NATURE SCHOOL

CRAFTS, GARDENING, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
How to Make DIY Wildflower Seed Bombs with Kids
- April 15, 2019
One of our favorite outdoor crafts is to make DIY wildflower seed bombs. Not only are these DIY seed bombs easy enough for kids to make in under an hour, but they’re good for the birds, bees, and butterflies in your area. They only require a few ingredients and have the added benefit of letting kids get their hands really messy! Make these and let your kids “seedbomb” the neighborhood or give them as homemade eco-friendly gifts to teachers, neighbors, family, and friends. Everyone will love watching the seed bombs grow into a beautiful patch of colorful wildflowers.

Guerilla gardening with seed bombs

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

Bomb responsibly

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

Benefits of wildflowers

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

Make your own seed bombs with kids

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

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

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

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

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

Step 2: Add water

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

Step 3: Roll into balls

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

Step 4: Bombs away

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

A few extra tips for making seed bombs

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

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

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

When to bomb

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

Not interested in getting dirty?

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

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

Winter is ending

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

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

Maple sugaring

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

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

A family affair

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

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

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

Timing is key

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

Tap carefully

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

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

Old-fashioned fun

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

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

Gathering the sap

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

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

Sugar shack

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

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

Sugaring safety

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

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

Dedication to the craft

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

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

End of the season

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

Leslie Alvis is a wife, mom, follower of Christ, and lover of all things outdoors. She uses writing and photography as ways to keep her sanity amidst the chaos of rearing and homeschooling four children. Outdoor activities with her family are some of her favorite things. You can see more of their family’s adventures on Instagram at @c_l_allofus.
ANIMALS/WILDLIFE, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Nature Study: Raising Tadpoles with Kids
- April 1, 2019
Spring is here! And with the warmer weather comes a plethora of new opportunities to experience nature with your kids. One incredible way to teach children about wildlife, the phases of metamorphosis and caring for animals is by observing the life cycle of a frog. Today, we’re sharing the amazing experience of raising frogs, from spawn to tadpole to froglet! Ann Owen is here with the most beautiful images and the story of her family’s adventures with tadpoles. She’s also included everything you need to know before go and what you should have on hand if you want to collect and raise your own tadpoles this spring. Happy frogging!

Tadpole season

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

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

What you will need

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tadpoles to froglets

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

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

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

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

Releasing our froglets

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

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

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

Fun with froglets

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

Operation Freedom

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

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

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

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

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

You can see some of our adventures on Instagram @therisingphoenixuk.
BOOKS, FALL, GARDENING, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SPRING, SUMMER, URBAN NATURE, WINTER
Creating a Nature Window for Bird Watching
- January 7, 2019
If you’ve ever taken the time to observe birds in your own backyard, I guarantee you’ll find them fascinating! Birds are incredibly social, intelligent, crafty, clever and funny. They are such a joy to watch. Over time, you can even get to know the local ones and their personalities. Today, I’m thrilled to have Nichole from Luckey Wanderers here sharing how she created a Nature Window in her home for watching and studying birds with her family. What started out as an easy way to observe local birds has turned into a passion project for the entire family. She’s here to share her experience and give you tips and advice for creating your own nature window.

How the nature window began

The most beautiful rhythm has developed in our home over the last year. It all began with a bird-focused nature study for my homeschooled children, which grew into an ongoing observation that we as a family enjoy daily. It all started through happenstance. I happened to enter a contest on a social media site. That happened to be through our state chapter of the Audubon Society. Then, I happened to win! We won the most wonderful beginner bird watching kit, with bird information, along with a suet feeder, handheld hummingbird feeders, and some native plant seeds. The rest is history!

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

I entered the contest because we were studying birds for our fall term nature study. I thought the prize would pair well with our study. Within a few days, we had our suet feeder up, full of fresh food. (Suet is a cake made from animal fats and bird seed, usually in a square form.) The suet feeder hung from a pole just off our deck, observable from our kitchen window. Then, we hung a hummingbird feeder from a nearby tree and waited.

We spent the next few days watching and waiting for birds to arrive. During each meal, our eyes were drawn to the feeders. The first hummingbirds soon showed up and we all screamed in excitement, which scared the darling little creatures away! Thankfully, they are persistent and came right back.

My husband brought home another feeder for different food, sunflower seeds this time. These quickly grabbed the attention of the squirrels. Squirrels are acrobatic little buggers, and we soon had to find a way to keep them from getting into the feeder. After a bit of research, put a metal slinky over the pole, which seemed to do the trick. It also gave us one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever seen! An unknowing little bird flew onto the slinky expecting a solid landing, but instead, he bobbed up and down helplessly on the Slinky for a minute or two. Sadly, I was not recording this, but my children and I laughed about that for at least a week!

All birds, large and small

We were all surprised how many birds began to show up at our feeders. In our yard or nearby, we had a family of downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals, and American bluebirds. They came with such regularity that we could almost tell the time based on when we would see them. We watched that window at breakfast, lunch, and at our family dinners. The children excitedly gave a daily report to my husband about what we had seen each night at dinner.

Mid-winter, I had the great delight of seeing a pair of Indigo buntings fly through; pausing only briefly in our trees. The sight of them lingers in my memory. It’s a sight that I would not have seen if we hadn’t spent the previous few months attuning our attention to our little slice of the natural world sitting just outside of our kitchen window. And as winter warmed away and signs of spring began to show, we began to see the baby woodpeckers and baby cardinals accompany their parents to the feeder. It was such a special sight!

Variety is the spice of life

It wasn’t long before we decided to expand our nature window to include other species. My husband and son took to the garage to build a wood home to hang on the tree. While this was originally intended for birds, a squirrel took up residence. Watching its little face peering out of the circular hole melts me every time. We allowed what was left of our raised bed gardens to grow wild! Soon, they overflowed with native grasses and plants. Of course, this attracted pollinators and insects of all kinds, which help the birds.

Due to our location, we are quite lucky to see a wide range of species fly through. Our city lies directly in a migration path, which gives us the opportunity to see a variety of birds. I didn’t realize that before, but now we want to be prepared for it. We have plans to expand our bird feeders to attract Baltimore orioles, my husband’s favorite bird. From what we have heard, oranges should do the trick. We are also doing our due diligence in researching native plants and plan to fill our yard and garden with helpful and purposeful plants. A bird bath is also on our to do list!

So much more than just a nature study

Over the course of the academic year, we were thrilled to see so many birds come and go. My children delighted at spying the brilliant red flashes of the ruby-throated hummingbird. My camera found a new home: on the window sill waiting for moments to snap photos of the birds that passed through our yard. We started checking off lists for the species of birds we spotted. My children colored in their bird coloring books when they saw a certain species. They delighted in imagining that Jenny Wren came visiting our home regularly, thanks to the wonderful book The Burgess Bird Book for Children.

Our nature window is a continually evolving and changing thing. It started with a simple bird feeder placed where we could see it from our kitchen table and has become a full-on observation station. We have a windowsill full of bird guides, checklists, nature finds, jars of found bird feathers, nature journals, binoculars, magnifying glasses, nature journals and colored pencils.

Choose your own nature window

If you homeschool or just have curious littles at home, I highly recommend creating your own nature window. It’s brought so much joy to our lives, I’d love to pass the love and experience on to you. To begin your own nature window, take a few days and observe your household patterns and the layout of your home. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Where do you eat your meals?
- Which room does your family gather most often?
- Where do you spend time relaxing?
- Where do the kids study?
Once you have considered those things, choose your window based on where you’ll have the most opportunities to observe the happenings outside. And while a window is not necessary for setting up bird feeders (you can do that anywhere), it will allow you to observe your feeder from inside the house regardless of the weather.

Start simple

We started with a simple, double-sided suet feeder. There are many recipes available for making your own suet feed, however, for simplicity’s sake, I prefer to buy them in bulk from our local retailers. The Audubon website has a recipe available for vegetarian suet if you’re interested. Next, add a feeder with traditional bird seed or sunflower seeds.

A hummingbird feeder is another wonderful way to observe wildlife from your window. There are a variety of window hung feeders, although ours is hung from a tree. While I buy other types of bird food, making hummingbird food is quite simple. It’s also far better for the birds than store-bought. A basic formula is made from 1 part sugar to 3 parts warm water. Mix until dissolved and allow to cool. Do not add any dyes to the water. Dyes are not necessary and can be harmful to hummingbirds.

Certify your space

One easy way to assure that your yard or nature space is set up well for wildlife is to certify it. You can certify your space through the National Wildlife Federation website. I certified our yard about two years ago, just prior to starting our nature window. It is a very easy (and very educational) process that will help you look at your yard from an animals’ perspective. The certification process will show you how to make simple changes that will positively impact the wildlife around you.

Your yard will first need local native plants. The best practice is to try to stick with native to your area plants. These plants will help support the wildlife around you. If you have questions, speak with a master gardener in your area or find a local chapter of your native plant society. Both of the organizations are great resources for learning about what to plant. You’ll also need a source of water and places to build shelter, in addition to a food source.

