NATURE SCHOOL

CRAFTS
Nature Kaleidoscope
- August 16, 2017
With the solar eclipse coming up next week, the kids and I have been doing a few sun and light related nature crafts and projects. We’ve been talking about where light comes from, what happens when light passes through items and what makes shadows. We’ve experimented with sun paper, made a sundial, pressed wildflowers for suncatchers, made sun tea and traced shadows (posts coming soon (hopefully) on these projects). We also had the chance to make our own nature kaleidoscope. This got the kids thinking about which items they could find in nature or around the house to put in the kaleidoscope and had them guessing about whether light would pass through them or not.

Nature kaleidoscope kit

For his fifth birthday this year, my son received this Nature Kaleidoscope Kit (affiliate link), which we had so much fun putting together. The kit costs around $14 and comes with everything you need to make the kaleidoscope, decorate it and experiment with it. The three mirrored pieces are sturdy and fit together easily. Just peel the plastic coating off (to prevent scratches) and use a piece of tape to keep them together in the triangle shape. Insert the eyepiece in one end of the tube, then the mirrors, and finally add the plastic container with your nature objects at the other end. The instructions were super easy to follow and Mac assembled the whole thing by himself.

Items to put in a kaleidoscope

The kit comes with a variety of natural objects included that can be used as the basis for the kaleidoscope: dried flowers, polished gemstones and glass marbles. Pop the container at the end out, open and refill with whatever objects want to try. Go on a scouting adventure around your house, park or backyard and collect items to try out in your kaleidoscope. A few ideas we came up with:
- flower petals
- colored sand
- dried leaves
- pebbles
- shells
- blades of grass
- beads
- tissue paper
- marbles
- water beads
- hole punched construction paper
- confetti
- glitter
- sprinkles
- gummy bears
The results

Our kaleidoscope made some really pretty patterns and it was really fun coming up with ideas for objects we would experiment with. I liked the effect of the marbles the best and Mac loved the sprinkles (probably because I let him eat them after we were finished). The colored sand was a bit too thick and the shells didn’t really work. The water beads were very cool, as were the dried flowers and the colored petals.

DIY kaleidoscope

If you want to make your own DIY kaleidoscope, there are tons of tutorials out there about making one from items you have around the house, like a paper towel tube, washi tape and reflective scrapbooking paper. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or fancy to impress kids. We’ve got links to this craft, plus a million more on the Run Wild My Child Pinterest page (are you following us yet?!).

Have you ever made a kaleidoscope?
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Creating a Wormery with Kids
- July 18, 2017
Worms! Wiggly, squiggly, creepy, crawly, long, dirty, slimy and slick; it’s no wonder that kids are fascinated with worms. From the time my son was 2 years old, digging for worms in our backyard has been one of his favorite things to do outdoors. He’s constantly amazed that worms live everywhere, right under our feet and are basically free for the taking! He now digs up worms from around the neighborhood and we add the worms to our garden, use them for composting and even collect them for fishing bait.

This past year we set up our own “wormery” in a box so we could observe and grow worms year-round. Not only does this allow us to keep a stockpile of worms for fishing, but we are able to compost some food scraps and add nutrient-rich composted soil to our garden for growing vegetables. We’re constantly adding worms to our wormery to replace any we use for bait and the kids love playing with the worms, watching how quickly they grow and caring for them.

I realize that not everyone is probably as crazy about worms as we are! If you’re already having a hard time reading this or looking at the photos, don’t worry, you’re not alone! But there are a ton of benefits to teaching children about worms and letting them touch them and observe them. Kids are naturally curious about nature and all animals, no matter how squirmy they are. I encourage you to try to put any squeamishness aside (believe me, kids will pick up on it) and allow your kids to get their hands dirty to learn more about these amazing creatures!

Fun facts about worms

Charles Darwin called earthworms “the intestines of the soil,” since worms can eat up to 75% of their own body weight every day, turning waste into rich and fertile soil. Worms play a crucial role in the environment by breaking down organic matter like leaves and grass into things that plants can use. When they eat, they leave behind castings that are a very valuable type of fertilizer. Here are a few other fun facts about worms that your kids might get a kick out of:
- There are over 6,000 different types of earthworms
- Worms have no bones or skeletons
- Worms do not have ears, a nose or eyes, but do have cells that can detect light
- The mouth of a worm is covered by a flap of skin so the worm doesn’t swallow everything
- Worms have a mouth, but do not breathe through it – it is just for eating
- The worm has 5 simple hearts, a stomach, and a gizzard
- The gizzard contains tiny rocks and sand that mash up the worm’s food, because worms don’t have teeth to chew it up
- An earthworm can have over 100 segments between its two ends
- Each segment has tiny little bristles that help the worm move and hold on to things
- All worms have a complete set of both male and female organs on the inside so there are no boy or girl worms
What’s a wormery?

