My son recently received the 4M Kidz Labs Crystal Mining science kit for his birthday. He LOVES these excavation kits (see this post about a similar kit, also made by 4M.. Paleontology Play: Dinosaur Skeleton Excavation Kit – Velociraptor). My son is super into rocks and minerals these days, so this was a timely gift. … 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
My son asked for one thing from Santa this year… a lightsaber. A blue lightsaber, to be exact, so he could be just like Luke Skywalker. Santa must’ve thought two lightsabers might be more fun, as, in addition to the blue lightsaber, he also brought a red one (like the one Darth Vader uses). Doesn’t … 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 »
As I wrote the other day (Let’s Count Stars!), we enjoy participating in citizen science projects. It’s a fun way to contribute to scientific research and learn about science at the same time. I wrote earlier in the week about participating in the Great World Wide Star Count. Perhaps stargazing isn’t your thing, but you’d … Continue reading »
For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know my son loves to take walks around the neighborhood to pick up trash. It’s a great, age-appropriate way to introduce young kids to helping the environment. Interested in doing this with your child? It’s about as easy as it gets. … Continue reading »
Yesterday, I wrote about taking your child out on walk to look for signs of Autumn (Take a “Signs of Fall” Walk). I didn’t feel the seasons changing yet as I wrote the post, but decided to head out for a walk around our neighborhood with my 5-year-old after I wrote the article. Here’s what … Continue reading »
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. Two … Continue reading »
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”, a … Continue reading »
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 with … Continue reading »
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 own … Continue reading »
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 »
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 of … Continue reading »
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 will … Continue reading »
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 go … Continue reading »
Over the weekend, we went to Sacramento to help my parents plant their vegetable garden. The garden has historically been my mom’s project. However, as my parents have become older (they are now entering their 80′s), the yard work has become more difficult for them. My mom uses a walker, and getting down to the … Continue reading »
We’re on the final step of creating our backyard wildlife habitat! For those of you who don’t already know, we’re following the guidelines provided by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in their Certified Wildlife Habitat program. So far, we have completed the following steps: Provide food Supply water Create cover The final step is to … Continue reading »
Today was day three of working towards making our backyard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat, per the guidelines provided by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). So far, we’ve completed step 1 (provide food) and step two (supply water). Our focus today? Create cover for wildlife. This step in the certification process requires that a backyard … Continue reading »
For those of you who are following us, you know that yesterday my son and I started to create a wildlife habitat in our backyard, following the guidelines set by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Yesterday our focus was on providing food sources for wildlife. Today, we worked on step two… supply water for wildlife. … Continue reading »
Today my son and I began working towards making our backyard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat, per the guidelines provided by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). I figured it would be best for my four-year-old if we only focus on one aspect of certification at at a time. Our focus today? Step one: Provide Food … Continue reading »
After struggling with what to do with our little backyard for the last several years, I think I’ve finally found a solution. The main constraint for us is an oak tree that covers our entire yard with shade, making vegetable gardening difficult. The only plant thriving in our yard is rosemary. Kale does pretty well, … Continue reading »
To celebrate Earth Day today, my son asked if we could walk around our neighborhood and collect trash. He’s been totally into this activity since last summer, when he earned his Junior Ranger badge on one of our visits to Yosemite. The ranger made a big point about continuing to be a ranger after we … Continue reading »
The wildflowers are starting to bloom, new leaves are growing on the tips of branches, gardens are beginning to sprout… this is the time to take the kids out for a walk to look for the signs of spring. This can be a quick walk around the neighborhood or the park, an exploration of your … Continue reading »
