Yesterday morning, my son was quietly building with his Lincoln Logs when he happily exclaimed, “Look, Mommy, a goldfinch! There’s a goldfinch at the feeder!” Now I had to run to the window to check it out, because I honestly can’t remember ever having any yellow birds in our backyard. My son was correct. TwoContinue reading “Finch Fun”
Category Archives: Homeschooling
Outdoor Art: Marble Painting
My five-year-old isn’t much of a craft guy, but he does love to play and experiment with paint. He’s usually up for art if it’s more process-oriented than result-oriented. A favorite is painting with marbles. I like to do this activity outside, as the the marble, covered with paint, tends to jump out of theContinue reading “Outdoor Art: Marble Painting”
Make Paper Airplanes!
I found a fun website that offers a bunch of different paper airplane designs available for free download (www.funpaperairplanes.com). The site offers fifteen different designs, rated by difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, novelty). Each design provides a template (ready for folding, and cutting, if necessary) and directions. We decided to try out the “Condor”, aContinue reading “Make Paper Airplanes!”
Hike and Seek! National Wildlife Federation
I just came across these great fundraising events being offered through the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). They are not offering an event here in California, but I wanted to let the rest of you know about it, just in case there’s one located near you! Hike and Seek: This is a 1-2 mile hike andContinue reading “Hike and Seek! National Wildlife Federation”
Create With Nature Zone, Blake Garden, Kensington
Take a child out into nature, and what are they naturally drawn to play with? It’s pretty universal… sticks and rocks. So this is the perfect playground for a child… an area filled with sticks and rocks, inviting the child to stack, build, and create. Imaginations went wild this day. In additional to the simpleContinue reading “Create With Nature Zone, Blake Garden, Kensington”
Swim in a Lake!
The weather is heating up here in the San Francisco East Bay. Take a break from the local swimming pool, and cool off in a nearby lake instead. Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore has two swimming areas, East Beach and West Beach. Swimming is free, but there is a $6.00/vehicle park entry fee. IsContinue reading “Swim in a Lake!”
Simple Outdoor Play: Take an Indoor Toy Outside
My son has a new favorite toy… an adorable stuffed animal he has named Foxy. Not only has my son slept with this plush every night since receiving it last week (a first for my child… he’s never shown interest in sleeping with a stuffed animal before), but the little guy has been traveling withContinue reading “Simple Outdoor Play: Take an Indoor Toy Outside”
Fun Kid Hike: Kule Loklo Trail, Point Reyes
One of our goals this summer was to take our son to see a lighthouse. There are a few in the Bay Area, but my favorite has always been the Point Reyes Lighthouse (see my post from yesterday: “Point Reyes Lighthouse“). My husband and I wanted to slip in a short hike during theContinue reading “Fun Kid Hike: Kule Loklo Trail, Point Reyes”
Craft: Egg Carton Rock Collection
A couple weeks ago, Let’s Go Chipper posted instructions about how to create a box for storing a rock collection from a recycled egg carton. Perfect! My son collects rocks everywhere we go. So we made the storage container this week… Interested in doing this with your child? You’ll find the instructions here… Chipper RecycleContinue reading “Craft: Egg Carton Rock Collection”
Create-With-Nature Pathway
While visiting Redwood Regional Park in Oakland yesterday morning, I made a fun discovery. We were meeting friends for some nature playtime, and they were running a half hour late. While waiting, my son was having fun riding his bike up and down the paved path while I was strolling along behind him, enjoying thisContinue reading “Create-With-Nature Pathway”
Too hot? Too rainy? Head to the Rock Gym!
Looking for nature-oriented indoor fun to do on a too-hot or a rainy day? Try the local rock climbing gym! We started taking our son when he was four. It’s a great way to burn some energy, strengthen that upper body, and let the kids go crazy climbing in a safe environment. My sonContinue reading “Too hot? Too rainy? Head to the Rock Gym!”
Hide and Seek!
What child could resist playing hide and seek in this redwood forest? Can you find them? At Roberts Regional Park, Oakland… http://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts. *** You may also enjoy… Nature Play, Roberts Regional Park, Oakland (anaturemom.com)
Connect with Nature: Find Your Sit Spot
I’m currently reading the book, What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, by Jon Young, which is about awakening our awareness of the behavior of birds in order to deepen our connection with all the wildlife surrounding us. Ultimately, the author is helping us to reconnect with our ownContinue reading “Connect with Nature: Find Your Sit Spot”
Urbia Adventure #2: The Rocky Mountain Behind the Randall Museum
Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to the Randall Museum (see post here… “The Randall Museum, San Francisco”). Whenever I visit a museum, I also like to schedule some outdoor play or exploration. The Randall Museum is an excellent spot for indoor and outdoor nature fun, but we enhanced the experience by taking an UrbiaContinue reading “Urbia Adventure #2: The Rocky Mountain Behind the Randall Museum”
Nature Play… Sticks and Pine Cones
A child can be absorbed for hours, simply playing in the forest with sticks and pine cones…
Kids ‘n Cameras: Five Tips for Introducing Children to Photography
Just in the past few months, my son has become interested in cameras and photography. Both my husband and I are into photography, so he sees us using our cameras a lot. He loves to sit on my lap and watch me while I’m reviewing photos on our computer. He adores the images of theContinue reading “Kids ‘n Cameras: Five Tips for Introducing Children to Photography”
Nature Fun for Kids: Take a Photo Walk
Our new favorite nature outing is to take a walk together with our cameras. Provide a child with a camera, and he’ll see the world in a different way. Every day while in Yosemite National Park last week, my son begged us to take him outside to photograph the flowers. Obviously, Yosemite naturally calls toContinue reading “Nature Fun for Kids: Take a Photo Walk”
Strawberry Picking Fun! Swanton Berry Farm U-Pik
As part of our annual summer camping trip to Butano State Park, our tradition is to go strawberry picking at our favorite organic u-pik farm, Swanton Berry Farm, located just south of Pescadero (or north of Santa Cruz). This is an easy day trip from the Bay Area, and great to incorporate into a visitContinue reading “Strawberry Picking Fun! Swanton Berry Farm U-Pik”
My Childhood Play… My Love of Nature
This is the backyard of my childhood home. These are the places I played as a child, building forts, climbing trees, scaling mountains, running from dinosaurs, becoming a world explorer, digging like an archaeologist, wading in the creek, catching crawdads, watching frogs lay eggs, and observing the development of pollywogs. This was the play ofContinue reading “My Childhood Play… My Love of Nature”
Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont
This morning we attended the 13th Annual Butterfly and Bird Festival, held at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. We’ve attended this event the past two years, too, and this just may be my son’s favorite festival. It’s kind of funny, since my son isn’t usually into doing crafty type activities, but he absolutely LOVESContinue reading “Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont”
hike.wander.wonder 