A wormery is a place where worms can grow, compost and make more worms. A wormery will recycle food waste into superb fertilizer for your garden or yard. Wormeries are also great for growing and storing worms to use for bait when fishing. Wormeries can also be used at home or in classrooms for observing the life cycle and work of worms. After a few days/weeks, the worms and soil can be returned to your yard or garden.

Wormeries are perfect for small spaces: they’re compact, don’t smell and make compost faster than conventional composters.

Wormeries come in a variety of types and sizes. Even Amazon offers a number of different types of wormeries, from fancy multi-level worm composting factories, to simple Styrofoam worm boxes (this is the one we have), to kid-friendly worm-observation kits. Although, it’s also just as easy, fun and rewarding to make your own from supplies you probably already have at home.

Wormery supply list

Building a wormery is pretty simple because worms only have a few very basic needs: (1) worms need food (they eat microbes found in dirt and rotting material); (2) they need a moist (but not wet) dark environment; and (3) they need air (they breathe through their skin).

To build your own wormery, you’ll need the following items:
- a container with a lid
- shredded newspaper or bedding
- soil, sand, rocks/gravel
- worms
Choose the proper container

There are a ton of different containers you could use to make your wormery – anything from a bucket to a rubbermaid container to an old styrofoam cooler. Worms are active on the top layer of soil, so your container doesn’t need to be very deep. A lid will keep the wormery dark and prevent any worms from escaping. Just make sure to poke or drill some small holes in the container and lid to ensure they get plenty of air.

Worms like the dark, so if you’re going to be keeping your wormery for a while, make sure you use a container that will keep the soil dark. However, if you’re building a wormery specifically for kids to observe the worms, use a transparent glass container or plastic jar/bottle (an empty 2 liter soda bottle works great) and cover it with dark construction paper during the time while the kids aren’t watching them.

Prep the wormery

Put a small layer of rocks or gravel at the bottom of your container. This helps with drainage and gives the wormery a solid base to prevent it from tipping over. Next, shred up some black and white newspaper to place in the bottom of the container as bedding (or you can buy worm bedding). Spray the bedding with enough water to dampen it, but make sure it’s not too wet. It should feel like a damp sponge or wrung flannel. Once the bedding is made, add some gardening soil or worm compost and give it a good mix.

Finish by putting some dead leaves or vegetable scraps on top of the soil. If your dirt mixture is really dry, add some water to your container as well – just enough to make the soil damp, but not soggy.

Find your worms

This is the part that kids love the most! Let your kids search and dig for worms to add to your wormery. Search damp and dark spots in your yard or local park. Lift up rocks, look under bushes, dig beneath piles of leaves. Worms will be easier to find and closer to the surface after a light rain. You might even find them trying to cross the sidewalk. If you can’t find any, you could always snag some at a local bait shop or even order them online. Red worms work the best for wormeries, but if you’re building this mainly for observation or fun, use any worms you can find.

This is an excellent time to talk to kids about how to handle the worms and the anatomy of worms. Let the kids touch them, hold them and observe them. Talk about how important it is to be gentle and respectful of your worms. Don’t let small kids injure the worms or cause any undue stress or damage to them.

Add your worms

Add the worms to the top of the bin and allow them to dig down. Do not try to assist them with burrowing because it will scare them. It can take up to a day for all of the worms to burrow down. Any worms that do not go down after being there for a day or two are dead or weak and should be removed. If you think you’ve found a dead worm sprinkle it with a little bit of warm water. If that doesn’t revive them, the worm is dead or dying and should be left out of the wormery.

Feed your worms

Once you’ve found worms and added them to the wormery, you’ll need to feed them occasionally. Worms can eat up to two times their body size every day so always feed them according to the amount they’ll eat. However worms can last their entire lives feeding only off of nutrients in the soil so food is always extra.