The National Wildlife Federation has provided a wonderful program in their wildlife habitat certification process. Our family learned so much through it and are continuing to reap the benefits daily, through our nature window observations. The cost to certify is minimal and includes a wonderful sign to acknowledge your work. Certifying your yard would be an excellent family project, as there is something for everyone to help with.

Let it evolve

Allow your window to morph into your own over time. Find what works for your family and what types of nature excite you and your children. Then, place things in or outside of your window that fuel your passions. In a world dominated by screens, this family past time of observing the natural world through your own window will have a profoundly positive effect on relationships, learning, and even your own peace of mind.

Recommended reading

Here are a few book recommendations to keep near your nature window.
- A Bird Guide – Audubon/Peterson/Kaufman – any of those guides will do well to help with identifying your backyard birds in you’re in North America. You can also get some free local guides from your local chapter of the Audubon Society. I would recommend having a broad spectrum guide as well as a more specific local guide.
- A Bird Journal – This can be as simple as a piece of paper where you log what you see, or a birders journal which has lists to check off what you see and when. We like this one from the Audubon Society.
- A local or regional guide to the natural year – there are some wonderful books out there that will guide you through a season in your area. A simple internet search using the keywords “the natural year” or “seasonal guide” should render some helpful books.
- The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady – this book is a beautiful nature journal containing poetry, nature observations, and drawings. Not regionally specific but a jewel of a book to have in your nature window.
- A book of poetry – a collection of great poems by famous poets on birds. This is handy to pick up and search for a certain topic and any poetry collection will do. Try this one.
Window to the world

Our little nature window (well it’s actually a large window) has become an enduring learning opportunity for all of us. Our attention has become fined tuned to the natural world that exists even beyond it within our little patch of the city. We are amazed by the flickering red of the ruby-throated hummingbird and now recognize the woodpecker we hear in our treetop. We know which birds like sunflower seeds and which bird species favor the suet feeders. This nature window has become a profoundly powerful tool for focusing our attention, feeding our souls, and teaching lessons to our entire family.

Nichole is a homeschooling mama to two incredible adventurers. She has been married to her best friend for nearly eleven years and they share a mutual love for the outdoors. An Iowan native now living in the south, she is happy to claim Arkansas as home. She is a gypsy-hearted, fearless, road tripper, known to take off for epic adventures at a moments notice. Favorite family activities are hiking and camping (of the backpacking variety). She swims competitively and enjoys showing her children what it means to live a healthy life. Coffee is her drink of choice (all day long, and black). You can find her in the woods, probably up a creek, jumping off waterfalls.

You can find her at the following locations:

Instagram: @coleyraeh
Blog: Luckey Wanderers
GARDENING, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
How To Design A Backyard Dinosaur Garden & Mud Kitchen
- November 5, 2018
Have you ever wanted to create an outdoor play area for your children? Today we have an incredibly creative New Zealand mom of two here giving us all the details on how to design a backyard dinosaur garden and mud kitchen for kids. From idea inception to reality, Catherine and her husband designed and built a fun and unique space for their son to play. This dinosaur garden and mud kitchen combines his love of dinos with getting dirty. It incorporates natural elements and fosters independent play and creativity. Perfect for kids of all ages and can adapt as the kids get older.

Creating a dinosaur garden

When our son was turning 3, we wondered what to give him for his birthday. Our family values experiences and gifts that are not just toys. In theory, this a lovely idea. However, in reality, it can often leave us scratching our heads to come up with a special gift to mark the occasion. My husband and I focused on our son’s areas of interests and the things that have been quite sustained in his play. While there are many things our busy, curious 3 year-old is interested in, we decided to hone in on two of his favorite things: dinosaurs and playing outside in the water and mud!

We wanted to combine these two passions into a flexible play space that could evolve and grow with him, but we weren’t quite sure how to go about bringing those ideas together. I turned to good old Pinterest to do some research and create an inspiration board. I found some beautiful images of sensory gardens and natural play spaces for children. Many of these spaces incorporated the same elements we were thinking about. Thus, the idea for a dinosaur garden with mud kitchen was born!

Coming up with a plan

In our vision for a flexible play space we wanted to encourage:
- imaginative play
- sensory experience
- exploration of natural resources (e.g. wood, rocks, plants, water, dirt, etc.)
- language development
- independence in his play (not relying on us to play with him)
- social play opportunities (when friends visit)
Planning began in earnest, which to be fair was the exciting part of the process for me. I love dreaming, researching, collecting inspiration and drafting plans! Our budget for this project was fairly tight (under $200) for the entire space and all materials. While we were really inspired by the elaborate setups we saw online, we knew that we had to be resourceful with things we already had or that we could buy cheaply.

Location, location, location

One of the first things we did was to pick out a location for the dinosaur garden. I think this was a really important part of the process because the size and scale of the space guided our decision making on the design of the garden. Originally, I envisioned a large scale garden, complete with water feature and all the bells and whistles. However, we quickly realized that this would encroach too much of the rest of our yard and would go beyond our budget. We reined in our design to fit the space we chose and planned accordingly.

Designing our space

After we picked out the location for the garden I drew up a design plan. We knew we wanted to have varying levels, greenery, mud, and water. We also wanted to include open-ended resources such as rocks and tree stumps in the space to encourage imaginative play. This sketch was the first of many plans we drew up as we talked through the practicalities of bringing our vision to life.

Adding natural elements

Once we had a rough idea of the design, it was time to get resourceful. We looked through our garden and garage to see what materials we already had that we could incorporate into the garden. Around our property, we have many large pebbles and stones. We decided to paint them and use them in the garden. The rocks promote color recognition, counting, physical strength (moving them around) and imaginative play (i.e. they could be used as dinosaur eggs). We also found old bricks that we could use to build a mud kitchen. This would compliment the dinosaur garden.

Our final list of materials for the dinosaur garden and mud kitchen included the following items:
- pebbles
- bricks
- plants (ground cover)
- sheet of wood
- wood pieces
- soil
- sand
- paving stones
- acrylic paint
- coat hooks
- kitchen utensils
- dinosaurs
Prepping the garden

My husband created 3 mounds of dirt onto which we planted various types of moss and ground covering plants. We visited our local garden center and easily found the types of plants we were after. We bought about 15 plants (5 per mound) of various sizes. Some plants were more expensive than others. We tried to purchase the cheapest, hardiest ones we could.

Around each of the 3 mounds of dirt, my husband created a central space and miniature pathway. These paths wound around the mounds and give our son plenty of space to be in amongst the garden. He covered this small pathway with sand to create a different texture and to combat the issue of the space becoming overly muddy or waterlogged.

To paint the rocks, I bought 5 test pots of paint from our local hardware store. I asked at the paint counter for advice on what kind of paint to use. They recommended a general purpose acrylic paint. I didn’t want to have to use multiple products to paint the rocks, so this was an easy one-step solution. My only preparation was to wash and dry the rocks, then apply 2 coats of paint!

Adding a mud kitchen

We decided to create a mini mud kitchen next to the dinosaur garden so that water and mud could be used in the imaginary play. To create the mud kitchen, we built 4 stacks of bricks approximately 5 bricks high and placed a sheet of wood over the top to create a table top. Above the mud kitchen “sink,” we screwed a coat hook rack to the fence to hang various utensils. In front of the mud kitchen, my husband laid 2 large stone pavers with a brick border. This stable surface is perfect for the children to stand on and prevents the area from getting water-logged.

Future plans

We wanted to create a space that our son could enjoy and get a lot of pleasure out of right now, but also give ourselves the opportunity to add and adjust the garden as he gets older. The structures and creations are not permanent and everything can be moved or added to in the future. We have a large tree next to the dinosaur garden that I would like to encourage the children to use more in their play. We may try to incorporate the tree into the space (a small platform perhaps) as we see how it’s used. Over winter, we plan on creating and adding some bird feeders to hang in the trees to attract bird life to our garden. We have also thought adding other sensory elements to the space such as a natural wind.

Words of wisdom

If you’d like to create your own outdoor play space for your child, my parting words of encouragement to you is to go for it! I suggest you start by considering the age and interests of your child and come up with an idea that is “unconventional” and customized for your little one. There are so many possibilities and the inspiration is endless! Overall, our project was straightforward and simple to execute. At the end of it, we felt like we had created something really unique and special for our son. It gives us so much pleasure seeing his genuine love and enjoyment of the space and will provide endless hours of unstructured outdoor imaginative play.

Have you ever considered creating an outdoor space for your child?

I’m Catherine, wife and stay at home mum to two beautiful boys who are 3 years old and 10 months old. We live in New Zealand and spend our days outside playing in the garden, reading and visiting the zoo. I’ve dabbled in photography since I was 17, but I’ve been properly using my Canon DSLR camera for about 2 years now. You can find me most days on Instagram @everydaymamma sharing my thoughts on photography and being a mum, come and say Hi!
BOOKS, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
40+ More Beautiful Nature Books for Kids
- October 19, 2018
Books are a big deal at our house! I have a 1st grader learning to read and a preschooler that would listen to 500 books a night if I had that kind of time. We voraciously go through books. I’m always on the hunt for fun new (to us) books for my little readers. Since we’re an outdoorsy family, we naturally love children’s books about nature and animals. Picture books are favorites since both kids can follow along – my son reads the words he knows and my daughter enjoys the illustrations.

