Halloween has come and gone. And Christmas seems like it’s a lifetime away. Or so my kids tell me. What to do to make getting outside and into nature fun now that the weather has cooled off? Start with the basics: Dress for the weather, keep it simple and have fun. Here are 10 ideas for connecting with nature in November: 1. Participate in the Fall Nature Photo … [Read more...]
The Great Pumpkin Count
At 4 ½, The Little Explorer is fascinated with counting. So instead of our usual Halloween nature scavenger hunt, I thought it might be fun to see how many pumpkins we could spot on a walk around the neighborhood. We called our game "The Great Pumpkin Count." The one rule we made for our little game was that we would only count the real pumpkins, not plastic, ceramic or … [Read more...]
Book Review: When You Are Camping
What happens when a children’s librarian turned mom tries unsuccessfully to find a book to share with her own young kids about the joys of family camping? She writes her own. At least that’s what Anne Lee set out to do when she wrote When You Are Camping. When You Are Camping ($14.99) is a 32-page picture book geared toward preschoolers and beginning readers (ages 3 to … [Read more...]
Fall Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt: Capturing Change
I don’t know about you, but we’ve been having a lot of fun with our Fall Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt. I wasn’t sure how it would feel to spend an entire season searching for all of the items. Would we forget to play? Lose interest along the way?So far, so good. We keep the Fall Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt list posted prominently on our refrigerator so we see it several times a … [Read more...]
Taste Testing Apples With Kids
There is an amazing school garden at The Explorers' elementary school. Lucky for me, I’m in good with the Booster mom who brings kids out to spend time in the space each week. While her passion lies in the planting and harvesting of fruits and vegetables, mine lies in the chance to help the students connect with nature in other ways, too. Given the timing, I thought … [Read more...]