Greening Sam and Avery

fall fun - apple orchard

We love homemade apple sauce and this past year we ran out early in the spring which meant that clearly we had not made enough! So we were very excited for apple picking season to get here so we could really pick a lot and get us stocked up.

 
The girls were very excited about apple picking too.

 
Avery did way more eating than picking but Sam got involved with the picking and was a big help in reaching the best ones that are always way up at the top.

 
There was plenty to see out in the orchard and even some sheep to pet!

 
 
We ended the day with 50 lbs of apples! Now, who wants to come over and help with the peeling and cutting?

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The Nitty Gritty!

It if a given that when you go to a pick-your-own farm your kids will sample whatever they are picking. Even most adults do that, it is just part of the fun! Avery had FOUR apples today while we were picking. She just kept eating them and I didn't think it could do any harm. But apparently you can over-indulge in apples just like anything else. She is suffering miserably of a horrible diaper rash tonight. Poor kiddo.

BUT the funniest part about today happened as we were driving home.

Avery still had a apple that she was snacking on when we got in the car and she didn't want to give it up so she kept snacking on it while we drove. I looked back at her a couple of times and asked if she was all done and she just kept telling me no. Then all of a sudden she says "apple done". And hands me this!

 
Talk about not being wasteful!! And we didn't find any pieces, seeds or core in her lap or on the seat. We were all laughing so hard.

What is your favorite fall apple treat?

 

nature journaling ideas and resources

Wanted to share some more great ideas about nature journaling.

Here are some of my favorite activities. I have not done all of these with Sam and Avery yet and many of them would be too advanced for them; these activities are mostly for slightly older kids and can be used all the way up through adults. I have however done all of these activities with groups of kids in non-formal environmental education settings. They have been some of my favorites that work great with kids and really help them take a closer look at the natural world around them.

Find a Treasure

Lots of kids like to collect things on the trail. This activity simply gives them a way to capture their treasure without actually having to take it home. Give the children some time out on the trail to find something that they think is a "treasure". Then have them sit and draw their treasure as well as they can. The drawings don't have to be perfect just a picture that will help them remember the great thing they found out on the trail that day. The children can then share their drawings and talk about what made that item so special.

Find a Perfect Spot 

Take your child/ren to a natural area and give them some boundaries for where they can go exploring. Allow them some freedom to explore off trail (if it is safe) and on their own (if they are the appropriate age). While they are out exploring their job is to find what they think is the perfect spot. It could be alongside a creek, at the top of a hill, at the bottom of a neat tree, up in a tree, next to an animal home, etc. but each child must find their own spot. Once they have found their spot encourage the child to draw the spot and answer through their drawing or words some questions about the spot; what do they see? what do they hear? what do they smell? what other living things are they sharing the spot with? what other living things may have been there in the past? what makes this spot a perfect spot?

Notice Something Small

 While out on a trail pick a spot to stop that has some open area for the child/ren to explore. Have them each find something non-living that they can fit inside the palm of their hand. When they close their hand they should not be able to see any part of the item. Then have them sit down and carefully draw that item. Ask them detailed questions about the item while they are drawing, encouraging them to look closer and closer. When they are done with their drawing be sure to have them return the item to where they found it.

Sound Map

Sit down a quiet natural area with your child/ren. Have them place a large x on the center of a piece of paper. That x represents themselves. As they sit their quietly have them place additional symbols (can be any shape, size, color, etc.) on their page that represent the sounds they hear around them. Encourage them to listen very closely and see how many different sounds they can  "draw" on their paper. Each sound should have its own unique symbol. After a few mins (determine length by the age of the child/ren and their interest in the activity) have them share their drawings and talk about the sounds they heard.

A Tree From Many Views

This activity is all about imagination and may require slightly older kids/students. Pick a large tree in a natural area and talk about who/what might be living/using that tree (birds, squirrels, bugs, moss, animals/people for shade, etc.). Talk about what the tree might look like to each of those things; what does a tree look like if you are a bird flying above it? what does a tree look like if you are a squirrel sitting on a branch in the middle of the tree? what does a tree look like if you are a bug crawling on the bark? what does a tree look like if you are a kid sitting underneath it? etc.  Then have them try to draw the tree as it would look from those different views.

Want more natural journaling information? Here are some online resources that might be helpful.

Online resources -

Make a Nature Journal for Kids

Keeping a Nature Journal - this is an overall great resource and has great information about why we should be journaling outdoors with our kids.