(This post contains affiliate links. We make a small commission on each purchase made using our links. Thank you for supporting a small business.)

Below we have compiled a list of more than forty beautiful children’s picture books about nature. This list was curated from our personal favorites and those of a number of family, friends, and fellow nature-loving parents. These books will inspire, educate and help your children develop a deep sense of love for nature and the outdoors. They have beautiful pictures and beautiful words. They teach lessons about nurturing, love and compassion. This list is perfect if you’re looking to add some beautiful books to your shelves at home, give them as a gift or add them to your library wishlist.

This is part 2 of our series on beautiful nature books for kids. If you want even more recommendations, make sure to check out part 1 of the series: 30+ Beautiful Children’s Books About Nature.
1. As an Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas
2. Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro
3. On a Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
4. Who Eats Orange? by Dianne White
5. Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
6. A Hippy-Hoppy Toad by Peggy Archer
7. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
8. Animals in the Outhouse by Anja Frohlich
9. The Forever Tree by Tereasa Surratt
10. Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
11. The Skies Above My Eyes by Charlotte Gullain
12. We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
13. Elmore Hardcover by Holly Hobbie
14. Little Butterfly by Laura Logan
15. Pond by Jim LaMarche
16. Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
17. A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems by Deborah Ruddell
18. Step Gently Out by Helen Frost
19. Bruno Munari’s Zoo by Bruno Munari
20. Wendell the Narwhal by Emily Dove
21. The Tiptoeing Tiger by Philippa Leathers
22. Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden
23. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
24. Shy by Deborah Freedman
25. This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary
26. Moon, Gorgeous Moon by M.H. Bradford
27. Roly-Polies (Mini-Animalist) by Mónica Carretero
28. If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay
29. Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins
30. Night Animals by Gianna Marino
31. Guess Who, Haiku by Deanna Caswell
32. Apples and Robins by Lucie Felix
33. Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl
34. Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan
35. The House of Four Seasons by Roger Duvoisin
36. Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
37. Prickly Hedgehogs! by Jane McGuinness
38. Adventures with Barefoot Critters by Teagan White
39. Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones
40. The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett
41. Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon
42. Tiny, Perfect Things by M. H. Clark
43. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
44. And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano
45. The Story of Charlie the Coyote by London Michaels
46. The Things That I LOVE about TREES by Chris Butterworth
47. Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr
48. Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler
49. Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
50. Where is Bear Going? by Mark Janssen
And be sure to check out part 1 of this series
30+ Beautiful Children’s Picture Books About Nature
for even more books!
FRIDAY FAVORITES, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PRINTABLES
Friday Favorites: Little Pine Learners
- August 17, 2018
For today’s Friday Favorites post, I’m sharing one of my favorite resources for fun, educational and nature-centered printables and activities for kids, Little Pine Learners. Little Pine Learners is run by Tara Rondinelli, an early childhood educator and mom to two adorable boys. She believes learning should be hands-on, fun and outdoorsy. She has an amazing talent for coming up with new and fun ways to get kids learning outdoors and incorporating natural materials into a learning environment.

BONUS: We’re doing a fun giveaway at the end of the post. Make sure you scroll all the way down for the info!

We had the opportunity to try out a few of her favorite printables (all available in her Teachers Pay Teachers online shop) and absolutely loved them. These printables have been such a big hit at our house this summer. The kids ask to play with them all the time. It’s not only a great way to keep them busy during the long hot summer days, but it keeps them sharp and their little brains active.

Today I’m going to share some of the ways we’ve used two of her activities and why my kids love them so much. Plus, we’ve got a great interview with Tara all about her passion behind these products and why incorporating nature into learning is so important.

Story Stones

My all-time favorite Little Pine Learners product has to be these printable story stones. The Story Stones for Writing & Storytelling package includes 50 colorful graphics to cut out and Mod Podge onto stones, 7 writing prompts to help spark the writing process and 2 story mats to help sequence events and organize writing. All for $3.00!

To begin, the kids needed to collect rocks to make the story stones. This meant a trip (or three) to our local creek was in order. Stones were evaluated by size, shape, color, and texture to determine if they’d be suitable for our purpose. I love giving kids a mission when we’re out exploring because it gives them something to do and makes them more observant. There’s way less whining and fighting when they’ve got a project to focus on. Once we’d collected enough stones, it was back home to wash them and prep them for the graphics.

My kids are little, so I took it upon myself to cut out all the graphics to put on the stones. If your kids are a bit older, this would be a great project to help with fine motor skills. When we had the graphics cut out and ready, we used clear Mod Podge to adhere them to the stones. Then another light coat on top to protect and let them dry overnight.

The next day we took a hike at one of our favorite nature centers. It was going to be a million degrees out that afternoon, so we went as early as possible and took advantage of the tree canopy cover and the cool creek. I told the kids to be as observant as possible and remember what we did and saw because we’d be using our hike as story inspiration later that day.

When we got home, I pulled out the story stones and set them out in front of the kids. I asked them to choose a few pictures that correlated to something that happened on our hike. My 6 year-old worked on the story mat, since he’s old enough to write a short story about our adventure. The 3 year-old did a sequence mat, so she could tell her story in sequential order. Having both options for different ages and skills was really useful.

The kids told and retold the story of our hike using as many applicable stones as they could. Each time they got more creative and remembered more things that we saw and heard along the way. They remembered what we talked about and how things felt. What an incredible way to relive a fun experience! And I know that the next time I tell them we’ll be using the story stones after an adventure, they’ll go out of their way to remember even more.

Other ways to use story stones

The brilliance of story stones is that you can use them in so many amazing ways. They provide endless possibilities for writing and storytelling and can be used as a prompt to create and inspire all kinds of stories or retell adventures!

Storytelling – Storytelling is an important skill for kids to learn. It encourages creativity, helps sharpen memory, and improves communication and listening skills in young children. Storytelling with stones can be done as an independent activity, with a classroom of children or sitting around the dinner table as a family.

Have everyone sit in a circle and pass around a basket filled with story stones. The first person draws a stone and starts the story centered around that graphic. When that person is ready to pass the story on, the next person/child picks a stone and uses the image to inspire a new line in the story. Children love this activity. It encourages creativity, public speaking and it helps build community! Plus, the smooth surface of the stone will calm any anxious storyteller.

Want more story stone ideas? Tara has a whole blog post dedicated to other ways kids can use story stones: 4 Ways to Use Story Stones in the Classroom

Alphabet & Beginning Sound bundle

We also had the chance to try out the Alphabet & Beginning Sound bundle from Little Pine Learners. This bundle is only $8.00 and comes with 4 awesome activities for kids, which includes:

(1) Hands-On Learning: Alphabet and Beginning Sound Center;
(2) Playful Learning: Alphabet and Beginning Sounds;
(3) Sensory Tray Writing Prompts: Alphabet and Beginning Sounds; and
(4) Say It, Find It, Make It, Write It with Letter Cards and Beginning Sound Stone Graphics.

Combined, these are four great ways to teach preschoolers about letters, sounds and words, using a variety of techniques.

This entire package was a big hit with my 3 year-old, who is obsessed with beginning sounds and matching. Her favorite was the Hands-On Learning center. For this activity, I let her choose a letter and handed her the corresponding printable. We went around the list of objects and she had to decide if the object started with that letter. She’d sound out the word and if it did, she’d cover the picture up with a shell, bead or pom.

She was surprisingly good at determining what the object was and what letter it started with. She got through the entire alphabet without stopping! I had no idea she had that much persistence.

We’re still making our way through the rest of the activities in this packet. There are a ton! It should definitely last us all summer.

About Tara

Hello! I am Tara and I live in Wisconsin with my husband and two children. Our boys are two and five years old, so we have a very busy household at the moment! My husband stays at home with our boys and I am a second-grade public school teacher. My boys and husband stay busy taking care of our yard and home while I’m teaching. I love coming home at the end of the day and doing an activity with my boys. They usually ask me what I have planned right when I walk through the door! I love going on nature walks with my boys. This is when I get the most inspiration for new activities and it’s such a joy to watch them explore nature! My oldest will be going to kindergarten this school year so that will be a big transition for us!

I have a Bachelors and Masters in Early Childhood Education. I’d love to get some sort of nature certification sometime down the road in the future. Education is so important to me and I consider myself a lifelong learner. I am constantly reading literature to stay current on the research in my profession and interests.

About Little Pine Learners

Once I had my boys, I quickly realized how important it is for children to spend time outdoors. When we were outside, I noticed that the fighting and whining stopped and they seemed more content and happy. I also noticed that I felt calmer and more relaxed in an outdoor setting so I started doing some research on the benefits of spending more time in nature. After a while, I began to want to inspire other families to get outside more through fun nature crafts and other outdoorsy learning activities, so Little Pine Learners was born!

