

Photo credit: @crystalphoto.ca

4. Outdoor ice skating

Ice skating outdoors is one of my favorite things to do with the kids during the holidays. There’s something magical about being outside in the crisp air, all bundled up, and slip-sliding around on ice skates under the twinkle lights. Many cities have wonderful outdoor ice skating rinks that are open around the holidays. They’re usually open in the evening, surrounded by lights, so it’s one of the few outdoor activities that you can do in the evening since it gets dark so early.

Make a full family event out of ice skating and see who’s the best. Most rinks have skate rentals for kids as young at two. Plus, there are lots of options for kids that are still learning, including buckets and braces. And for the grown-ups, there’s always the wall to hold onto! After your skate, head out to dinner or for dessert and make a special night out of it!

Photo credit: @littlepinelearners

5. Feed the birds

Making bird seed feeders for the birds and squirrels is a wonderful way to teach kids about kindness and compassion. My kids love making eco-friendly bird feeders from supplies and materials we have at home. Our favorites are pinecones dipped in peanut butter and then rolled in birdseed. Not only do the kids have to get out and explore to collect the pinecones, but they get to get messy while they make these. We also love cutting apples in half and leaving them out for the animals. If we have snow, we’ve even gone to our local park and make a giant birthday cake out of snow and decorated it with birdseed, carrots, lettuce leaves and orange slices for the animals. Here are three fun and easy options for making bird feeders with kids.

Photo credit: @catrinadebruin

6. Cut down your tree

There are so many great reasons to choose to cut down your own (or purchase a live) real tree. Heading out to the woods or local tree farm is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise in the cold month of December. It’s also a fun family tradition you can start and continue doing each year. When you purchase a live tree you’re also supporting a farm that depends on the income from those trees to continue to run. While the trees are growing, they help clean the air we breathe. Once the trees are cut down, they’re replaced with new ones. When they’re in your home, they smell heavenly!

Once you’re finished with a real Christmas tree, it can often be repurposed. Many cities collect the live trees and turn them into wildlife habitats, mulch or other products, or use them to help with erosion. In these cases, the tree gets another life before it decomposes. If you need tips on what to do before you go tree hunting or how to choose the right tree, we’ve got a great post with tips on cutting down your own tree.

Photo credit: @lovely_littlediegoPhoto credit: @sara_mccarty

7. Go caroling

This is another one of my kids’ favorite holiday traditions. Every year, all the kids on our street go house-to-house caroling. It’s honestly one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen and I hope we continue this tradition forever! The kids love it so much. They sing 2-3 songs at each house and collect a donation to give to a local charity. We print off a few the lyrics of around 10 songs for the big kids and the little ones that can’t read shake jingle bells and try to sing along as best they can. We usually hit about 10 houses and then head back to a neighbor’s house for cookies and hot chocolate.

Don’t celebrate Christmas? No worries! There are a million other songs you could sing! No one said that caroling had to include Christmas songs. Make a list of some of your kids’ favorite songs or Google fun/silly kids’ music and learn a few songs. Bust out your favorite Disney songs, like Let it Go, Hakuna Matata and Bare Necessities. Some of our favorites for little ones include: Ram Sam Sam, She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain, You are my Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle, Ants Go Marching, Baby Shark, Wheels on the Bus and Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

Photo credit: @e_hawthorne_photography

8. Winter hiking

Another great family tradition to start is to go on a holiday hike. We all tend to overindulge around the holidays and take full advantage of the delicious food and drinks. It’s also easier than ever to skip exercising and opt for snuggling on the couch or watching a movie instead of getting outside and active. Those things are all fine, as long as you also make time for getting outside and enjoying nature. Winter is a great time for hiking, as you can see so many things you can’t in the other seasons (bird nests high in the tree, frozen waterfalls, etc.

Make it a new family tradition to go on a Christmas Day hike after opening the presents to burn off some energy and get some fresh air. Let the kids wear their Christmas jammies or Santa hats! Or make it a New Year’s Day tradition to start the year off with a hike through the woods and get a jump start on your outdoor hours for the year. Check out your local parks and rec department for options to get outside with others. Our state conservation department offers group night hikes in the winter months to listen for owls, coyotes and more!

