The madness is about to begin. December 1 marks the official countdown to Christmas in our house. But not in the sense you might be thinking. Sure, the boys are on cloud nine dreaming of all the gifts they claim they’d love to have. But something else is at work here, too. The Big Explorer told me today that what he loves most about the holiday season isn’t the gifts he … [Read more...]
Stocking Stuffer Idea for Outdoor Kids: Safety Reflectors
A couple of weeks ago, I featured some gift ideas for backyard nature fun. Today I’m excited to share one more – with a giveaway to boot!My dear friend Kari Svenneby of ActiveKidsClub.com is a true outdoor advocate and a huge proponent of getting kids outside no matter what the weather. This year she launched her own line of safety reflectors designed with outdoor kids in … [Read more...]
Connecting With Nature Through Music: Make & Play a Pow-Wow Drum
I’ve shared all sorts of ways to connect with nature since starting this blog. But what about music? Before The Little Explorer came on the scene, we didn’t devote that much attention to creating songs or making music with nature. These days, that’s all changing. But I’m still no expert on the subject. So I invited someone who knows a thing or two about music and nature to … [Read more...]
Urban Backyard Birding: Cooper’s Hawk
Last week I had an amazing bird encounter right in my own backyard. I took a ton of pictures, but it really only takes one to get the gist of the experience – which certainly wasn’t something for the faint of heart.Thanks to followers of the Go Explore Nature Facebook page and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I have since identified this as a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. With a still … [Read more...]
Fall Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt: Traditions
I realize it’s been almost two months since we kicked off the Fall Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt. But guess what? There’s still an entire month left to play along!When we first started our hunt, we were looking for signs of fall. Then came photos that captured the change we noticed in similar items (like leaves and weather) from one day, week or month to the next. Lately, our … [Read more...]