Have your kids save their fruit and veggie peels and scraps to feed the worms. This is a fun way for them to care for the worms while also finding a use for the scraps. Let kids add scraps such as apple cores, banana peels, or pears to the wormery daily. Do not use meat, poultry, fish, dairy, potato chips, candy, oils, oranges, lemons, and limes because these are not good for the worms. Food will grow mold if left uneaten for a while if you find a piece of food that is moldy remove it. If you don’t want to use actual food scraps, you can also buy worm food.

Keep them damp, dark and cool

Worms prefer cool temperatures, so keep them indoors in a cool dark place. A basement or a refrigerator is perfect. In addition to adding food periodically, make sure you add some moisture so the soil/bedding doesn’t dry out. Compost will be ready in 2-3 weeks.

If you have a transparent wormery for the kids, observe it indoors for a few days and then carefully dump it outside in a shady spot in the early morning.

Whether you’d like to keep worms for composing, for your garden, for fishing bait or just as a science project to observe, creating a wormery with kids is a fun project that will teach them so much about nature and life right in their own backyard.

How do you feel about worms?
Is this something your kids would like?
CRAFTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Painted Tic-Tac-Toe Rocks
- May 23, 2017
Tic-tac-toe is a great game for kids of all ages (and adults alike)! It teaches kids valuable skills like problem-solving, anticipation, logic, strategy and more. Playing tic-tac-toe can be done anywhere at nearly anytime, but we have a fun way to take the game outside! Today, we’re sharing the painted rocks tic-tac-toe game we created out of river rocks and a slice of wood. This game is fun for the kids to make and portable so you can play anywhere. All you need are a few supplies and you’ll be set with a game that will keep your kids entertained for a long time!

Tic-tac-toe is great for kids

Tic-Tac-Toe is one of those games that’s easy enough for preschoolers, yet is still competitive enough to entertain older kids and adults. It’s one of my 4-year-old’s favorite games to play. It’s fast and quick, so it holds his short attention span and you can play many times in a row before he’s ready to move on to something else. I love tic-tac-toe because I believe it teaches kids a lot of valuable skills. Kid learn logic, reasoning, creativity, strategy, coordination, visual skills, motor skills, concentration and how to be a good loser.

Another great thing about tic-tac-toe is that you can play anywhere, with anything! There’s no required game board or small pieces, no batteries to charge or dice to lose. You can write with a pen/paper, a dry erase board or just by using your finger in the sand. Our favorite new twist to the game is to paint river rocks to serve as the X’s and O’s so we can play outside. We painted a grid onto a wood slice so we could take our board anywhere we wanted. However, if you don’t have a board to use for the grid, there are tons of ways to make your own! Use four long sticks for the outline, draw a grid on the sidewalk with chalk or use 9 large leaves to designate the spots.

Make rock collecting fun

If you want to make your own DIY painted rock tic-tac-toe board, start by collecting the rocks for your game pieces. Take your kids to a creek (or even just a dry creek bed) and let them explore the area and collect the rocks they want to use. Explain to your kids that round flat rocks work best and show them a few good examples and let them choose their own. Give each kid a small bag and tell them they can bring home as many rocks as they can carry! Once home, pick the best ones, clean them with dish soap and let them dry outside.

Let them pick the colors

When painting the rocks, you can use regular craft paints in any number of bright fun colors. We debated between using just 2 colors (all X one color and all O another color). We decided it would be more fun to mix them up. I let the kids choose 9 different colors and then painted two rocks (one X and one O) each color. Once my kids are a bit older, this might add an additional element to the game. Maybe part of the gem is that they have to use rocks in colors that haven’t been played on the board yet, so that each of the 9 spaces contains a different color rock. But for now, we don’t worry about that.

Put the rocks on paper plates or newspaper and let the kids paint them by themselves. If your kids are little (not the best painters) or if you’re a bit Type A (like me), just know that the rocks will need multiple coats of paint to fully cover and you can correct all the splotchiness later. After you get the rocks fully coated (top and bottom), let them dry overnight. The next day you can paint X’s and O’s on them with black paint. In order to keep the paint from chipping/scratching off, lightly spray them with a coat of Mod-Podge or any other type of clear coat you feel comfortable with (or skip this step).

