Photography 101: Treasure
While drinking my morning tea, just a few minutes after I looked up the photography theme for today, my son
Category: At Home
Treasures: A Nature Basket
My son collects soooo many sticks, rocks, feathers, nuts, and other cool stuff during our outings that his “treasures” have
Birding: American Kestrel
I’ve been spending a lot of time at home lately with my son, who’s now sick with his third cold
Solar Cooking Science: Melting Marshmallows
We had a bit of fun on Friday afternoon, melting marshmallows to make s’mores, using the Thames & Kosmos Solar
Geology for Kids: Crystal Mining Excavation Kit
My son recently received the 4M Kidz Labs Crystal Mining science kit for his birthday. He LOVES these excavation kits
Fun! Great American Backyard Campout
The Great American Backyard Campout is coming up on June 22nd, 2013. It’s time to start planning now! What is
Three Classic Backyard Games: Fun For Kids and Adults
It can be tough to find outdoor games that are truly fun for both children and adults. Here are three
Fun! Rope Swing
Photo taken April 13th, 2013
Observe: Insect Activity
What cool insect, arachnid (spider), or mollusk (snail) activity can you find around your yard? Has your child watched a
Rainy Day Fun: Snail Watching
After a night of rain, my son usually rushes outside to see if any snails came out. He found this
Little House in the Big Woods…
I started reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my son before bed last night.
My Little Valentine: Home Sick
My son, home sick today, lethargically watching the bird and squirrel activity at the feeder. So sad to be missing
Paleontology Play: The Magic School Bus Fossil Science Kit
For those of you with kids in the 5-12 age-range, I highly recommend you check out The Magic School Bus
Outdoor Play: Lightsaber Battle
My son asked for one thing from Santa this year… a lightsaber. A blue lightsaber, to be exact, so he
Rockin’ Experiment 3: Make Metamorphic Cookies
The final project in our three-part geology series, tailored for early elementary aged kids, is about metamorphic rocks. The focus
Project FeederWatch
As I wrote the other day (Let’s Count Stars!), we enjoy participating in citizen science projects. It’s a fun way
Environmentalism for Kids: Clean up the Neighborhood
For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know my son loves to take
First Signs of Fall
Yesterday, I wrote about taking your child out on walk to look for signs of Autumn (Take a “Signs of
Finch Fun
Yesterday morning, my son was quietly building with his Lincoln Logs when he happily exclaimed, “Look, Mommy, a goldfinch! There’s
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
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
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
Tea Party!
Did you know boys enjoy tea parties, too? Friday afternoon, my son walked downstairs carrying his tea set and suggested
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
Bring on the Butterflies…
After tons of research, I finally decided what to plant in our yard to attract butterflies. As you may know,
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
Gardening with Grandpa
Over the weekend, we went to Sacramento to help my parents plant their vegetable garden. The garden has historically been
Creating our Backyard Wildlife Habitat: Step Four, Homes for Wildlife
We’re on the final step of creating our backyard wildlife habitat! For those of you who don’t already know, we’re
Creating our Backyard Wildlife Habitat: Step Three, Create Cover
Today was day three of working towards making our backyard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat, per the guidelines provided by
Creating Our Backyard Wildlife Habitat: Step Two, Supply Water
For those of you who are following us, you know that yesterday my son and I started to create a
