Another great Outdoor Discoveries outing! Today, the naturalist took the kids up the Ringtail Cat Trail into Las Trampas Regional Park for a “beanstalk lunch hike” to learn about vines. This is another of my favorite trails in the area, especially on a hot summer day, as the trail winds above a creek through aContinue reading “Exploring the Ringtail Cat Trail, Las Trampas, Alamo”
Category Archives: Homeschooling
Solar Oven S’Mores
Yesterday afternoon, we attended a festival held by the East Bay Regional Park District at Shadow Cliffs in celebration of the Transit 0f Venus. While checking out the sun through the telescopes was pretty cool, the highlight for my son (other than playing in the trees with his friends) was making s’mores in a pizzaContinue reading “Solar Oven S’Mores”
Search for Snails
A favorite rainy day activity… head outside to look for snails! My son calls them his “snail buddies”. What we found yesterday during a rare June rain shower….
Tea Party!
Did you know boys enjoy tea parties, too? Friday afternoon, my son walked downstairs carrying his tea set and suggested we have a tea party in the backyard. Well, why not? We cleaned up the dishes, I made us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and he set the table outside. Believe it or not,Continue reading “Tea Party!”
First Time Camping with Kids? 5 Tips!
It’s that time of year when parents with young children are beginning to plan that very first camp trip with their young child. Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve read a ton of articles about camping with kids. What can possible be added to the discussion? I have a few extra tips forContinue reading “First Time Camping with Kids? 5 Tips!”
Hiking and Playing, Coyote Hills, Fremont
If you read my post yesterday, you know we attended the Nectar Garden Fun Day at Coyote Hills Regional Park on Monday. I invited friends from my Nature Time! playgroup to attend with us, and the kids had a great time running around and playing after they were done with the butterfly activities. A favoriteContinue reading “Hiking and Playing, Coyote Hills, Fremont”
Nectar Garden Fun, Coyote Hills
Nectar Garden Fun Day As many of you already know, we’re in the process of creating a butterfly garden in our backyard. So I couldn’t resist attending the Nectar Garden Fun Day with my son yesterday morning at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. This is one of my favorite parks in the East Bay,Continue reading “Nectar Garden Fun, Coyote Hills”
Nature Time! Hike, Dublin Hills
We kicked off our Memorial Day weekend with a great hike with friends from our Nature Time! playgroup. The kids had fun on the trail, playing in the tall grass, and stopping to check out insects (mostly stink bugs). The weather was breezy and cool, but the children didn’t seem to notice. It makes meContinue reading “Nature Time! Hike, Dublin Hills”
Huh? It’s Raining!
The second we noticed it was raining, my boy rushed outside to play in it….
Birding with Kids, Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton
Since the week my son turned three, we’ve been attending the East Bay Regional Parks Outdoor Discoveries program, a naturalist-led class designed specifically for three-five year-old children. Each outing includes a hike and plenty of time for observation, exploration, and play. To make the classes even more fun, I always invite friends from my NatureContinue reading “Birding with Kids, Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton”
“Awesome”… “Wow!”…
Quotes from my son while viewing the solar eclipse last evening at the Lawrence Hall of Science in the Berkeley hills… I figure he’ll be seventeen for the next solar eclipse… have to experience these moments while we can!! Related articles 40 Awesome Photos Of The Solar Eclipse (buzzfeed.com) Trans-Pacific ‘ring of fire’ eclipse wowsContinue reading ““Awesome”… “Wow!”…”
Learning About Bees: The Great Sunflower Project
We’ve been making progress in planting our butterfly garden, and now we’ve moved onto the next phase… bees! I’ve been researching citizen science programs that might be fun for me and my son to do together. I love the idea of being a citizen scientist, helping in our own way to assist real scientists byContinue reading “Learning About Bees: The Great Sunflower Project”
The Kora… Outdoor Music at the Farmer’s Market
We try to attend at least one of our many local farmer’s market weekly. While our primary reason for a visit to the market is to purchase fresh, seasonal, local fruits and vegetables, what my son likes the best is the music. Each of the markets seems to have a different musician or band playingContinue reading “The Kora… Outdoor Music at the Farmer’s Market”
Fossils, Flowers, and Fun! Dublin Hills
I thought we’d head to a museum today, but my son asked if we could go hiking instead. Great! When I asked him where he wanted to go hiking, he said, “Dublin Hills!” I liked that answer, as the official trail head (Donlon Point Staging Area) is only a few miles from our home. Easy!Continue reading “Fossils, Flowers, and Fun! Dublin Hills”
Paleontology Play! Dinosaur Digging
We’ve been staying home a lot this past week while my son’s been sick with a cold. One afternoon, he asked, “Can I dig for dinosaurs in the backyard?” We have a section of the yard that isn’t landscaped, so that was perfectly fine with me. Dinosaur digging can be done in a patch ofContinue reading “Paleontology Play! Dinosaur Digging”
Bring on the Butterflies…
After tons of research, I finally decided what to plant in our yard to attract butterflies. As you may know, we’ve been creating a backyard wildlife habit, following the guidelines set forth by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). My first goal in creating our butterfly garden was to add plants to our yard that willContinue reading “Bring on the Butterflies…”
Spring Nature Activities!
I’m always on the lookout for fun things to do with my son. Today I came across the Spring 2012 Nature Rocks Spring Activity Guide, which is filled with tons of fun nature activities. Coincidentally, it includes a couple activities I recently recommended (take favorite toys outside and do messy art activities outside), but alsoContinue reading “Spring Nature Activities!”
Nature Play, Roberts Regional Park, Oakland
One of our favorite parks for play is Roberts Regional Park in the Oakland Hills. This park, nestled in the redwoods, has something for everyone. First, if you have a child, the play structure here is among the best in the Bay Area (and it’s barrier free / wheelchair accessible). But other than that, theContinue reading “Nature Play, Roberts Regional Park, Oakland”
Outdoor Art Recommendation: Finger Painting
One of these days, I’ll remember that finger painting really should be done outside….
Simple Outdoor Play: Take Inside Toys Outside
Simplest of outdoor play… let your child take their inside toys outside. My only constraint? I don’t allow toys with small pieces that can get lost (Lego‘s) or items that can roll under the deck (Marble Run, Hot Wheels). When I was a kid, I loved to take my Barbies outside. They would frequently goContinue reading “Simple Outdoor Play: Take Inside Toys Outside”
hike.wander.wonder 