Photo credit: @zionadventurephotog

9. Make ice lanterns

Ice lanterns are such a fun and beautiful holiday project to make with kids. There are a few different ways to make these, but none of them need much more than a few bowls and cups, balloons and battery-operated tea lights. The first way to make an ice lantern is to fill a cup with water, then place a smaller cup inside it. Let the water freeze and then pull the ice out of the larger cup and remove the inner cup. This will leave you with a hollowed-out ice container. Place a battery-operated tea light inside and set outside along a walkway or around your yard to light a path.

Another fun way to make an ice lantern is to fill a balloon with water and then let it freeze. Once you have a frozen water balloon, remove the plastic ballon and place the frozen globe over a battery-operating tea light in the snow. The whole thing will glow like magic!

Photo credit: @europeanmommyof2

Photo credit: @helendonphotos

10. Attend a tree lighting

Tree lightings are really fun ways to celebrate the season outside with your community. Lots of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and areas have local tree lightings that you can attend with the kids. Most are outside and are accompanied by a special visitor from the North Pole! Our local community’s tree lighting is adorable and filled with kid-friendly holiday activities. All the kids gather outside city hall and sing Christmas carols until Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive. They come roaring up on a fire truck called the Polar Express! There are lots of booths and stands selling hot chocolate, cookies and donuts and holiday goodies from local shops and vendors. The kids have the chance to get a photo taken with Santa or help decorate a gingerbread house.

Photo credit: @dariajungerbalint

11. Create an ornament from nature

There are so many fun ways to use items you find in nature to create beautiful Christmas ornaments for your tree. One of my favorite nature-inspired ornaments is to use small twigs to make stars, trees or snowflakes. You don’t need much for these super cute and easy DIY ornaments that you don’t already have in your yard! Tie a few sticks together with some twine to make a star or use hot glue to create a tree. Leave them natural for a rustic looking ornament or let the kids have fun painting them! They make great grandparent gifts, too. If you want other nature-inspired ornament ideas, Pinterest is full of them!

Photo credit: @ruta_pjPhoto credit: @nina.bogomaz

12. Holiday campfire

Winter is a great time of year to have a bonfire outside. Gather some firewood and those you love and spend some time outside together around a fire. The nights are cold and dark. Take this opportunity to make s’mores and share cups of hot chocolate (put a candy cane in them for extra holiday goodness). And then take the time to bond with those around you over stories of holidays past. Talk about the best gifts you’ve ever received/given, your favorite meals and what you look forward to each year. Sharing songs and memories around a campfire is such a simple and beautiful experience for families. It makes kids feel incredibly special to be part of it, to listen and participate.

Photo credit: @seldabelda

13. Go on a sleigh ride

Do a little research and see if you can find a place near you to take the kids on a real-life horse-drawn sleigh ride. There are lots of places these days that offer sleigh rides, through the woods, in parks, on local farms or through conservation areas. If you don’t have snow or you’re in the city, try a horse-drawn carriage ride! Our local parks offer carriage rides through a winter wonderland of twinkle lights in all size carriages. Some are huge and can fit large groups and some are small and intimate. One even looks like Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. A sleigh ride outdoors through the crisp air, while you’re bundled up in blankets is a thrill! It’s something super special and unique that doesn’t happen every day. It’ll be a true holiday memory that will last a lifetime.

Photo credit: @mamabearphoto

14. Candy cane hunt

Last year we started the tradition of doing a small backyard candy cane hunt. Similar to a scavenger hunt, but only for candy canes. All I did was buy a box of candy canes and hide them around the backyard. I hung the candy canes from tree branches and bushes and the fence. Once the whole box was hidden, I sent the kids outside to find them all. I can’t believe how much fun the kids had with this simple game!