Importance of outdoor education

The intellectual, emotional, social, and physical benefits of exposure to nature have been well documented. Spending time in nature gives children the opportunity to think creatively, problem solve, regulate stress, resolve conflict, learn through play, and so much more! Along with these learning opportunities, early experiences with nature often leave lasting memories that children carry with them for a lifetime.

Getting outside

For most parents, I think the weather is the biggest obstacle to getting kids outside. It’s easy to get outdoors on a nice day, but rough weather always presents extra challenges. It’s important to invest in some dependable kids’ outdoor gear and have it available in an easily accessible spot. Some of our best days of exploring were in the rain when my boys were wearing their Oakiwear rain suits!

If you can’t get out, reading nature-inspired picture books is a great indoor way to connect with nature. This is an everyday activity in our home. Children will read books over and over again and can inspire a sense of adventure and a love of the great outdoors! We have a large collection of books and reading outdoors has become one of our favorite activities.

If you need ideas for things to do outdoors, check online. I love the community of nature-loving mamas and teachers that I have found on Instagram! When I first started my account on Instagram, I had no idea that this movement existed and then slowly I found inspiring accounts and started searching through different hashtags. I do read blogs and check out Pinterest and Facebook, but Instagram is my favorite spot for inspiration!

Giveaway!

As a little added bonus (and a thank you for being here), I’m giving away 10 sets of story stone printables from Little Pine Learners to 10 of you wonderful readers. All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter and leave a comment below saying you did so! Good luck! I’ll email the winners in a week!

In the meantime, make sure you check out the Little Pine Learners website and the online store, full of fun activities and printables for kids of all ages.
LESSONS, NATURE SCHOOL
Grow Your Socks
- June 8, 2018
Today I want to share a fun little science experiment with you that’s super easy to do and fun for kids – growing seed sprouts in your socks! I’m sure you’ve all seen the project where you can grow a bean sprout in a plastic bag with a piece of cotton. Well, this is a fun new twist on that concept. Instead of growing seeds in a bag, grow your socks! Not only do the kids get a chance to watch and learn about sprouting seeds, but they get to run around and get dirty in the process! Talk about a win-win!

What you’ll need

This little science experiment is so easy! You don’t need any fancy equipment or gear at all. Everything you need can be found at home already. You’ll need:
- old pair of cotton socks
- plastic bags
- water
- tape
What to do

Instead of putting seeds into the bag, this project encourages kids to get outside, explore the area and get their socks as dirty as possible! Running around in socks is how they’ll collect the seeds – directly from nature. Depending on your location and where you want to do your “collecting,” you can decide whether to let the kids just wear socks or whether you want to put the socks over their shoes. If you’re just running around your yard or neighborhood, I suggest the former. If you want to take a long hike, I’d suggest the latter. Both are pretty darn fun for kids!

Start by having the kids put on a pair of old socks (on their feet or over shoes). Next, since you want the seeds to stick, get the socks wet. Have the kids step in a bucket of water or just spray their feet with the hose. Once their socks are wet, set the kids loose!

Encourage them to explore wooded areas, under trees and bushes and other low traffic areas. Make sure they squish their feet into the ground to pick up as many seeds as possible. Step on dandelions, shuffle through fallen leaves, walk gently through the garden. Finally, have them find a muddy area to squish their feet in! This will pick up a bit of dirt to help the seeds grow.

When the socks are nice and filthy, take them off and place each one in a plastic bag. Tape the plastic bag to a window that gets a good amount of daily sunlight. If the socks feel dry, add a small amount of water. Now all you have to do is wait!

When they’ll sprout

Within a few days, you should notice some sprouting. By two weeks, your socks should have some serious blooms. This is about the peak for growing seeds, so if you have nothing after two weeks, try again in a new location.

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. This was our second attempt at growing socks. The first time didn’t take; possibly because we were exploring close to a creek and the kids kept getting in the water and probably washing all the seeds away! This second time was successful. The kids stayed in our cul-de-sac and just ran through our neighbors’ yards. Three of four the socks sprouted.

Grow your socks

Growing your socks is such a fun and easy science project for kids. It teaches them all about germination and what plants need to grow. You can experiment by growing socks from various locations to see the differences in the types of plants you get. If you want to go a step further, try identifying the sprouts you’re growing and figure out what each plant will look like when fully grown.
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PARK
Everything You Wanted to Know About Tinkergarten
- April 9, 2018
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Tinkergarten? Tinkergarten offers outdoor, play-based education classes for kids 18 months to 8 years old (accompanied by an adult). Both kids and adults learn and grow together in the best classroom of all – nature! Tinkergarten believes that independent exploration, risk taking and getting a bit dirty help kids achieve great things – and we totally agree!

Today we’re taking the opportunity to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this awesome outdoor educational program. We’ll walk you through the basic structure of the class, explain why outdoor education is important and give you all kinds of info about becoming a Tinkergarten Leader. We even have a wonderful interview with an experienced Tinkergarten Leader out of Oklahoma City, who will answer all your questions about the process and her experience.

{post contains affiliate links}

What is Tinkergarten?

Tinkergarten is a fast-growing network of 1,300 leaders who run independent classes. Each Leader brings a wide range of experiences and talents to their job. The Tinkergarten curriculum is based on core educational values and adapts to your particular region and season. Lessons are age-appropriate and span a broad range of skills. The activities presented in class progressively build week after week, season after season. In each class, kids are encouraged to drive their own learning – an engaging scenario allows kids to launch and direct their own play. No two kids ever have the same experience, because it’s the process that matters!

Some classes focus on a specific age range (such as 18-36 months, 3-5 years, etc). Others are available to children anywhere between 18 months and 8 years. By working with a smaller age range, classes can be more finely tailored to the developmental level of the children who participate. The larger age range lets whole families participate together. This also provides a chance for younger kids to benefit from the modeling and support of older kids. For older kids, it offers them a chance to be leaders for their younger classmates. Age ranges are meant to be used as guidelines, and many activities can be adapted for younger or older children.

All Tinkergarten sessions take place outside, in a local public green space. Each class follows a loose structure that includes an opening circle, main activity, closing circle and snack. The main activity focuses on open-ended exploration and play where kids actively engage in imagining, exploring and/or problem solving. While this activity is planned and guided by an adult, the interests of the children play a large role in shaping the way it unfolds. Snack time then allows children and their adults to relax and reflect on their learning and experiences.

The importance of outdoor education

Outdoor, play-based learning is a proven way to give children a solid foundation and love of education and nature. According to Scientific American, “Nearly all developmental psychologists, neuroscientists and education experts recommend play for kids 0-7 as the best way to nurture development and ready them for academic success later in life.” It’s also been shown that 80+% of brain development occurs before the age of five. Foundational skills built in those first 5 years will affect learning for the rest of their life.

Time and again, research proves that spending time outdoors provides children with a wide range of health benefits including social and emotional well-being. Outdoors in nature is the best classroom. When children play outdoors they are both stimulated and calmed. With the right guidance and learning opportunities, children open up, push limits, tinker, create, and problem solve. As a result of taking a Tinkergarten class, 82% of families spend more time playing outdoors together and 92% of families gained new ways to engage in their children’s play!

Try out a class

If you’re at all interested in Tinkergarten, I highly encourage you to try out a class! Prior to the start of a class, leaders organize free class sessions so that parents and children can experience a “Taste of Tinkergarten.” These free events, and all classes, can be found by visiting the Tinkergarten website and finding your location. Spring classes are starting soon, so go ahead and get registered for a class. You can also join a class even after the session has started, if there’s room. Check out the Tinkergarten website to find a class in your area.

My kids and I had the chance to check out a Tinkergarten class in our area last spring. The class we attended was in a (new to us) park that we were excited to explore. We started the class with an opening circle that included introductions and a song. Our main activity for the class was to create a fairy potion, using elements from nature. The kids all loved exploring the area and filling their individual jars with grass, twigs, leaves, flowers, rocks, acorns, etc. The kids explored the park, climbed the hill and stomped through the creek. They loved the freedom to perform the task at their own pace and having control over their own collection.

Once the jars were filled with natural elements, the Leader added water, food coloring and a bit of baking soda. The kids loved watching their potion boil and bubble – the look of magic on their faces was adorable! After the activity, we joined all the other kids on the tarp for snacks and another parting song or two. After the class, the kids all stuck around to continue their exploration of the park, while the parents chatted and caught up. Overall, it was a really fun experience for both the kids and the adults.

Become a Tinkergarten Leader

Tinkergarten is currently looking for spirited nature-loving individuals to join their team. Tinkergarten Leaders are moms, dads, educators, artists, lawyers and more. Being a Tinkergarten leader is a meaningful opportunity for anyone who values nature, play and learning. It’s also a way for you to make additional income and set your own work schedule. Plus, if you’ve got kids, you can bring them to work, too! You don’t need any formal teaching experience to be a successful Tinkergarten Leader. All you need is a passion and joy for play, a love of the natural world and your community, an ability to connect with kids and a supportive, team spirit.

