I know some of you are just beginning to thaw out from a long winter, but believe it or not, summer is right around the corner. We’ve got big plans, of course. Among other things, there will be another epic summer road trip, plenty of time spent at the cabin in Yosemite, and lots of free time to play in nature – both in our backyard and beyond. Although I welcome the down … [Read more...]
Nature Bracelets
Earlier this week, I interviewed the author of Fed Up with Frenzy, a book dedicated to helping families slow down and reconnect. The book is a how-to guide for slowing down and creating more distraction-free time with your kids. I was especially excited by the chapter called Slow Nature and thought it would be fun to have The Explorers try one of the activities to share with … [Read more...]
Science Corner: Mentos + Soda = Geyser
If you’ve got a kid who loves asking questions about how the world works, pull up a seat. It’s time to talk science.At 3, The Big Explorer was content to look at bugs under a rock; these days he wants to bring them home and study them under the microscope. Where once he ooohed and ahhhed at photos of tornadoes and volcanoes in books, now he wants to understand why and how they … [Read more...]
Simple Ways to Soak Up Summer
Sure, summer is often filled with family vacations, camp adventures, beach days, ice cream and sleeping in.But it’s also about slowing down and spending more time together. Enjoying the simple life.Trying to strike the perfect balance between these two ideas isn’t always easy. This year, our summer break is just seven weeks long and features four separate family vacations. … [Read more...]
Vacation Keepsake: Framed Nature Art
My stepmom came up with a great idea for a vacation memento: Make your own framed nature art.The concept is pretty simple – gather up some bits of nature during a vacation (in our case, our recent stay in Yosemite), then use said items to create an original piece of artwork. Add a $1 frame to the mix and voila – a truly unique (and priceless) reminder of your experience.What … [Read more...]