Starting a Nature Journal - great example of a family doing journaling with little ones; also has links to some great journaling books.

Preschool Pre-Reading Journaling Activities - some good ideas for little ones to do outside in their journal.

Nature Journal -Getting Started - a great way to get started with links for helpful info and printouts.

 

outdoor language work

Why use flashcards or sit inside practicing words when you can get outside, play, get fresh air and learn new words at the same time?

Sam went back to school today so Avery and I got some alone time. We headed outside to see what we could find and see what new words we could learn.

leaf

stick

flower

spider web

bush

big flower

We had a blast just running around the backyard finding things and practicing words. Avery is like a sponge right now just soaking up whatever words she can. They don't always sound perfect but she tries and I love it. This stage goes by so quickly but is SO much fun!!

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The Nitty Gritty!

This is the most simple form of a scavenger hunt. I would simply ask her if she could find something and she would run around until she found it. Then we would talk about it and practice saying the word.

If you work at a daycare center with 1 - 2 year olds you could do a similar outdoor activitiy telling the whole group of kids to try and each find something. This kind of outdoor activity is great learning, great exercise and great fun!

bug week - bumble bee

Today was all about the bee!

A simple craft....

A simple song...

Loosely to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"

If you see a bee on a flower, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee on a flower, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee on a flower, if you see a bee on a flower, if you see a bee on a flower, ouch don't touch.

If you see a bee in the air, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee in the air, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee in the air, if you see a bee in the air, if you see a bee in the air, ouch don't touch.

If you see a bee on your arm, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee on your arm, ouch don't touch. If you see a bee on your arm, if you see a bee on your arm, if you see a bee on your arm CALL YOUR MOM!

A simple game...

I made these flowers and hid them all around our house. One of our bug books told us that bees search for flowers and once they find nectar they will fly back to the hive to "tell" the other bees. The way it tells the other bees is by communicating through a "bee dance"! So, I had Sam and Avery take their bees and fly them all over the house looking for flowers. When they found a flower they had to come back to me (the hive) and do a bee dance to tell me where the flower was hidden. Wish I had gotten video of their bee dance because it was adorable. We played the game over and over again this afternoon.

Love combining lots of different elements into our learning. We did read general bug books today and look at pictures of bees but I never found an entire bee book that I was really in love with. Still looking....

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The Nitty Gritty!

For the simple craft I cut out the B ahead of time along with the wings. Then I gave her a strip of black paper to cut out the stripes and antennae. She loves cutting practice and making the bumble bee was very fun.

We did talk about where we would find bees in our yard (on the flowers) but a very busy day, with long naps and extreme heat forced us inside for most of the day.

The song was just something silly that I made up for Sam and Avery. Sam has no hesitation when it comes to touching and picking up things in nature. I don't want her to be afraid of things like bees or spiders but I do want her to understand that sometimes there are things we don't want to touch.

fruits of our labor

Well, almost.

WE MISSED STRAWBERRY PICKING SEASON!  A very short picking season combined with our crazy month of June means that we did not get to go and pick our own strawberries this year. We called the local farm that we like and they said they could put together an order for us TODAY but we had to come and pick it up this morning. We also didn't get to order nearly as much as we wanted.

 
But don't they look great? And they are SO sweet this year. Our jam amount will be seriously decreased because I can't keep my kids (read husband!) from eating them right out of the box.

Our labor IS finally starting to pay off in the garden. Sam, Avery and I spent some time last night when we got home and today examining our garden very closely. What fun it is to play I-Spy in the garden and have them trying to find all the flowers, bugs and veggies that are just starting to grow!  I am also teaching Sam how to gently lift up leaves and move branches so that they can find the hidden beans and tomatos. Look at what all we have found so far!

 
 
 
 
We are all so excited for when we can make a pizza covered in tomatos, pepper and basil from our own garden! I am also thinking that I need to get each girl a little basket with a handle on it for when they can start harvesting beans and tomatos.

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The Nitty Gritty!

How is your garden doing? If you have a recent garden post or garden photos I would love to check it out! Leave the link in the comments and I will hop around to them all sometime this weekend!!! 

And if you have any gardening with kids book suggestions I am interested in those too. I have read "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots" but would love to get my hands on something that is actually designed for young kids to read. Suggest away!

Day 343: announcing the green gift

So the girls and I have been on this journey for ALMOST a full year.

Almost.

But our one year anniversary is coming up soon and I am already thinking about how we will celebrate.