The Tinkergarten team is talented and supportive. You’ll receive comprehensive training in early childhood development, adult development, community outreach, and much more. You choose the time, location and amount of classes to run, so the scope of time commitment is up to you. Training takes place online—choose from day or evening sessions to ensure you can balance the work with life outside of Tinkergarten.

If you’re interested in applying to be a Tinkergarten Leader or learning more about the process or how much you can earn, >>CLICK HERE<< for all the info!

Interview with Tinkergarten Leader LoriAnn Gregory

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your background

I grew up in Chicago, where I did well with the arts-rich school programming. However, I especially remember our extended visits to my grandparents’ farm in rural Georgia. I loved those wild summer days, transforming a dirt patch near the cow’s creek into our “castle,” sliding down steep deer runs in our “Georgia jeans” (the ones with permanently red-clay-tinged seats), and constantly tweaking our toilet paper holder design for the designated squat spot in the woods.

I graduated from Hendrix College with a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies and my teaching license. Since then, I’ve also become a certified parenting educator through the Positive Discipline Association, and am currently pursuing naturalist training through Wilderness Awareness School’s Kamana program. Of course, I completed Tinkergarten’s excellent leader training course before leading, and also love the additional training courses they offer leaders.

2. Describe your family

My husband and I have two children. My wild 8 year-old daughter would rather be outside, ideally barefoot in a tree, than anywhere else. She celebrated her recent birthday by suiting up in “explorer gear” and exploring the muddy banks of a local wildlife refuge lake. My son is 5 and seems to have the mind of an engineer, constantly surprising us with impressive inventions from loose parts found in the backyard and the recycling bin. My husband joins us on all our hiking, camping, and stargazing adventures, and is especially enthusiastic about the kids’ other main interest, LEGO!

3. Where/when did your love of nature begin?

I loved my childhood summers on my grandparent’s farm, and teenage summers working at an outdoor recreation camp, but I don’t think I really recognized my love for nature specifically until my daughter was born and I began to learn about birds, wildflowers, and animal tracks with her, and to see how spending time in nature calmed and centered me in the same way it clearly did her.

4. What are your favorite outdoor activities to do with your kids?

I especially like camping and canoeing as a family, but in all our outdoor adventures, my favorite memories are those unplanned, still moments between more active activities. When the kids and I quietly picnicked in our sit spots after a long hike last week and saw a juvenile hawk swoop over the heads of nearby joggers (who had headphones in and never looked up!), when our Tinkergarten class time has been over for hours but my kids and others from class are still playing in the “house” formed by low cedar branches while us grown-ups get to chat, when I wake the kids at 3am to see a few shooting stars before they fall back asleep — those are the moments I love most.

5. Have you ever taught before? What made you consider teaching?

Yes, I graduated college with a teaching license and did my student teaching in middle school social studies classes before moving overseas to work with an educational development program. After 5 years there, my family moved back to the U.S., and I began teaching adults in parenting classes. And, now I lead Tinkergarten sessions and homeschool my kids. I’ve said I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was in Kindergarten, but have certainly ended up teaching in different ways than I would have expected!

6. What drew you to the Tinkergarten program/curriculum? How long have you been with them?

We’re a homeschooling family, and I draw inspiration from philosophies including Waldorf, Forest School, Reggio Emilia, and more. A mom I knew online through a Forest School-inspired homeschooling Facebook group told me about Tinkergarten when she began leading in early 2016. I loved what she told me of the curriculum as well as how the weekly classes had developed a community of kids and families, both homeschoolers and other young children. A few months later, I completed my training, and that summer was my first season to lead! I’m currently leading my 8th consecutive season.

7. What are your favorite Tinkergarten classroom projects?

Tinkergarten leaders joke that every week becomes our new favorite! I’m especially fond of the open-ended silly play inspired by a few favorite stories from my own childhood, like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Going On a Bear Hunt, several STEM-themed activities we do with materials like boards for balances and rope/buckets for pulleys, and all the sensory-rich experiences ranging from making mud faces on tree trunks to painting thank-you cards for our local parks departments using color from nature (berries, beets, juicy leaves, and dirt!)

8. What are the biggest obstacles parents face regarding getting their kids outdoors more?

I think the biggest obstacles parents face regarding getting their kids outdoors more are scheduling and unknowns. I’m in several outdoor playgroups, and often make park plans with local friends. However, it takes a strong commitment to get everyone’s schedules aligned on a consistent basis. It’s much harder than it feels like it should be! Tinkergarten’s been a great way for us to “schedule in free play,” so to speak.

Unknowns include concerns about “what ifs” (what if my potty training toddler has to go right when we get there; what if they cry about today’s strong wind; what if that plant he’s rolling in is poison ivy). Parents today have questions about what to do in outdoor spaces. Especially if that kind of unstructured play time wasn’t a part of the adult’s own childhood. I know I benefit from spending time outside with others who know things I don’t — whether that’s which bug spray really works or how to empathize with a child’s fears while encouraging them to move past them. The more we get outdoors, the fewer the unknowns. My experiences tell me that I can handle whatever might “go wrong” — and it’ll probably join my favorite memories as a funny story for later.

9. What lessons do you want kids (and parents) to take away from your classes?

I hope kids will extend their play from our class activities. Their imagination sparked by the engaging inspirations and materials we use in class. I want them to benefit from the balance of familiar routine and freedom we create in our sessions, and all that they observe in their peers’ play. From the photos and texts adults send me after class, I’d say it’s been a success! This week, I got to attend a homeschool event led by a 6 year-old who’s been in several Tinkergarten seasons. I loved noticing how her leadership mirrored much of what we model in class. I’m confident that over time I’ll see more and more examples of children carrying the skills they’re developing in Tinkergarten class. Not only into the rest of their childhood, but also forward into the strong, creative, confident, collaborating problem-solving adolescents and adults they’ll become.

I want parents and other adults who come to class to feel more confident in their ability to adventure with their young kids outside. I want them to become more aware of their child’s development. I’d like to teach them how to redirect less exciting behaviors (like coloring the kitchen cabinets) into equally developmentally appropriate ones (like smashing berries into mud). But most of all, I want them to have more FUN engaging in their child’s play. After a Tinkergarten class, I hope kids and adults alike feel more connected to our community and natural surroundings!

10. What advice would you give someone considering enrolling as a Tinkergarten instructor?

I highly recommend attending a Tinkergarten class near you if at all possible. So much of Tinkergarten is about the experience which you can only pick up by being there — the moments when words AREN’T said, the variety of ways different children interact with the same materials, the moment when a leader helps adults feel okay with a lull in the group’s play — lulls are always so exciting, as they tend to precede a deepening of each child’s play!). Of course, that’s not always an option, as it wasn’t for me back when I joined and there were few leaders in this part of the country, so a great second option would be choosing one of Tinkergarten’s free DIY Activities and trying it out in your own backyard or favorite park!

If you’re interested in applying to be a Tinkergarten Leader
or learning more about the process or how much you can earn,
CLICK HERE for all the info!

And be sure to check out the Tinkergarten website to sign up for a Spring session class in your area.
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PRINTABLES, WINTER
Outdoor Learning: Winter Words Scavenger Hunt
- March 2, 2018
Today, I’m thrilled to share a fun outdoor learning activity created by Tara Rondinelli of Little Pine Learners. Tara has been an early childhood educator (K thru 3rd grade) for over 10 years and is mom to two adorable boys. She believes learning should be hands-on, fun and outdoorsy, if possible! She has an amazing talent for coming up with new and fun ways to get kids learning outdoors and incorporating natural materials into the classroom setting.

I absolutely adore Tara’s clever ideas and find her passion for outdoor learning inspiring! I’m honored to have her here sharing this awesome winter words scavenger hunt that you can easily do with your kids at home this winter, no matter what the weather. I hope she’ll be back soon to share more educational activities with us, but in the meantime, if you need some additional inspiration or ideas for other outdoor learning activities, be sure to check out her shop, blog and social media sites (listed below).

Take Learning Outdoors

As parents, it can sometimes be difficult to think of new, fun and engaging ways to support our children’s learning at home. Many of us have some not-so-fond memories of sitting at the kitchen tables doing homework, while we longingly stared outside. Learning is often associated with being inside and boring, while being outside is fun and adventurous. But it doesn’t have to be one or the other. What if I told you that it’s possible to meet the academic needs and interests of our children, while spending quality time outdoors having fun?

That’s what we’re all about! Taking educational activities outside is a great way to make learning fun and make outdoor time educational. The winter word search activity that I am going to share with you today offers a fun and hands-on way for children to learn basic seasonal vocabulary words and expand their knowledge of the seasonal differences in the natural world.

Benefits of learning outdoors

First of all, there are incredible benefits of taking children outdoors to learn. Learning outdoors is active and increases students’ physical, mental and social health. Outdoor education and play support emotional, behavioral and intellectual development. Most children learn better by using their senses, and outdoor environments provide wonderful hands-on experiences in nature. Outdoor environments also naturally inspire children to be more physically active, which decreases stress and anxiety, helps elevate mood, and helps with emotion.

