Exploring the Nature

Ahhh, The Great Outdoors...

Camping is just one of the many things my family has been busy doing the past few weeks.  T Man is in Cub Scouts and we have two annual camping trips.  This time the camp site was right on the water. 

At first, I was worried because neither of my boys are great swimmers.  My fears were soon put to rest when I realized that the water had a gradual entry.  The boys were able to play in the water's edge with little problem.

Being near the water had the added benefit of allowing JJ to stay outside on a very hot day.  As I watched nearby, I would noticed my little guy wetting down his clothes to cool off.  He is becoming such a big boy.  He didn't even need me to take care of him.


Sunrise Over the Lake

Camping is such a great way to unplug and get in touch with nature.  I thought I would share a few tips of the trade to get you started.

First of all you need to select a location.  Discover America is a site that helps you locate various activities by location in the United States.  Simply select camping and fishing from the drop down menu, how far you are willing to travel, and your state. 

You will get to view a list of camping grounds in the area you provided.  It is not a comprehensive list, but it will definitely get you started.

Things to consider when selecting a camping site:

1.  Does the site have electrical hook ups?  Hard core campers will think this unnecessary, but for many families this is a priority.  With RV camping and various camping gear that can be purchased nowadays, electricity can make camping for the non-enthusiast much more comfortable.

2.  Are there public restrooms?  Any family with kids would want to make sure that bathrooms are available.  Most kids just will not do their business in the woods or an open field.

3.    Are there enough trees to provide adequate shade during the hottest part of the day?

4.  Can you swim on site?

5.  Is fishing available?

6.  Is geocaching available on site?

The above are only some of the questions to consider.  Sit down with the adults who will be on the camping trip and discuss options and concerns to ensure you get the most out of your nature experience.

Now that you have selected a site, you can begin to plan some activities for your down time.  This doesn't mean that you are providing your children with a step by step itinerary.  It simple means that you provide a pressure valve several times a day to reground your child and help to keep him or her from becoming overstimulated by all there is to see and do when you are spending the bulk of your time outdoors.

    

Activities to Consider: 
1.   structured free play:  Simply steer your child to a location that can provide a space to play with relaxation built in.  Remember the lake front that has a gradual entry? It  proved to be a hot spot for my kiddos.  Making motes, digging, and exploring the shallow waters was very calming amongst a day that was filled with high energy.

Here is a bit of the natural learning that took place:

Little J learned that digging in the slug next to the water causes the water to seep up from the ground.  This lead to discussion on sea level.  He also learned how to make a mote that would fill with water as the waves rolled onto the bank.  It took a while to make walls that didn't collapse, but he was eventually successful.

T Man explored the marine life in the shallow waters and practice balancing on the moss covered river rocks.  He explored every nook and cranny he could physically reach.  He even managed to squeeze in some swim practice as well.



2.  bring arts and crafts into nature:  Something as simple as building a small boat and sailing it in the waters can provide that much needed pressure valve, as well as, hours of entertainment. 

This was the activity of the day on our scout trip.  It took about 10 minutes to assemble the sail boats, but the fun lasted for most of an afternoon.

Another idea is to create a simple nature journal that you take with you on outdoor outings.  Click here to find out how we made our own.

Have a budding naturalist or scientist?  Check out these awesome nature bags.  They have a bit of everything to make exploring outdoors fun for all involved.

3.  cook with the kiddos:  Allow your child to make his or her own meal... sandwiches and chips, smores around the evening campfire.  Cooking is an engaging activity most kids love.

4.  pack up your bikes and go for a ride:  Put a couple bandages and wipes in your pockets.  Camping bike rides tend to have a few more cuts and scrapes due to the uneven terrain.

5.  hike through the woods:  Don't forget that trusty nature journal or nature bag.  This is the best time to put those to use.

6.  locate geocaches... hidden boxes with small treasures:  You will need a GPS and to have chosen a campsite that has several boxes on site.  Our Boy Scout den actually hid several boxes as part of our fall camp out last year.  If you are lucky enough to locate a camp like the one we used, you will have tons of boxes to hunt down.

Don't know about geocaching?  You are definitely missing out.  Check out this site to find out more.



Hopefully, this will give you some ideas for your next camp out.  Spending time in the outdoors and amongst nature is a wonderful time to connect with Mother Nature and to go unplugged. 

Bright Blessings.

Natural Vinegar Disinfectant Spray with a Twist

I get a newsletter from Learning Herbs and couldn't be happier with all the great things they share.  This week I received a wonderful recipe I'd like to share as well as access to a free webinar with Rosemary Gladstars.