It didn’t take them that long to find all the candy canes (maybe 15 minutes), but they loved the game so much we had to do it over and over and over! Then they took turns hiding the candy canes for each other. And then they moved to the front yard. One box of candy canes got them outside and playing for probably five hours! No one ate a single candy cane because they wanted to save them to play again the next day! I think this year I’m going to buy a couple of boxes and hide them up and down the street and let all the neighborhood kids play! This can also be done with nearly anything – it doesn’t have to be candy canes.

Photo credit: @thejohnsonettes

15. Outdoor act of kindness

Get your kids in the holiday spirit by performing some random acts of kindness for others. Put a new spin on your good deeds by taking them outdoors this year. Try to come up with a few ideas of things you could do for others outside. For example, have the kids shovel the snow off a neighbor’s porch or sidewalks. Pick up litter in a local park. Decorate an outdoor tree for the wildlife. Return your neighbor’s trash bins. Leave candy canes on the windshields of cars in a parking lot. Deliver handmade cards to neighbors you don’t know. Leave sidewalk chalk messages of encouragement for people at the park.

What outdoor holiday activities do you do?
CRAFTS, FALL, HOLIDAYS, LESSONS, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, OUTDOORS INSIDE
Fun & Simple Halloween Activities for Kids
- October 17, 2019
If your kids are anything like mine, they automatically associate October with Halloween! I’m pretty sure they get their intense love for this holiday from their mama. It’s been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. The costumes, the cold dark nights, the glowing pumpkins! Or maybe it’s just all the candy? Either way, it’s a blast! Today, we’ve got mom and teacher extraordinaire, Brandi Markham here sharing 10 fun and simple Halloween activities for kids! These easy activities are a great way to engage their senses and guaranteed to get your kids in the Halloween spirit.

The most wonderful time of the year

The temperature is finally dropping in our neck of the woods and Fall is officially here! Since having children, Fall has easily become my favorite time of year. We love all things Fall – apple orchards, pumpkin patches, Halloween, cooler temperatures, colorful leaves and more. As a mother and a teacher, I love to create fun and simple Halloween activities for my kids to enjoy. Even better…they love it too! Today, I want to share a few fun and simple Halloween activities that you can do with your child, nieces, nephews, grandchildren or even your neighbor’s kids!

Fun and simple Halloween activities for kids

What do you think of when you think of Halloween? Spiders and ghosts and witches, oh my! These are some of our favorite spooky things, so of course, we need to include them in some fun Halloween sensory play. Read on if you want to wow your kids and have a little fun!

1. Shaving cream ghosts

Shaving cream ghosts are probably the most simple of these Halloween activities for kids, but one of the most loved. Prep for this activity is super easy. All you need is a can or two of shaving cream, some googly eyes and a tray. I have some cute plastic serving trays that I use for many of these activities.

For shaving cream ghosts, spray lots of shaving cream in the tray and toss in lots of different googly eyes of different sizes and colors. Have the kids put their hands in the shaving cream and come up with a ghost! The kids love the texture and the messiness of the shaving cream. It’s fun to see what kind of ghosts they create. For extra fun, you can add in little plastic spiders. Or use orange or green food coloring or liquid watercolor to make shaving cream pumpkins or Frankensteins.

2. Monster handprints

Monster handprints are another super simple and fun Halloween activity. For these, you need paper, paint, googly eyes, as well as glitter, glue, and stickers. Have your children make paint handprints on their paper. Then they can add googly eyes and stickers to create their own individual monsters. My kids used triangle stickers to give their monster hands sharp nails. Once the handprints have dried, you can use school glue to make fun designs and add glitter.

3. Fall leaves tree

Looking for more of a Fall activity? Use what nature’s provided to make a fall leaves tree. Take your kids outside for a nature walk and collect lots of colorful leaves. Use a large piece of paper to draw a simple tree. Then have your kids use school glue to decorate the tree. Hang it up to keep a little bit of the outdoors indoor! For more fun, you could collect other items like sticks, acorns, and pinecones to make a Fall wreath or collage.