Play anywhere

Once your rocks are painted and dry, you’re ready to play! The rocks make it easy to play over and over again and the board’s portable – we love playing it outside in the back yard or on the front porch on our swing in the rain. These tic-tac-toe painted rocks are a fun craft, easy for kids to make and don’t require a lot of prep work from parents. And at the end of the day, you’ve got a great game that they can play for years! Good luck!

Do your kids like playing tic-tac-toe?
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Raising Butterflies with Kids
- May 16, 2017
One of our favorite spring and summer activities is to raise our own butterflies from caterpillars. Watching the life cycle of a butterfly is absolutely fascinating, for both kids and adults. My husband and I are always surprised to find ourselves incredibly invested in the health and growth of our little caterpillars and we watch over them like concerned parents. The kids love observing the caterpillars as they inch their way around and explore, they marvel at how quickly they grow and can barely contain their excitement when the first butterfly emerges from it’s cocoon. Watching this spectacular metamorphosis up close and personal is an incredible experience that every kid should try.

Raising your own butterflies from caterpillars is a much easier and low maintenance science project than you might imagine. It’s an easy project for parents to set up and teaches children valuable lessons about observing nature, the metamorphosis process and taking care of wildlife. Whether you want to hunt for your own caterpillars or just purchase a kit online, we’re here to walk you through the process and make this an experience that you and your children will always remember and want to recreate every year.

Finding caterpillars

Did you know that there are at least 725 different species of butterflies in North America? If you live in the U.S. it’s likely that there are about 100 butterfly species near you; even more the further South you are. If you know what butterflies are native to your area, you can look up the particular host plants that caterpillars prefer. Once you identify the types of plants, start looking for caterpillars on the leave. Caterpillars can usually be found on trees, grass and leaves near wooded areas. Caterpillars may also hide in piles of decaying leaves and on tree bark. Monarchs love milkweed. Caterpillars look different based on what species of butterfly they come from/will turn into. They can be brightly colored, dark and camouflaged, hairy, spotted, skinny or fat. June is usually a good month for finding caterpillars.

While it’s very exciting to go out and find your own caterpillars, that is easier said than done. Feel free to give it a shot with your kids, but if you can’t find any, don’t feel bad about ordering a kit online. Trust me, it doesn’t make you any less of a butterfly-lover to just have them shipped to your front door! Last year we purchased this butterfly growing kit that contained a mesh net butterfly habitat, feeding pipette and a voucher to order our caterpillars. Once our order was placed, a cup of 5 tiny caterpillars arrived at our door. The lid of the plastic container had air holes punched in it and there was a thick layer of “caterpillar food” (whatever that is) at the bottom of the cup.

Creating a caterpillar habitat

If you find your own caterpillars in the wild, you need to create a habitat for them. A large glass jar or small aquarium works great. Make sure it has a secure lid with lots of breathable fresh air (more than just poking a couple holes in a lid). Try using cheesecloth or mesh over the top. Gather some leaves of the host plant you found your caterpillars on and put them in a large jar with some sticks for crawling on and some grass in the bottom of the jar. Caterpillars only like fresh leaves, so change them out daily. And they get their hydration from the leaves, so no need to put any water in the habitat.

If your cup o’ caterpillars was shipped to you, you’re all set. There’s no need to take them out of the cup they come in, however, you can do the same thing and create a larger habitat for them, which makes it easier for kids to observe them and gives the caterpillars some extra space and things to crawl around on. We did this and left the cups of food at the bottom of the jar for the caterpillars to eat. We filled the jar with grass, sticks and leaves. The caterpillars loved exploring their surroundings, but they spent a lot of time down to the food cups to eat.

Watch them grow

It’s amazing how quickly your tiny little caterpillars turn into big fat caterpillars. The caterpillars you receive in a hatching kit will only be in caterpillar stage for 5-10 days. In that time they will more than triple in size. Mainly, they’ll eat, but they’ll also crawl around the habitat and practice spinning silk, which you can see on the outside of the container. You’ll also notice they they shed a bit, so don’t be alarmed when it looks like the caterpillars may have left a fuzzy segment or two behind. Keep the container around room temperature and out of direct sunlight, which can overheat them and cause condensation in the habitat.

Changing into a chrysalis

When they’re big and fat and ready to change into butterflies, the caterpillars climb to the top of the container/habitat and attach themselves to the lid with strands of silk. They hang upside down and form a J-shape, which signals the start of the chrysalis process. They shed a thin layer of outer skin. During this time it is very important not to disturb, shake or move your container.

