We’ve used some fun magnet science kits in the past, but the way my son likes to play with magnets best is through building toys. We have three different kinds… Magna-Tiles, Magformers, and Geomag. I credit my son’s strong understanding of geometric shapes to playing with these magnetic toys. Geomag building kits come with magnetic … Continue reading »
Photo taken May 22nd, 2013 Central Park, San Ramon For more parks in the area with water features, see… Ten Fun East Bay Parks with Free Water Play Structures Continue reading »
Three photos of my son from our walk through the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley last week. Can you spot the pattern? Yep! No matter where we go, he’s playing in the dirt. Photos taken May 5th, 2013 *** Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern Continue reading »
Are you a grandparent who would like to help connect your grandchild(ren) with the natural world? Check out these great tips from Richard Louv… Grand Ideas! 21 Great Ways Grandparents and Grandfriends Can Connect Kids to Nature. What wonderful ways to bond! My dad and my son, then three, gardening together (Tip #9: Create a … Continue reading »
It’s beginning to feel like summer here. Time to get our son ready for the pool! Swim lessons started this weekend… Photo taken April 27th, 2013 Continue reading »
I hope everyone had a great weekend! It was gorgeous here in the San Francisco Bay Area… perfect for a bike ride in the redwoods! Photo taken April 27th, 2013 Redwood Regional Park Continue reading »
The Great American Backyard Campout is coming up on June 22nd, 2013. It’s time to start planning now! What is the Great American Backyard Campout? It’s an event created by the National Wildlife Federation and their “Be Out There” campaign to reconnect kids with nature and the outdoors. On the 4th Saturday of every June, … Continue reading »
Photos of my husband and son making sand globes, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California. Instruction was provided. Apparently, once these are made, they’ll keep indefinitely, as long as they are misted with water daily. We won’t be able to find out… my son had fun using the ones they … Continue reading »
Photos of the labyrinth created in the sand, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California. Usually, these are made for meditation, but that’s not how my five-year-old used it. He had so much fun running around and around and around the winding path. Either way, the design was appropriate for the … Continue reading »
Photos of the evolving outdoor sculpture gallery, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California… For more information about the celebration, visit the official website… 9th Annual Free Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration. All photos taken April 20th, 2013. Continue reading »
It can be tough to find outdoor games that are truly fun for both children and adults. Here are three of our family favorites…. Croquet, Bocce, and Cornhole. My brother and his wife always have these games set up when they have parties at their home. So fun! Croquet I grew up playing Croquet in … Continue reading »
Some of you requested that I post updates about the growth of the seeds we planted in our root viewer. Here’s what we saw on day eight! Interested in making your own root viewer? Check out the directions here… Kid Science: Make a Seed Viewer. *** Weekly Photo Challenge: Change Continue reading »
Photo taken April 13th, 2013 Continue reading »
What cool insect, arachnid (spider), or mollusk (snail) activity can you find around your yard? Has your child watched a spider spin a web? How about ants marching along on a mission? What about a snail eating a plant? Give your child the time and space to observe these small creatures in their natural environment… … Continue reading »
Seeds… how incredible that plants of all sizes can grow from such a tiny thing. If you’ve gardened with a young child, you’ve witnessed their fascination and wonder at the mystery of plants. To give your child the opportunity to actually witness the growth of a plant from the first roots shooting out of the … Continue reading »
After a night of rain, my son usually rushes outside to see if any snails came out. He found this one yesterday morning on our front walkway. He crouched there and watched it for about fifteen minutes, then rushed inside to tell me all the cute things the snail did. Photos taken March 28th, 2013 … Continue reading »
Owls are fascinating creatures. They have a special organ (gizzard) that stores the undigestible parts of their prey, preventing these parts (bones, teeth, fur, feathers) from proceeding through the digestive tract. The gizzard compresses these parts into a pellet which is later regurgitated. This is a pretty simplistic explanation. If you’d like to learn more, … Continue reading »
I started reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my son before bed last night. I was afraid it would be too much of a “girl” book for him to find it interesting, but, so far, I’ve been proven wrong. The first chapters have been primarily describing what life was … Continue reading »
In preparation for Earth Day next month, I’m currently reading a wonderful book… Friends of the Earth: A History of American Environmentalism by Pat McCarthy. The book, written for children ages 9 and up, introduces the efforts, struggles, and triumphs of men and women (scientists, artists, authors, naturalists) who dedicated their lives to protecting the … Continue reading »
I enjoyed a fun walk around our neighborhood on Monday with my son, looking for signs of spring. My son loves to take photos, but he’s become frustrated with the quality of the images he takes on the kid camera we gave him for his birthday last year. He wants to be able to take … Continue reading »
After school on Monday, we went for a walk around our neighborhood to look for signs of spring. As an extension of the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge (Phoneography Challenge: My Neighborhood), I gave my iPhone to my five-year-old son and asked him to take photos of what he could find. The signs he saw were … Continue reading »
The pleasure of a new book from the library… Book Bench, Dublin Library Photo taken February 26th, 2013 Continue reading »
Reblogged from Keep'em busy: My little one is still home with the flu, but if he were healthy, we’d be out doing this, too! Enjoy the rainy weather! Continue reading »
My son, home sick today, lethargically watching the bird and squirrel activity at the feeder. So sad to be missing the Valentine’s Day party at school… Photo taken February 14th, 2013 Continue reading »
My son has played with a few of these kits in the past, and he absolutely LOVES them. This one, Dinosaur Skeleton Excavation Kit: Velociraptor, is made by 4M Kidz Labs, and it was exactly what my son was hoping it would be…. a plastic dinosaur skeleton hidden in a block of plaster. The kit … Continue reading »
As I sit here at my computer with the backdoor open to allow some fresh air into our home, I’m listening to the lovely sound of frogsong. The chorus is coming from the creek on the other side of our backyard fence. Up until today, we’ve only been hearing one frog at a time. Suddenly, … Continue reading »
For those of you with kids in the 5-12 age-range, I highly recommend you check out The Magic School Bus Science Club, offered through The Young Scientist Club (www.theyoungscientistclub.com). By joining the club, you’ll receive twelve Magic School Bus science kits, one mailed each month of the year. The cost is about $240/year, but … Continue reading »
One of the great things about playing in nature is that bouts of exertion and excitement are often interspersed with quiet, contemplative time. I don’t have to recommend these quiet moments… my five-year-old sits down and calms himself entirely on his own whenever he’s inspired by the beauty around him. I often wonder what he’s … Continue reading »
Photos taken January 21st, 2013 Hap Magee Ranch Park, Danville, California Continue reading »
My husband took our son to play miniature golf yesterday. Fun!! This is an experience he wants to repeat. Often… My husband took the photo on his iPhone… Boomers! Livermore Continue reading »