If you are interested in natural health and healing or just want to learn more about herbs, you have to check out the site.  What Learning Herbs.com has to offer:

• free ebooks
• free webinars
• free ecourses
• a cooperative board game to teach children about herbs (my kids love this game)
• medicinal kits with all you need to create your first salve and tincture. 

I got so excited about sharing this wonderful resource with you I forgot to share the recipe I received in this month's newsletter.  You will not be disappointed.

How to Make a Lavender Thyme Disinfectant:

1.  Fill a quart jar with 1 cup dried thyme leaves and 1 cup lavender flowers.

2.  Fill the remaining portion of the jar with white vinegar and seal tightly.

3.  Allow mixture to sit for at least 24 hours.

4.  Strain vinegar from jar.  Try to get as much of the herbs separated from the vinegar as possible.

5.  Place vinegar into a spray bottle.  Use to clean an surface you would normally clean with a disinfectant.

*NOTE*  You can add a few drops of essential oil to the vinegar and shake.  I like orange and lavender together, but you can experiment to find a duo that works best for you.

Learning Herbs.com suggest getting herbs in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Alphabet Stones Rock

Have a little one getting interested in the alphabet?  Creating an alphabet set out of rocks is simple.  Plus, it isn't plastic.  Natural materials add a soothing sensory experience to play.

Here's what you do:

Collect small smooth stones... 50 or so will work perfectly.  Reuse a container from around the house for storage.  I am using the bottom to a terra cotta flower pot, but a repurposed glass jar would work great as well.  Gather a permanent marker in any color you choose. I used black, so it would be easy to see.  Another idea would be to have the vowels in a different color than the consonants.

With materials already gathered, you are ready to begin.  On the smoothest side of each rock, record a lowercase letter of the alphabet.  You should consider making about 5 of each of the commonly used letter and only 2-3 of the less used letters like "x" or "z".

*NOTE*

I have children practice with lowercase letters instead of uppercase because we write almost exclusively in lowercase letters.  Only important words are capitalized.  I never really understood why most parents work on uppercase letters... just doesn't make sense to me.

Here are some ideas on how to use your new alphabet stones:

 

1.  Practice spelling your name.

2.  Practice spelling common words.

3.  Place the alphabet in order.

4.  Work on letter sound correspondence. 

For example:  Orally say the word "cat".  Have your child find the letter that begins the word or ends the word.

Another Example:  Say a letter name or sound and have your child locate the correct letter.

There are so many ways to use the alphabet stones.  These are just some of the very basic.  If you need help on how to correctly pronounce each letter sound, check out the Johnny Can Spell site.  You will be a master of letters and their sounds in no time.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge

I came across this amazingly powerful challenge a bit too late in the year to implement with my kindergarten students, but wanted to share for all you homeschooling mamas & papas.  Looking at your environment now gives you plenty of time to plan ahead for a future project that would benefit our planet.

Here is what the site says about Siemens:

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is "the only national sustainability challenge that empowers students in every grade level to develop and share environmental solutions that just may change the world!"

The process seems simple:

• Go online.  Create a team. 
• Brainstorm with your children an environmental change that needs to be addressed in your home, classroom or school. 
• Come up with a plan to address the problem and implement the plan.

I really want to do something with lunch waste... both recyclable and compostable.  Not sure exactly how to gather data and what to do yet, but I guess that is what next year's kiddos will help me decide.

Please go check out the challenge and consider signing up next school year.  The environmental impact alone is enough of a reason for me, but there are prizes too... really BIG prizes. 

I could list the prizes for you here, but I really want you to take a look at the site for yourself.  I think you just might be interested.

What environmental issue do you think your children could address?

A Walk in the Woods

About a month or so ago, Little J and I decided to go on adventure.  He wanted to use his Nature Bag, so we went off in search of the perfect place to explore.

Since we live in a suburb finding foresty areas is a bit of a stretch.  We decided to venture to the duck pond and explore the small wooded area nearby.

This proved to be a wise choice full of woodsy fun.

JJ lead us into the woods near the pond.  He was fascinated to see the duckies swimming through the trees. As he lead me further into the wooded area, he kept turning back to make sure I was still coming.  I think he was afraid I'd chicken out and leave him there alone.

As we traveled among the bramble, my little sweetheart would take the time to pull branches back and make sure that I was able to maneuvered among the mayhem.

