It rained during the night. My son found this feather in the backyard this morning and asked me to take a photo of it. Things are dry and calm now, but it will probably be raining for trick-or-treating tonight. Do ninjas wear rain coats? Continue reading »
The other day, while playing at Dublin’s Heritage Park, my son suggested we head to the attached cemetery (Dublin Pioneer Cemetery) to look for monsters. Why not? We spent the next hour searching for, running away from, and battling monsters. Here’s a post I wrote last spring about letterboxing (treasure hunting) at this cemetery… Letterboxing: … Continue reading »
While attending Boo at the Zoo over the weekend, we looked for “spooky” animals. Werewolves? Vampires? Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything truly frightening at the Oakland Zoo, but did see this gorgeous hyena (I bet he’d get pretty scary if anyone tried to take that bone away from him!!) and a bunch of cute bats… … Continue reading »
Yesterday we attended the annual Boo at the Zoo event at the Oakland Zoo. Kids wear their Halloween costumes and participate in a bunch of fun activities. It was a hot day today (back into the 80′s), so I talked my son out of wearing his thick, black ninja costume. The highlight for my … Continue reading »
One of my favorite places to walk with my son… the Botanical Garden at UC Berkeley. He leads. I follow. Interested in what we saw on this visit to the gardens? Check out these posts… Flowers (October) Garden (Fence) The Newts are Back Weekly Photo Challenge: Big Continue reading »
I hope everyone has been enjoying the rain this week! Continue reading »
Photos taken Sunday, October 21st, 2012 UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Continue reading »
Photos taken Sunday, October 21st, 2012 UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Continue reading »
Photos taken Sunday, October 21st, 2012 Crops of the World, UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Continue reading »
Photo taken Sunday, October 21st, 2012, UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley *** Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette Continue reading »
California Newt, Japanese Pond, UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley… Please see… Newts in the Botanical Garden Continue reading »
A week late, but I couldn’t resist. Photo taken October 21st, 2012, UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Weekly Photo Challenge: Big Continue reading »
We’re having our first rains of the season here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s lovely. For the next several weeks, I’ll be working on a writing project, which will leave me less time for blogging. In lieu of writing on my blog, I’ll be posting photos of our daily outdoor adventures. Continue reading »
Photo taken October 20th, 2012, Memorial Park, San Ramon *** Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette Continue reading »
The final project in our three-part geology series, tailored for early elementary aged kids, is about metamorphic rocks. The focus of this experiment is to show “rocks” can change through heat, compression, and time. The “rocks” in this project are actually cookies. We made cookies, making some observations about the “minerals” (ingredients) we put into … Continue reading »
Photos from a hike in Mount Diablo State Park earlier this week with my Nature Time playgroup. We hiked a section of the Trail Through Time, from the Rock City parking lot to (and up) Sentinel Rock, allowing the kids to climb and play on and in the limestone rock structures and caves as much … Continue reading »
This the second in our three-part exploration of rocks. I’m teaching my 5-year-old about the three kinds of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic), what they are made of, and how they are created. All three science experiments are being conducted in the kitchen. Today, we’re learning about sedimentary rocks. *** First, discuss with your child … Continue reading »
I found each of the experiments in this three-part geology series for young kids in the book, Kindergarten Success, by Jill Frankel Hauser. The first, from the book, is “Igneous Meltdown”, an exploration in how magma (rock melted deep in the earth from heat and pressure) flows out of the earth as lava, which, as … Continue reading »
Earth Science Week is going on right now, this week, October 14th-20th. This international “event” is put on by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) “to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth.” Sounds like a great time to teach our kids a … Continue reading »
If you’re ever in the Eastern Sierras near Mammoth Lakes, you’ve gotta check out Devils Postpile. This place is incredible, and unlike anywhere else I’ve visited in California. The only other place I can personally compare it to is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. Both places have these fascinating basalt hexagonal columns. You have … Continue reading »
For more information about the festival, see my post… This Weekend! Harvest Festival, Ardenwood Historic Farm Continue reading »
I love to watch my son enjoy a beautiful view… The Minaret Vista is a short drive from Mammoth Lakes, on the road to Devils Postpile. From here, you have wonderful views of the Minarets (the jagged, toothy peaks in the 2nd photo), Mount Ritter (13,157 ft), and Banner Peak (12,945 ft). Continue reading »
Another of our favorite festivals is coming up this weekend… the Harvest Festival at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. This is such a fun festival for kids! The highlight of this event for us is the corn picking. How often do kids get to head into the fields and hand-pick corn?? My son (then four) … Continue reading »
On Friday, during our trip to the Eastern Sierras, we enjoyed a hike on the South Tufa Trail at Mono Lake, California. This is a short, flat 1-2 mile trail, perfect for kids, with a lot to see…. fun limestone rock formations, a salt-water lake, views of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west, ancient … Continue reading »
Quite a few of these beautiful butterflies were fluttering around “The Fen” in Yosemite Valley on Saturday morning. Haven’t heard of “The Fen”? It’s one of my favorite little spots in Yosemite Valley. It’s a short boardwalk trail through a marsh. If you follow the trail from the Happy Isles shuttle stop to the Nature … Continue reading »
I ready about going on a winter treasure hunt in Clare Walker Leslie’s book, The Nature Connection, and I thought it would be a fun thing to do during the fall, too, with some slight modifications. Here’s how you do it… On a sheet of paper (one for each child if desired or one paper … Continue reading »
Each year, for our anniversary, my husband and I celebrate with a little trip to Yosemite and/or the Eastern Sierras. One of the things we hope to see each year is the fall foliage. Sometimes we’re lucky, sometimes we’re not. This year, the display was stunning! Late last week, the colors were amazing up and … Continue reading »
Take a child into nature where there are rocks and watch what the child does. Either the child will pick them up and throw them or he’ll build rock statues. Photos taken Friday, October 5th, 2012, Tioga Lake, California. Continue reading »
IPhone photo of our son in Mono Lake yesterday, during our walk to see the tufa towers. What a beautiful day! I can’t wait to see how the photos I took on my Canon came out. Continue reading »
Photos taken earlier this week during a hike to the Cerro Este Overlook in Sunol Regional Wilderness. You may also enjoy… Silent Saturday: Bishop Ranch Regional Preserve (San Ramon) Silent Saturday: Las Trampas Ridge Trail (San Ramon) Silent Saturday: Martin Canyon Creek Trail (Dublin) Continue reading »