Many experts have documented that when children are allowed time outside, they are given the opportunity to:
- connect with nature;
- burn off extra energy;
- develop leadership skills;
- increase attention span;
- develop muscle strength;
- increase problem solving skills;
- increase creative thinking;
- decrease hyperactivity; and
- develop empathy.
Winter words scavenger hunt

There are so many wonderful ways to incorporate academics into an outdoor setting. From writing with natural objects to telling nature stories with sticks and stones, I have so much fun coming up with new and creative ways to teach my kids while outdoors. Whether indoors or outdoors, my boys love to search for objects and be challenged with a finding game. I thought it would be fun to incorporate their love for seeking with a way to learn about the winter season and words associated with this time of year.

For this winter words scavenger hunt, I hide clothespins labeled with winter words in our backyard. I included objects that are easy to find during winter, like sticks and rocks. I also included words associated with wintertime, like snow and icicle. My older son collected the clothespins and colored the pictures on his recording sheet as he found each one (fine motor skills). He had so much fun searching high and low and running around looking for the words. A couple of clothespins were difficult for him to grab due to the uneven landscape and slippery snow, so he had to really focus and problem solve on how to collect them (problem-solving skills). We also discussed the words and used them in a sentence as he found them (textual usage and vocabulary).

Expand the learning

After he located all of the clothespins, we searched for the real objects in nature. We were lucky enough to find nine out of ten words! Learning in the outdoor environment gave us the direct experience of interacting with nature, so we were also able to describe the objects that we found in detail. For example, we decided the icicles were “cold” and “sharp.” The animal tracks we found were “deep” and “little.” He posed many questions as we were looking at the objects, which I recorded for us to research at a later time. We finished our outdoor activity by writing a story that included some of his new vocabulary words. It is so interesting to hear the stories this little guy comes up with. They are too cute and always loaded with information.

How can I try it at home?

This exercise is great because you can try it out during all four seasons. Plus, there are so many various ways to incorporate learning into the activity. If you want to try it out for yourself, it’s easy to create. All you need is a few printed pictures of natural items that you can find during winter in your area, some clothespins and a clipboard. If you like our list, you can find a digital download of the printable materials HERE (winter) and a bundle with all four seasons HERE.

I hope you and you little nature lover give this activity a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

Tara Rondinelli is an early childhood educator and nature schooling momma of two young boys. She is a blogger and creator of nature inspired resources for classroom, homeschool, and outdoor educators. She lives in Wisconsin and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Alverno College and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction (ECE) from University Wisconsin- Milwaukee. You can find her and Little Pine Learners at any of the online locations below.

Teachers Pay Teachers Store – Little Pine Learners
Instagram: @LittlePineLearners
Facebook: Little Pine Learners

Photo credit: Little x Little Photography
CRAFTS, NATURE SCHOOL
Easy Bird Feeders to Make with Kids
- January 31, 2018
Making a bird feeder with kids is a great way to teach children about caring for nature, how to properly feed wild animals and how to identify local native birds. You can make a simple bird feeder out of all kinds of items. From pine cones to logs and from toilet paper rolls to orange rinds. Making a bird feeder is one of those projects that is easy enough for toddlers to do and still fun for school-aged children (and even grown-ups!). This is a great versatile craft that can be done with any age, any time of year, in any area. Today I’m sharing three easy-to-make bird feeders that anyone can make using ingredients and items found in your home.

Benefits of Feeding the Birds

Whether you live in the middle of the city or way out in the woods, you are surrounded by birds. Making a bird feeder to attract birds has benefits way beyond the most obvious one of enjoying the company of birds in your backyard. Feeding birds in your backyard also invites them to feast on the insects, worms, snails and spiders in your area. This can provide ideal organic pest control with little need for toxic insecticides or other harmful chemicals. Birds also assist with flower pollination, so adding a backyard bird feeder can result in more luxuriant, full flowerbeds and beautiful bird-friendly landscaping with less overall effort for gardening.

Feeding birds is a wonderful way to introduce your children to a wide variety of local wildlife. Watch your feeder with your kids and try to identify all the various species of birds that visit. While birds will naturally visit any backyard, adding bird feeders and different types of food will attract more and unique species: from cardinals to hummingbirds, robins to sparrows, chickadees to woodpeckers.Here are a couple ways kids can study the birds:
- Make a checklist of the birds you see or take photos of each bird.
- Identify them in a book or online.
- Draw pictures of them in a nature journal.
- Take notice of the different colors, songs and behaviors of each type of bird.
Apple Core Bird Feeders

Making a bird feeder from an apple couldn’t be easier and is a perfect project for little kids. Instead of throwing out apples that have bad spots in them or are past their ripeness level, use them to make bird feeder. All you need to do is cut your apple in half, use a spoon to scoop out the core and seeds and then stuff the hole with a mixture of bird seed and peanut butter. I hang them from tree branches in our backyard using twine.

Orange Peel Bird Feeders

Another super simple bird feeder can be made from using the peel of an orange. Instead of throwing out that peel after you eat an orange, use it as a bird feeder. Orange peels make great natural bowls, which you can fill with seeds, fruits or nuts. To hang, just poke four holes in the rind of an orange. Then thread twine through the holes to create a hanging basket. Hang from a branch or on a bush. Your kids can easily fill the bowls with birdseed. The great thing about these feeders is that they last a long time outside. They can be refilled over and over until they disintegrate. The birds and squirrels usually don’t eat the orange rinds like they do the apple cores.

Bundt Pan Bird Feeder Wreath

Out of the three different feeders in this post, this one is definitely the most involved and elaborate. This project is better suited for school-aged children that follow directions or those learning how to measure. Start by adding your largest items to the bottom of a Bundt pan. We used dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

In order to solidify the large ingredients, mix 1/2 cup of gelatin with 1/2 cup of warm water and pour over the large seeds and fruits. In a separate bowl, mix 3 cups of birdseed with 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/2 cup peanut butter. Spread the birdseed on top of the large seeds in the Bundt pan and press down firmly to compact. Refrigerate overnight to solidify.

Once the wreath is solid, remove from the Bundt pan and hang with twine. If your wreath isn’t sturdy enough to hang (our first one wasn’t), you can place it on a plate on a table/bench in your yard. Our birds didn’t seem to mind that they had to eat off the table, although it was much harder keeping the squirrels away!

Anyone else into feeding your neighborhood birds?

What are your favorite types of feeders?
BOOKS, NATURE SCHOOL
Beautiful Children’s Picture Books About Nature
- October 24, 2017
If your kids are anything like mine, they devour books. Rarely do we read a book just once. We read them over and over again until the words are memorized and the pictures are etched in our minds. My son loves silly books that make him laugh. My daughter loves sing-songy books that rhyme. And I love nature books that teach the kids about the wonder and beauty of the outdoors. One thing we all agree on, the more beautiful illustrations, the better. That’s why we’ve put together this giant comprehensive list of the most beautiful books about nature for kids. These are some of the best children’s books about nature out there and we can’t wait for you to fall in love with them, like we have!

(This post contains affiliate links. We make a small commission on each purchase made using our links. Thank you for supporting a small business.)
{PIN IT}

Nature books for kids

We’ve put together a list of more than thirty of the most beautiful children’s picture books about nature. This list was curated from our personal favorite nature books for kids and recommendations from a number of families, friends, and fellow nature-loving mamas. These nature books will inspire, educate and help your children develop a deep sense of love for nature and the outdoors. They have beautiful pictures and beautiful words. They teach lessons about nurturing, love and compassion. This list of nature books is perfect if you’re looking to add some beautiful books to your shelves at home, give them as a gift or add them to your library wishlist.

Most beautiful nature books for kids
The importance of nature books

We all want to raise kids that love being outside and love nature. Reading about nature is a great way to encourage kids to love and respect the great outdoors. One of the most important things that we can teach kids is how to care for our planet and protect it. The care of our planet, its land, minerals, animals, and their habitats is of the utmost importance. Kids need to understand that what we do today affects tomorrow and how they can make a difference. Reading gives kids this opportunity and helps them make these connections. Books about nature foster a love of learning and give kids knowledge and appreciation of the planet we live on. Use books about nature to explore how our planet works and what we can do to help preserve it.