Once all your caterpillars form chrysalises, wait 24 hours and then transfer them to the hatching habitat (mesh pop-up). Move the entire lid and do not detach the chrysalises. Be very careful when transferring and remove any webbing that may be stuck to them. You can rest the lid against the side of the habitat, so the chrysalises hang down and lay against it. Once a day, spray a fine mist of water into the habitat for a tiny bit of extra moisture, but do not over-water.

The birth of butterflies

After the caterpillars form chrysalises, they emerge as butterflies in 7-10 days. The change is absolutely remarkable and it’s a great time to read a book or two on butterfly metamorphosis with your kids. The chrysalises grow darker as they get closer to emerging and sometimes they even shake! When your butterfly emerges, you may also see a red liquid that looks like blood – this is meconium. We call that the butterfly’s first poop!

When butterflies first emerge, they cannot fly. They need some time to stretch and strengthen their wings and push blood into their veins. After a few hours, the wings will be fully unfolded, dried and hardened and the butterfly will be ready for flight! However, you’ll probably be pretty attached to them by this point, so it’s okay to keep them a day to two to observe before releasing them. Make sure to have some food in the habitat, like fresh fruit (watermelon, bananas, strawberries, oranges) and a few drops of sugar water. Butterflies taste through their feet and eat through a tube called a proboscis.

Release your butterflies

When you’re ready, release your butterflies into their natural habitat. The release can be done by just opening the top of the habitat and letting them leave on their own or by gently cupping them and letting them go. If your kids want to release the butterflies, show them how to hold them very gently, so as to not damage their wings. It’s ok to shed a tear when they fly away. Even though you’ve raised them from tiny baby caterpillars, don’t worry, it’s not nearly as hard as sending your kid off to kindergarten or college (or so I hear). Once released, butterflies usually stick around the area and can be seen for several days in the vicinity of their release. Hopefully you’ll get lucky and they’ll stick around!

Have you ever raised butterflies with your kids?
GARDENING
Gardening with Kids
- May 9, 2017
Gardening may sound like a lot of work and a time commitment, but it doesn’t have to be. Gardening can be as hard or easy as you want it to be, and surprise…it’s also really fun! If you’re considering starting a garden with kids this year, you’re in the right place! Gardening is an amazing way to connect kids with nature, spend time together outside, instill a sense of responsibility in your child, help develop patience, and more! There are so many amazing benefits of gardening with kids, and we’ve got some great tips below on how to make the experience fun for everyone and how to get them involved in the process.

Starting a garden with kids

A few months ago I decided that the kids and I would plant a garden this year. I used to have a small garden in the backyard before there were any children in my life (oh, glorious free time!), but busy spring months at work and having two summer babies put my gardening on hold for a couple of years.

This year, I decided to give it another go. I knew that it would be a really fun project for the kids to “help” me with and a great way to teach them about nature, food production, and responsibility.

Start small with the space you have

If you’re new to gardening, start small with just a couple of plants. Plenty of fruits and vegetables grow well with just a little nurturing. You also don’t need a huge amount of space. While a large plot is ideal, lots of plants can be grown in containers on your back porch or windowsill. It’s not too late to start a garden now. A variety of plants can be planted in May to produce this summer and fall.

How to involve kids in garden prep and planning

Planning and prepping for your garden can take a lot of time and effort, so involve your kids from the beginning. Here are a few suggestions for ways to get them involved from the get-go.
- Read a few books with them on gardening to familiarize them with the process.
- Let them scope out the backyard with you to choose the perfect spot for the garden (somewhere that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day and good drainage).
- Let them help you measure your plot and build any necessary containers, raised beds, trellises, or fencing.
- Go to the store together to pick out seeds or starter plants. Talk to them about options for your garden, and let them choose at least one plant that’s theirs.
- Discuss how many plants you can fit in your garden space, where they’ll go, and make a map of the garden so they can visualize it.
- When you’re ready to prep, let them help measure the distance between plants (applied math!) and plot out where the plants will go.
Let them get dirty

Half the fun of planting a garden is getting your hands in the dirt – let your kids help! This is definitely the most fun part of gardening for kids. Once you’ve picked your spots for your plants, let them help with prepping the soil and digging the holes. Show them once how to do it and then supervise the planting of the seeds and/or plants.