4. Foaming spiders

Do you have a little more time on your hands for prep work? You should definitely make some foaming spiders! I found this activity years ago at Fun at Home with Kids. Your kids will love these cute spiders and the fun little surprise inside them!

To make the spiders, you will need baking soda, water, and food coloring. Mix about 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of water in a bowl (for colored spiders add a little food coloring or liquid watercolor to the water). Mix well until all of the baking soda is damp. Take a handful of the mixture and put some small plastic spiders inside. Then add more of the mixture to cover the spiders and round them out, making the spider’s abdomen. Cut four pipe cleaners in half and stick them in the spider’s abdomen to make eight legs. Then use the rest of the baking soda mixture to form the spider’s head. Once you have made all of your spiders, place them on wax paper and freeze them for a few hours. If you freeze them overnight, you will want to let them thaw slightly before playtime.

When you’re ready to play with these spiders, add some vinegar and a little bit of dish soap to a shallow dish. Mix it up and carefully add your spiders. The spiders will foam and start to dissolve! Watch as your children get super excited about this and find all the baby spiders!

5. Candy corn sensory play

Candy corn sensory play is another super simple, but very fun Halloween activity for kids. All you need for this activity is a tray, a few bags of candy corn, some plastic spiders and lots of small dishes, spoons, and scoops. I use the same plastic trays for this activity that we used for the shaving cream ghosts.

Simply dump candy corn and spiders into a tray and provide lots of scooping dishes and spoons to encourage sensory play. This is an activity that can easily be adapted by changing what you place in the tray (ideas: rubber eyeballs, gummy worms, squishy eyeballs, other Halloween candy, etc.). Encourage your child to sort objects, count objects, practice scooping, use tweezers to pick up objects, and more.

6. Witches stew

Witches stew is probably my kids’ favorite Halloween activity! This is a very simple idea, but is so fun and creative. For this activity, you first need to boil some spaghetti noodles. Add some orange or green food coloring or liquid watercolor for extra witchy fun. Then, gather up lots of random Halloween items like candy corn, plastic spiders, gooey eyeballs. Basically anything small you can find in the Halloween section at the store. You will also need a tray for your items, spoons, scoops, and bowls. Lastly, you will need some baking soda and vinegar for a little extra added fun. Years ago I came across a super cute witches caldron and we use it for this activity also.

Once you have all of your witch ingredients, have your kids grab their witch hats and get to work! The kids will love mixing all of the ingredients. The best part is adding the baking soda and vinegar to make the stew really fizz!

7. Ice ghosts

Ice ghosts is a fun activity that needs to be prepared ahead of time. To prepare them, simply mix one part water with two parts baking soda to create a damp mixture. Then place a bit into each hole of an ice tray and add googly eyes to each hole. Freeze for an hour or two. For playtime, put the ice ghosts in a shallow dish and give your child a little bowl of vinegar. We used tiny droppers to drop vinegar on the ghosts. The kids loved watching them fizz and slowly dissolve. One of the best parts was dropping the whole ghost into the bowl of vinegar to create tiny little volcanos.

8. Spider slime

Let’s face it, slime is fun all year round and it’s so easy to change it up for any holiday. Spider slime is probably one of my kids and my own favorites for Halloween. To make spider slime, all you need to do is use your favorite slime recipe and add plastic spiders!

My favorite slime recipe is made using two bottles of school glue (5 0z), about 10 ounces of water and 8 ounces of liquid starch. You can use clear school glue or colored school glue, depending on how you want your slime to look. In a large bowl, pour the two bottles of school glue and then add the water. Slowly add about half of the liquid starch and stir. Continue to slowly add liquid starch until the mixture soaks up the water and looks like a glob of goo. You may not need all of the liquid starch. Use your hands to knead the slime until it is not sticky. Last, add the spiders and get ready to play!

My kids love stretching out the slime and picking spiders from it, only to put them back in and start over. You can get creative with your slime by adding a little bit of glitter, using different colored glue, adding confetti or other small Halloween items.