Encouraging young readers

Raising kids that love to read as much as they love to be outside can be a challenge. I find that my super active kids sometimes find it hard to settle down long enough to read. There’s nothing wrong with kids on-the-go, but I also want to be sure they develop a love of reading in a way that’s natural and not forced. Here are a few things you can do at home to encourage your young ones to develop strong reading habits.
1. Model the behavior – Let your kids see YOU reading at home and enjoying it. Kids learn so much through modeling. If they see you reading in your free time, they’ll be more likely to give it a try when they have downtime.
2. Read together every day – Read to your children for around 30 minutes a day. Young readers are made on the lap of their parents during storytime. Read your kids’ favorites to them, try new books, make up your own story in a picture book, or read them a favorite of yours from childhood.
3. Practice makes perfect – Let your early readers read familiar books they’ve read dozens of times. Re-reading the same books can help build speed and accuracy and help with confidence.
4. Make reading real through connections – Help your child make connections between what they’re reading in books and what’s happening in real life. Nature books are a great way to do this. You can read about nature, bugs, weather, animals, etc. in a nature book and then make observations in real life outside that ties the experiences together.
Additional nature books

We have compiled a few other posts filled with our favorite nature books for kids (and we’re adding more all the time). If you’re on the hunt for the perfect book, check out some of these posts for more inspiration!
What’s your favorite children’s book about nature?
CRAFTS, HIKE, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Journey Sticks and the Art of Storytelling
- September 28, 2017
I’m really excited to bring you today’s post, all about creating storytelling journey sticks with your kids. The amazing and uber-talented Jessica, from Collect. Make. Explore. is here to show you how to incorporate elements of your hikes, adventures and outings into beautiful physical storytelling devices. I love the lessons this project teaches – from being observant in nature to inspiring creativity in retelling the story of your adventures. This would be a great project to start this fall while the leaves are turning and there’s lot of adventures to be had.

Fleeting anchor

How many times does something beautiful happen in life, be it simple or extraordinary, and you think to yourself, wow I wish I could hold onto this day a little longer? We may rembember the overarching feeling or event, but the little details eventually slip through our hands like tiny grains of sand, getting lost in the crevices of our minds. Wouldn’t you love to have an intuitive way to access all the little details that make a day so magical? Like dew on the morning grass, the everyday moments of our family’s journey shine brightly, but quickly get pulled back into the earth or sky – our natural narrative truly is our fleeting anchor.

Storytelling

The story we tell ourselves shapes who we become. If you want your children to learn to love and respect the natural world and better yet, to understand their part in it, it needs to be an integral part of their story. The lasting memories you create as a family can live on through the art of storytelling. We as humans are more likely to attach importance to a story when we see ourselves as a part of it. And when children are asked to recount the story of their daily adventures and explorations, they become active learners, leaders, and caretakers of their environment. Just like that, they understand in some basic way that their journey is shared with that of the world.

By using verbal and visual maps, we can more easily recount our days, and tap into those individual grains of sand that might otherwise get lost with the passage of time. Creating a journey stick is one way to poetically strengthen our connection to the natural world, as they intertwine person, place, and time. The most amazing thing about this method of remembering is it’s ability to capture individual perspective and personal narratives. Something a standard map can’t touch. When we look at a map we see the lay of the land, yet when we tell our story the land comes alive. I’ve made journey sticks with my little ones, ages two and four, while out on the trail. I’m excited to share our experiences with these storytelling tools with you and get you started making your own memory maps!

History of journey sticks

First, a little background on the journey stick for you. Aboriginal people in Australia used journey sticks to more easily recount their journeys to other people upon their return. They found a large walking stick, collected materials found along the way, and tied them to the stick in chronological order. Native Americans also decorated sticks to recount their journeys and tell about their travels. These sticks can be used as storytelling and navigational tools. The collected materials and markings have various purposes. Some things can be used as markers for natural features in the land, such as tree bark to indicate passing through the woods. While particular symbols carved into or painted onto the stick could show weather patterns, natural features, or events that took place.

Making your own journey stick

To start the process with your family, show your children pictures of journey sticks to familiarize them with the concept. Talk to your kids, show them pictures of journey sticks before setting out on the trail. When you go, be prepared – bring various colored string, scissors, and crayons on your hike. You can either create your journey stick at home after your adventure or while you are out exploring. You can make one journey stick for the entire family or individual sticks for each child, if they’re old enough.

Make it part of the adventure to find the perfect stick. When we began our hike, our perfect journey stick happened to present itself right before the trail began. Once we had that, the kids played while I wrapped various colors of string on the stick to create layered stripes of color. For each part of our adventure that day we tucked little physical reminders of that part of our story under the string, creating a visual narrative. I used thin string, but would recommend yarn because it would be stretchier and easier to manipulate objects through.

You can alter the actual creation of the journey stick to fit the age group. Younger children, such as the toddler age range, may like to have sticky clear contact paper attached to a large piece of bark or cardboard. They can then attach their materials to this as they hike along to make their own version of a journey “stick”. While older children may want to use a pocket knife or other tool to carve simple images into the wood. The most important thing to remember is to not push focus, but instead lead them with a gentle hand. Breaks from the project at hand are fine, come back to it when they are ready. It is a shared journey after all!

Tell your story

Later that night, I helped the kids use the stick to recount their hike to their dad. It was amazing to hear the details come pouring out in order as we touched each object on the stick from top to bottom! The shale from our initial stop at the creek was coated with a thin layer of dried mud. This reminded them to tell their dad about the large patches of cracked dry mud that they peeled apart at the creek.

Another part of our stick held a leaf from the woods where we found a giant toad sitting still as a stone alongside a log. The feather we found led to speculation on the bird it was from and made them remember the sounds we heard in the trees. And on it went until we finished the story of our day. I didn’t write any of this down until writing this post, and looking at the objects, I too can remember the details of our day that happened weeks ago.

Add adventures to your journey

We’ve taken our journey stick to the beach, the forest, the field, and even little trips around the backyard or neighborhood! Each time little reminders stick with us upon our return. Love tracing and tracking the landscape this way. Little bits and pieces of memory are now displayed in the kids “garden” out back. We have a special ceramic vessel that our stick fits perfectly in, so there it lives, tucked within the dirt and leaves for when we need it next. Hope this has woven some inspiration into your day. And that you are moved enough to pick up a stick! Enjoy your journey!

Jessica is a mother of two, a professional artist, former art professor, portrait photographer, author, and writer at “Collect. Make. Explore.”. Her family is on an every evolving journey to develop a more conscious lifestyle, which of course involves natural parenting. Upon having her second child she resigned from teaching to focus on folding together her creative pursuits and nature-led parenting. The outdoors has become both her studio and her classroom. A place to find solace, to learn, to explore, and to just be. All of these local adventures and sweet connections to the outdoors led her to write a small book, sharing the name of her blog,”Collect. Make. Explore.”. If you are interesting in learning more about her book, artwork, blog, or day to day adventures in visual form, she can be found at any of the following social media sites.

instagram: @collectmakeexplore

facebook: collect.make.explore.

web: Collect.Make.Explore.. and www.spiritinthemachine.com

pinterest: @jessicawascak
CRAFTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Making Mandalas in Nature with Kids
- August 31, 2017
I’m so excited to bring you a post today all about making mandalas in nature with kids, submitted by the amazing Doria Lotan. She was born and raised in New York and currently lives in Sweden where she and her husband are “unschooling” their three kids. She has a degree in Philosophy and works as a content writer for a living. You can find her on Instagram (@heartledadventures) and follow along her parenting journey.

Fostering a love for nature

The transition from being a couple with no children to parents of three within four years has had and continues to have a profound impact on our lives. After all, before you become a parent, the idea of having one child is hard enough to fully conceptualize, let alone the idea of suddenly being responsible for three. And while it certainly wasn’t our plan to have this many kids in so short a time, our children motivate us every day to try and be the best people we can be and for that we are eternally grateful.

Since our love for nature, hiking and traveling is what initially brought us together as a couple ten years ago, it makes total sense that those same things continue to shape our lives and approach to parenting today. By being in nature as much as possible, we have found a way to offer our children an authentic, first-hand experience of what it is like to be a kind, respectful and loving human being, all of which nature inspires us to be.

With our children still very young, River 4, India 2.5 and Ocean 9 months old, we feel it is extremely useful to have an activity planned for our outdoor excursions. And while we are still able to take the occasional longer hike in the Swedish wilderness close by, for now, the most important thing isn’t how long we are out but that we get out, get dirty and get wild as often as possible.

Our go to activity for everyday outdoor fun is inspired by the Eastern tradition of creating mandalas. In its simplest form, a mandala is a circular structure with a design that radiates out symmetrically from the center. You can find natural mandalas in flowers, tree rings, the sun, eyes, snowflakes, spider webs, sea shells, seeds, fruits and more. There is no right or wrong way to make one which is why it is such a wonderful way to engage children to make their own mandalas using items they find in nature.

Inspiring creativity and independence

Creatively, mandalas offer children the perfect balance between structure and free play. Interestingly enough, the mandala is usually the first identifiable form that toddlers start drawing as they move from scribbles to more realistic drawing. This first mandala artwork usually progresses to drawings and paintings of faces, suns, people, and animals.

What we love most about making our own mandalas in nature is that it doesn’t require any tools, relies on nature as a source of materials, is appropriate for all ages and is fun, creative and educational. Creating mandalas is a delightful, beautiful and easy activity that you can do almost anywhere and at any time. All you need is a small collection of materials and an imagination.