Teach them to be gentle with the plants and roots. Show them how to pack the soil around the plant to support it. Let them use real tools and be part of the process. Obviously, older kids will be more helpful with this part than little kids. But either way, it’s a great way to get them directly invested and involved.

Grow foods that kids will eat

I know I’m not alone when I say that my kids have a hard time eating vegetables. It doesn’t matter how we prepare them or how much we tout their nutritional value, my kids just aren’t eating them. But, growing our fruits and vegetables in our garden this year made a big difference!

It’s no surprise that by allowing kids to take responsibility for the veggies in the garden, kids will feel incredibly proud of their bounty and more likely to partake in consuming it! Let your kids choose at least one variety of plant as their own. Whether that’s their favorite fruit or vegetable, or just one that has a funny name (arugula!).

If your kids are not familiar with the plants/fruits/vegetables, take them to your local farmer’s market to show them the options. Then, you can purchase a few seed packets for them to try growing at home in your garden. Chances are, even if they weren’t huge fans of the vegetable before growing them on their own in the garden, they will be once they taste fresh picks straight from their backyard.

Plus, when kids pick and harvest the vegetables in your garden when they ripen, it turns veggies into a reward! How genius is that?

Some of our favorite plants (which are also relatively easy to grow): strawberries, snap peas, zucchini, beets, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, carrots and kale.

Make gardening a learning opportunity

Nearly everything about gardening is a learning opportunity for kids. From when to plant (and why) to where to plant (and why), planting a garden is all about teaching children about nature, growth, and food production.

When it’s time to get your garden going, start some seeds indoors in small containers that are easily accessible to kids. This allows the kids to learn about how plants grow from seeds with soil, water, and light. They can learn how to use a grow light to replace the sun that plants would get outside or why placing plants near a window is important.

Gardening is also a great way to teach children about the symbiotic relationship between birds, bees, bugs, worms, and plants. Once your plants are outside, explain how certain animals/bugs will help your garden and how others could hurt it.

Teach them to be gentle with the plants and how to handle and harvest the produce carefully. Allow your kids to be a part of the process and learn from the plants that thrive and those that fail.

Gardening teaches responsibility

Planting and tending to a garden gives you a lot of opportunities to give your kids responsibilities. By including your kids in the process of planning and planting your garden, they’ll feel like it’s their garden, too, and take ownership of it.

A great way to get your kids involved in the family garden is by giving them daily and/or weekly responsibilities for the garden. My kids are 2 and 4, and they love watering the plants and checking to see if they’re growing. Every day, they check on their plants and water them with spray bottles (which keep the plants from being majorly over-watered).

They are very proud of their plants and want their garden to grow.

Making gardening fun for kids
- If you’re creative, have your kids make their own plant markers from stones or popsicle sticks.
- Let them measure the plants weekly with a tape measure (my kids LOVE tape measures) and keep a chart of how tall they’re getting.
- Allow them to decorate the garden with fairies, gnomes, princesses, Transformers, Minions or whatever else they’re into right now.
- Give them their own gardening gloves and tools.
- Allow them to help with the sprinkler and watering.
- Reinforce the notion of encouraging plant growth by working with nature and allowing your kids to interact with the bugs and worms that surround your plants. Let kids dig up worms from other areas of your yard and transplant them into your garden. Treat an aphid problem naturally with ladybugs.
- Come up with new recipes that incorporate the food from your garden and let the kids help with cooking.
Gardening with kids

Our garden is still a work in process. The excessive rains and flooding in our area have damaged a few of our plants, but the rest are hanging in there. I’ll keep you updated on the progress throughout the summer. I’m taking bets on whether or not my children actually eat a single thing we grow (other than the strawberries), so let me know if you want in on that action!

Additional resources on gardening with kids

If you’d like more information on gardening with kids, here are some additional resources and recommendations:
Do you garden with your kids?
What’s your favorite thing to grow?

About the author

Sara (@sara_mccarty) is the Founder of Run Wild My Child, a resource website, online community, and podcast all about getting kids off screens and outside, one adventure at a time. She’s a mom of 3, wife, and corporate securities lawyer. She grew up in the country, but now lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and is determined to raise her city kids to be as wild and feral as possible. You can usually find her family exploring a creek, fly fishing, hiking, duck hunting, camping, canoeing, biking, or geocaching. She’s passionate about reading, photography, plants, coffee, cooking, and key lime pie.