One thing that really disturbed J was all the litter.  He just couldn't fathom why another child would hang out in the woods and not take their trash with him.  He was very concerned that the duckies would eat the litter and get sick or die.

Before leaving the woods, we stopped to take a picture together amongst all of nature's glory.

Here is my king of the mountain as we slowly trek back to the car and civilization.  It is amazing how such a small wooded area can really give you some distance from all the business of a suburb.

J decide he needed to take a few picture before we returned home.  I think he did pretty good for a first try.

On our walk back to the car the sun was just right to view our shadows in all their splendor.  We discussed why the shadows were going in the direction they were, how the shadows were made, and why shadows sometime look soooo long.  Perfect natural learning.

This is apart of the Nature Bag kit.  It is a small square.  You lay it over the ground or some other area you want to observe.  It gives you a smaller area of focus in hopes of training the eye to truly look at all the world has to offer... to see in more detail and to love all the earth has to offer.

What adventures do you and your kidlets take? 

What kind of nature activities could your kids do almost daily if you let them?

New Addition to the Family

Waking up to find your son has captured a pet is always exciting.

Let's back up a bit.

A friend of ours is a free spirit... I wish I could be a bit more myself.  She let her son catch lizards from the yard.  Now, the two lizards (Rex and Greeny) are fond family pets. 

T Man has been wanting his own pet for some time now.  To him, a lizard was the perfect solution.

I still was in the winning circle though because he did not have a proper home for a pet.  That is until the other day.  T noticed the perfect cage left abandoned in the neighbor's garage.  Being 8 years-old, he had no problem asking if he could take it off her hands.

Of course, she said "YES" without hesitation.

So, when a little lizard should scamper under the garage door into the house this morning, giggles and bliss ensured.  I was quickly woken up to meet our new little friend.  Being that he has a beautiful stripe down his back, he has been named Racer.

Big G is going to love finding our new addition when he gets home later today... <wink>  <wink>.

Nature's Playground

I received Nature's Playground  about a month ago.  I must say I am very impressed with the content. 

The book begins by going over outdoor places to consider, how to include the entire family and ways to encourage everyone to get involved.  After the introduction, the book divides into a section for each of the seasons, year long activities, activities for after dark, safety and resources.

This book is the perfect place to start if you are unsure on how to bring your family closer to nature.

The photographs are exquisite as they depict real children enjoying the great outdoors.

Several Suggestion for Autumn from Nature's Playground:

1. natural painting: using plants and berries to create paint
2. autumn collections: collecting various natural treasures most found on the ground
3. forest mobiles: using natural treasures to create mobiles
4. You must purchase the book yourself to find out details and more activities to get your family involved with nature.

Useful Resources:

• Nature Rocks
• National Wildlife Federation
• Be Out There
• Nature Club for Families Tool Kit
• Pathway to Nature

Additional Books to Consider:

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt

Today the boys went in the backyard and searched for leaves. The had alot of fun finding the leaves,taping them into their new journals and then writing about their hunt.

photo from flicker

We only created our Nature Journals today, but the boys are constantly asking to write in them. So far, I have said no because Iwant these journals to be special and really focus on nature and the outdoors. We have so many journals that I feel that they can use one of the other ones for "playing". We'll see how long I can outlast them. Hopefully, I do not have to post next week about my downfall as a mom as I once again give in to a cute smile and tight hug.

A wonderful book connection would be, We're Going On a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzer.  This title is in the same format as We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

Photos of the Leaf Hunt

I know that I already posted about our leaf hunt, but I had not posted the journal entries. Thought I might do that today since I have a rare few moments with actually nothing to do. Well, I could fold laundry, but this is alot more fun.

First, we taped in the leaves and drew our representation of the many leaves we saw.

Then, we recorded our thoughts. Reflection is a big idea in education right now. I constantly have my kinder kids record their thought on stories, experiments and even solutions to math problems. Having experienced something and then writing about it goes a long way in having that knowledge set into long term memory.

Here is little Js journal entry. It is of the trees with their leaves before a couple were used in the name of science. He drew a little face among the branches. Can you find it? My little guy is just so darn cute! On the opposite page, I wrote what he dictated to me. We read it together as I pointed to the words one at a time. J felt like such a big boy that he then let me read the words while he pointed to them one at a time.

 

We have been using our nature journals as a way for my eldest son to practice writing in a fun and relaxing way. Writing has never been something T enjoys (though he can tell the most creative fictional stories). Somehow recording his reflections in this journal is exactly what was needed to make writing come alive for him.