Nature

May 12th – 18th is Children’s Book Week so of course I thought we should celebrate with a new booklist! 

And this one is just perfect as we head into summer.  Once the kids finish school, put their backpack to good use by turning it into an adventure sack! 

Grab a set of binoculars, a nature journal and a few of these great field guides.  You’ll find some great reads for kids who enjoy bird-watching, scouting out wildlife, hunting for gems and exploring the forest.  I’ve included affiliate links for each of our recommended reads so you can learn more about our favorites too.

Getting the kids more time outside is always a goal these days. Especially on school days when they’re stuck in a building for 8 hours 🙁 with the exception of a 25 minute recess (if you’re in elementary school) which I think is waaayyy too short. But I’ll complain about that on another day 😉 …

I’m a huge fan of the National Parks!  They are one of our country’s most beautiful assets and I really feel that every family should take the opportunity to visit at least one of the parks with the kids. 

There are more than 400 national parks and sites located across the country so I’m sure there’s one close to you.  And April 20^th – 28^th, 2013 is National Parks Week which is a wonderful time to schedule a visit!

This week’s theme for the Discover & Explore linky is Flowers!

I love to mix in nature items when we create art projects.  There’s something about the contrasting textures that I think look so cool when the picture is complete.  And when flowers are included in the project, there is also some wonderful sensory and science learning that happens too!

If you’ve been around these parts, you’ll know that we have a fondness for nature activities 😉  Most rooms in our house host some type of nature collection — shells, rocks, tree seeds, leaves in the Fall, etc. And many of these were started on the fly — a trip to the beach, a vacation …

Spring is coming!  It is — I promise 🙂 So today we have an awesome list of outdoor activities, nature crafts and games — 50 ways to enjoy the outdoors. Because with Spring comes that super nice weather (not too cold, not too hot), those perfect days when we can open the windows, listen to …

After a long winter, kids love to get outside and stretch their legs! 

Let them get their hands muddy, get their feet wet and discover what happens to nature in the spring.

I don’t know about your house but in our neck of the woods, Spring can get really busy! 

The end of the school year is approaching which means school performances, state assessments and helping the kids to finish all those final projects they need to do. 

Then there’s getting the yard and house cleaned up after winter — turning over the garden, putting away winter clothes, cleaning out the garage so we can FIND the spring toys — all that spring cleaning.

I know the rest of the world thinks that Spring begins on March 20th with the Spring Equinox but for us, Spring activities begin the day we turn back the clocks and gain that extra hour of daylight. Ahh… dinner during daylight hours Heading to the park after dinner The sounds of birds in the …

We had some amazing posts linked up to our Discover & Explore ‘Gardening with Kids‘ linky. Be sure to stop by Fantastic Fun & Learning to see some of the cool science-related garden ideas that are being featured today.

With the National Summer Library Book theme being ‘Dig into Reading’, I wanted to feature some of the great posts that would pair nicely with garden books for your summer reading list.