Collecting natural materials

There are so many items you can use to create mandalas. We love going on adventures to find natural materials to use in our art. Feel free to use whatever natural items are available to you, in your local area, such as:
- sticks
- rocks/pebbles
- shells
- sand
- flowers
- leaves
- driftwood
- pine cones
- seedpods
- sea glass
- clovers
- moss
- berries
- feathers
- pine needles
- acorns
We like to give the kids a basket so they can collect whatever they are looking for and bring it back to the site of their mandala. Handing each child their own basket is a great way to encourage their independence and allow them to become directly engaged with the environment without feeling the need to constantly rely on us to facilitate.

Giving the mandala shape

The easiest way to start this activity is with the outer circle, the main shape of the mandala. There are two ways to do this:
1. You can help your children find circles that already exist in nature, whether it be the surface of a rock that looks circular or a tree stump that has a circular surface.
2. You can ask your children to collect their items (leaves, sticks, rocks, pine cones, shells, or whatever is in your nearby environment) and help them create the first circle from one of those natural materials.
Once the initial outline of the circle is in place they can continue to fill up the space as they desire. Regardless of how old your children are, creating art from the natural raw materials found outside is an amazing way to help establish a healthy and reciprocal relationship between nature and child.

Encourages teamwork

The kids often work as a team and learn to cooperate by searching for whatever they want to include in their mandala together. On today’s excursion, they decide to go for a series of circles within the bigger circle and are independent in choosing the type of material they want to use for each. At this point I take a backseat and really enjoy watching them make decisions and figure things out for themselves.

With small children I periodically check in to see if they are happy to improvise or would prefer more guidance from me. With bigger children I step back and play more of a passive role as they create their own art piece.

There is often an element of time to consider when making mandalas in nature. Unless you are in a place that has absolutely no wind (virtually unheard of here in Sweden), the kids will need to take the elements such as space, time and weather into consideration and be relatively focused as they work if they want to see their mandala take shape.

Non-attachment

Whether you head out and try this activity in a still setting or windy one, the mandala isn’t going to be going home with you once you’ve finished. That to me is a big part of what makes this activity so unique and why it is one of my absolute favorite things to do with the kids.

All people, young and old are attached to things. It is part of life and something we see children dealing with developmentally early on. Out in nature they know that they are entering a different type of environment than the one they have at home and when they ask what happens to their mandala once they leave it’s a great opportunity to have a really interesting discussion with them. With smaller children the conversation will be quite short of course but still, they get to see that there is value in the process of creating even if there is nothing tangible to show for it in the end.

Make a memory

I have taken pictures here in order to share this beautiful, fun and engaging activity with you all. If my children ask me to, I take pictures of their art work for them to print out and keep at home. However, the more mandalas they make, the less preoccupied they are with having a memento to keep and the more they are able to be in the moment and enjoy the process for what it is. This is the true gift of making mandalas in nature. Together as a family we enter the wilderness, share quality time together and become completely engaged in the moment. Who could ask for more?

Doria is a mother of three, currently living in Sweden and writer at Heart Led Adventures. This fall, she and her husband Toby will be putting their home up for sale and setting out on an adventure to discover what happens when they follow their hearts and leave comfort behind. From the magical to the chaotic and everything in between, they will strive to be as real as possible, showing what it takes to go for your heart’s desire with three little ones in tow. Their goal is to step into the unknown, live a life that is aligned with their core values and enjoy every moment with their wonderful, silly, energetic, sometimes challenging and always awesome three kids.

Have you ever made nature mandalas with your kids?
CRAFTS, SUMMER
Sun Print Paper Nature Art
- August 23, 2017
The great solar eclipse of 2017 has passed (it was really cool, wasn’t it?!), but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have some fun experimenting with the sun and its powers. If your kids had a chance to view the eclipse, hopefully, it sparked a curiosity in them about our solar system, the sun, and science. Making nature art using sun print paper is a great way to teach kids about the sun and shadows. It also encourages them to be observant of shapes, patterns, and sizes of leaves, plants and nature objects. Plus, you get some really gorgeous art prints out of it that would look so pretty framed or turned into wrapping paper or greeting cards. It’s a win/win/win!

Sun print paper

Sun print paper is relatively new to me, but has been around for a long time. Sunprinting, also called cyanotype or “blueprinting,” is the oldest non-silver photographic printing process. The paper is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, which react to light waves and particles when exposed to sunlight. When you place objects on the paper, they block the light (paper remains white), while the areas on the paper around them turn a beautiful Prussian blue (ferric ferrocyanide). Water stops the process and fixes your images on the paper.

You can get sun print paper at many local crafts stores, or order it online. The paper comes in a variety of sizes and can be purchased in a kit with an acrylic sheet included. I bought this kit (affiliate link) – Super Sunprint Kit – from Amazon for about $12, which contains 15 sheets of paper and a heavy acrylic sheet.

Nature items to use for sun print art

Part of the fun of making the sun prints with kids is collecting items from around our neighborhood to use. We chose all leaves this time, but there are so many items you can use, from everyday household things (paperclips, buttons) to all natural items. Here’s a fun list of nature-inspired objects that your kids could collect and use:
- flowers
- flower petals
- feathers
- algea
- moss
- clovers
- leaves
- shells
- starfish
- dead butterfly/moth
- seedpods
Step 1 – What you need
- sun print paper
- an acrylic sheet or frame of glass
- heavy cardboard base (or thick book)
- a sink/tub full of water
- fun and interesting nature objects to print
Step 2 – Arrange your objects

Because the blue molecules embedded in the sun print paper are sensitive to ultra-violet light, it’s best to arrange your objects on the paper in a dark room. Direct sunlight will expose the paper quickly, but even ambient light in the shade, or in a room with a big window will cause slow exposure of the paper. Turn out all the lights and draw the shades, before assembling.

Start with a hard cardboard base layer – we used a thick flat book. Then arrange your items in an interesting pattern on the sun print paper, blue-side up. Try to keep things from overlapping too much and carefully spread out individual leaves or flower petals. You can make shapes, make a landscape, combine patterns and objects or keep it simple. There’s no right or wrong way to set everything up, so let your kids play around with the items until they’re happy.

Step 3 – Place the acrylic sheet on top to flatten

When you’ve got everything arranged on the paper exactly how you want it, place a sheet of thick acrylic or glass on top to hold everything in place. My sun print paper kit came with a heavy sheet of acrylic, but you can also use a piece of glass from a picture frame. Using an acrylic pressing sheet will not only hold flat objects in place, but it also helps sharpen the edges between blue and white in your final print. The ambient sunlight outdoors will find its way underneath the edges of your objects if they are not pressed firmly to the paper, and you will get sun prints with blended contrasts.

Step 4 – Take your sun paper outside

Once you have everything set up (cardboard, sun print paper, nature items, acrylic sheet), then you’re ready for sunlight! Take everything outside and let the sun work it’s magic from 2-5 minutes, depending on the strength of the rays. The areas of the paper exposed to the sun will fade from blue to white. When you see most of the color disappear from the paper, your print has been fully exposed. If no direct sunlight is available, don’t worry–just expose your print a little longer and wait for the same fading effect. Under cloud cover, the process may take 5-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the clouds.

*What is happening in this step? Two crucial molecules in the paper are interacting, forming a new molecule. Their interaction is initiated by specific wavelengths of ultra-violet light. The new molecule is colorless so that as the blue molecules are converted, the white of the paper base begins to show through. Areas of the paper covered by your objects still contain the original blue molecule, so they remain blue.

Step 5 – Rinse your sun print in water

Once your exposed paper has turned almost white, remove the objects and rinse the paper in water to stop the chemical reaction. As the paper is submerged, watch the white turn into blue and the blue turn into white! To get the deepest blue that the paper can give, leave it in the water for 1-5 minutes.

*There are two exciting things happening to the paper while it is underwater. First, the original blue compound is water soluble, so that when you immerse it in the bath, the water carries it away, leaving only the white paper base in those areas. Second, the colorless compound whose formation was caused by the sun’s energy is not water soluble, so it cannot wash away in the water bath. It is sensitive to the water in another way. Just as the sun’s light stimulated a chemical change in the previous step, the water stimulates another chemical change in this one. The water causes an oxidation reaction that turns the colorless compound into the deep blue of a finished sun print.

Step 6 – Lay your sun print flat and allow it to dry

Once rinsed, lay your sun print paper out on something absorbent and allow it to dry. You can use a paper towel or a piece of cardboard. Putting it on something absorbent will help to avoid the formation of water spots by drawing the water away from the paper and keep the paper from curling on the edges. When you take your paper out of the water, the active chemical will not have finished oxidizing. The water remaining in the paper will do the job before it evaporates. By the time it is all gone you will have a beautiful, deep blue sun print!

Put your sun prints to use

Once your paper is dry, there are so many things you can do with it. Frame them and make a gallery of nature art. Fold the paper and turn them into greeting or thank you cards. Use the paper as wrapping paper for small gifts and items. Cover a box with the paper and use it to keep small treasures safe. The possibilities are endless!

Have you ever experimented with sun print paper?

*Information contained in this post found on http://www.sunprints.org/how-it-works