9. Play-doh pumpkins

Play-doh pumpkins are super fun and an easy Halloween activity for kids. All you need is orange play-doh, green pipe cleaners, and little beads or pattern blocks. We have done this activity in a few different ways. We have made round pumpkins from the play-doh and we have also made flat pumpkins to decorate. Black beads are a simple tool to use to create the pumpkin faces. Another fun way to practice and play with shapes is to use pattern blocks for your pumpkin face. For extra fun, use a plastic fork to create lines and make your pumpkin look scarier!

This is such a simple activity that can be adapted in many ways. We have also used different colored play-doh, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to create play-doh monsters. This is one of my son’s favorites. You might even want to use green play-doh to make your own Frankenstein!

10. Wiggly monster eyes

Finally, our last fun and simple Halloween activity for kids is wiggly monster eyes. These are a hit because not only are they fun to play with, but they are edible! To make jiggly monster eyes you just need jello (your choice of color/flavor), raisins and plastic Easter eggs. Make the jello as directed and then you will pour it into one side of a plastic egg. Drop-in a raisin and place it in the fridge to get firm. When you pop them out of the shell solidified, they look like creepy eyeballs! That’s it! Dump the wiggly monster eyes into a shallow dish and let your kids play!

10 Easy Halloween activities for kids

And there you have it! 10 super fun and easy Halloween activities for kids. These activities are easy to put together and can be adapted and made into your own. Get creative and have fun!

What Halloween activities are you going to try with your kids this year?

Brandi
Maryland
@brandimarkham

Hello, I’m Brandi! My husband & I live just outside of Washington, DC with our three littles. They are my favorite people in the world & my biggest inspiration. I am a full-time elementary teacher & a part-time photographer, but mostly I enjoy photography as a hobby. I love chocolate, animals, & nature! Summer is my favorite because we get to spend all of our time outdoors!

For more from Brandi, check out all her RWMC posts.
GOOD FOR NATURE, HOLIDAYS, MCFAMILY, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WINTER
Tips for Cutting Down Your Own Christmas Tree
- December 1, 2017
Cutting down your own Christmas tree is a fun family tradition that gives you adventure, fresh air and a respect for nature. It’s a fun excuse for a little physical exercise in the great outdoors and wonderful reason for your family to spend some time together.

While you might expect a pro-nature argument against cutting down a live tree, it’s actually the opposite. When you choose a real tree over a plastic artificial one, you help both the environment and your community. While there are benefits of artificial trees (convenience and accessibility), we hope you’ll consider a real tree this year, for environmental and economic reasons. A there’s no better way to find the perfect real tree than getting out there and cutting down your own!

Benefits of a real tree

Artificial trees will last for seven to ten years in your home, but centuries in a landfill. Artificial trees are produced in overseas factories, with less stringent environmental regulations, poorer working conditions and lower wages. On the other hand, real Christmas trees are produced locally, from sunlight, rainfall and soil. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 15,000 Christmas tree farms. Those farms grow approximately 350 million trees and employ over 100,000 people.

Planted like an agricultural crop, these trees provide wildlife habitat, air filtration and prevent soil erosion as they grow until they are harvested and replaced by another tree. Each tree grows for an average of eight years. A fresh cut Christmas tree is recyclable and biodegradable. Once used, the tree can be chipped for mulch, burned, or land filled, where it will naturally break down over time. There are also thousands of Christmas tree recycling programs across the U.S. Trees are used to make sand and soil erosion barriers or placed in ponds for fish shelter.

Forest or farm

If you want to cut down your own tree, you can either go to a tree farm or venture into the woods to find your own. If you want that extra sense of adventure, head into the woods, but be prepared. Some areas require a permit to cut down a tree (usually a nominal fee). There may be areas where cutting is restricted or allowed only during a certain time. The size of tree (diameter of the trunk at the base) may be regulated and gas powered tools (chainsaws) may not be allowed, so tools are limited to axes or handsaws.

There are lots of benefits of cutting down a live tree from the forest. It provides more room for remaining trees to grow, which are less stressed and better situated to cope with disease and insects. Reducing competition allows for easier access to water, nutrients, and sunlight and reduces wildfire risk by providing less potential fuel for a fire.

If you go to a Christmas tree farm, you will be supporting your local community. Farm trees will be much more uniform in size and shape. Trees are usually grown in rows so they get plenty of sunlight to form a symmetrical shape. They’re usually anywhere from 3 to 10 feet in height and cost an average of $55/tree. Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, so there’s bound to be a farm by you (check out this website for state-by-state info).

Tips for cutting your own tree

We’ve been cutting down our own Christmas tree from a local farm (Eckert’s in Belleville, Illinois) for the last few years. It’s become one of our family’s favorite annual traditions. Riding the tractor out to the field and choosing the perfect tree is always a fun outing for the kids. Plus, there’s always a lot of other fun holiday related activities to do at Eckert’s, including making gingerbread houses, visiting Santa and story time.

Over the last few years, we’ve learned a few lessons about cutting down our own tree, which we’re happy to pass on to you! So, before you embark on your own tree-chopping journey, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Don’t go too early – the best time for cutting your own Christmas tree is between late November and mid-December. The average time a well-watered cut tree holds its needles is 3-4 weeks.
2. Measure your space – make sure you measure both the place in your house where the tree with go (height & width) and the space in your vehicle where you’ll be transporting your tree.
3. Take a tape measure – a lot of farms will provide measuring tapes or sticks, but it’s always best to bring your own. Expert parenting tip: if you have more than one kid, bring a tape measure for each so there’s no fighting over it.
4. Boots and gloves – wear sturdy boots that protect your feet and good, heavy-duty work gloves. Sunglasses also protect your eyes from rogue pine needs. Wet wipes are great for removing sap from hands and fingers.
5. Do a walk through – before you choose your tree, walk through the grounds and scope them all out. Sometimes trees are arranged by size, shape, breed, etc. Get a lay of the land before making your final decision. Also, when you think you’ve found the perfect tree, walk-around the entire tree to make sure there are no bald spots, dead patches or animals living in the tree.
6. Test for freshness – in order to make sure your chosen tree is fresh, run a branch through your enclosed hand. The needles should not come off easily. Bend the outer branches – they should be pliable. If they are brittle and snap easily, the tree is too dry.
7. Lightweight saw – it’s best to use a lightweight saw that is meant for cutting live trees. Most farms will provide these for you; just call the farm ahead of your visit to make sure.
8. Cut low – cut your Christmas tree low to the ground and quickly, if possible. The low cut will allow the tree to re-sprout a central leader to form another Christmas tree for the future. Once the tree starts to lean over, finish your saw cuts quickly. Don’t push the tree over. That can cause the bark to rip and splinter. It is best to have an assistant support the tree as you are cutting.
9. Shake it – the tree may well have become home to birds, bugs and spiders during the year, so once it’s cut, shake it! A vigorous shaking will not only get rid of loose pine needles, but will also evict Charlotte (and her web). Lots of farms will shakes your chosen tree on a mechanical shaker for no additional cost.
10. Be careful during transport – be careful not to break branches or bend the thin part at the top. Also, you should prepare your vehicle for transport. If you’re putting on top of your car, bring ropes or tie-downs. If you’re going to put it in the vehicle, bring a large tarp or blanket to keep any pine needles from shedding all over.
11. Ensure freshness – when you get your tree home, take a 1 inch slice off the bottom of the trunk where the tree was cut to allow it to soak up nutrients and water faster. Get the tree into water as soon as possible. Make sure the water is not too cold (it can shock the tree).
I hope you and your family try a real tree this holiday season! And for an extra adventure, cut down your own tree. Make it a family tradition. Don’t feel guilty – it’s good for the environment! And it feels great to get outside together and choose a tree as a family. I guarantee you’ll have fun and make amazing memories while you’re at it. Don’t forget your camera!

Have you ever cut down your own tree?