One thing that I knew I wanted to do was to thank all of you that have been with me from the beginning, those that have joined along the way and all the amazing people that have helped spread the word, offered advice or helped me out with this crazy project.

Which brings us to THE GIFT.  One of you, my awesome readers, will be getting all of the fun gear we have made and bought over the last year.

Things like the traveling toy, the homemade guessing game, the flower matching game, a set of lacing tree blocks and much more. I have added a link on my pages on the sidebar for THE GIFT. I will post everything that will be included in THE GIFT over there.

Would you like that awesome box to come to your house? Super easy, just head over the to the page on the sidebar and leave a comment. That is it. No need to promote it, spread the word or comment everyday. Just comment once. Then on Day 365 I will pick one of my amazing readers to send the box to. I know not everyone will need these little kid toys but I thought for those that might have a little one at home they would make a really fun box for that little one to get in the mail!

And I may be adding more things to it over the last few weeks...maybe even a surprise or two for the green mamas out there. Be sure to check back to THE GIFT page!

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The Nitty Gritty!

My girls have had a great time with all these things. They love these toys and have learned a lot while playing with these. Avery would still get a lot of joy out of these toys but I can make them again. I will make a lot of them again. I just thought passing them along to someone else's home would be a really fun way to end the year. So, I hope you will will enter to recieve the box. Even if you don't need the toys maybe a little one in your life might like to see them under the Christmas tree or wrapped up for their birthday.

 

Day 321: rainy day homemade guessing game

Not much outside time happening here today with the on-off rain and cooler temperatures. We headed out to check on our newly planted flowers, tomato plants and pepper plants. The cold temps from last night and rain today hasn't hurt them. I think there really is something wrong with me because I am so worried and overprotective about these plants that I have been growing inside now for months. Just a tad obsessed...oh well.

Anyway, I had a game ready for Sam, Avery and I to play today.

 
 
Super simple idea. Just a variation on a game we have done before on day 131. I told the girl's to stick their hand in a bag. Then they had to pick out the picture of the item that they felt. Super simple. In fact, it was too simple for Sam. She had a good time with it but was done very quickly and wanted more to try. I hadn't made enough of them for her! It was a bit over Avery's head but she really enjoyed sticking her hands in the bag and feeling the objects, then pulling it out to show us what it was. I think this is one that could grow with Avery. And maybe if I get around to it I will make a bunch more of these!

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The Nitty Gritty!

I made the picture cards the same way I made the picture scavenger hunt cards on day 314.

I think this could be a great activity for in a preschool classroom. You could have enough cards of each item so that every kid could pick a card. After they feel the item they pick the card they think matches without showing anyone else. Then when everyone has picked a card everyone reveals to see if they all match. You could pair this with activities dealing with the other senses as well.

Getting kids to know how to really use their senses is the first step to getting them to be excellent observers!

Day 314: picture scavenger hunt

How well does your toddler or preschooler know their natural surroundings? How well do they know the plants, flowers, rocks and trees in their own yard? As our youth loses more and more of their free outdoor play time they are also losing their sense of place, their connection to their own backyard.

Even though we spend a ton of our time outside in our own yard I will still curious how well Sam would recognize or be able to find certain features. So, I developed a test for her, disguising it as a game.

She had a blast with it! It did take her more than one walk around the house to be able to find them, but in the end she got them all. 

We had a blast finding all the features of our yard and I am wishing I would have made more cards!

Super simple to make - take pictures of different things around your yard, print the pictures, cut them out and laminate them. I didn't want to pay for lamination and am just too lazy to go across town to the copy center so I used packing tape!

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The Nitty Gritty!

With older kids I would have much less background in the picture so that they had to find a specific item and could not use the surrounding clues. It would also be interesting to take out of season pictures (like pictures from spring/summer) and test them on where those items are in another season (say in the fall/winter).

For younger kids (Sam is three and had no trouble with this activity) I would do just the opposite. Focus on bigger features of your yard and include some background clues.

A sad thing happened to Sam today. While we were out running around the yard to find all of the pictures she suddenly stopped and screamed "my sculpture!". You may remember the backyard sculpting that Sam had been doing.

Well, the sculpture is gone! The neighbors thought they were cleaning up, I guess. But their mess was Sam's art and she was devastated. She actually cried. I tried to get excited about the idea of building a new one but she walked away and said "no thanks mom". It broke my heart. Hoping we can make another one and let the neighbors know about it so they don't clean it up.

Day 310: native plants

We have been working hard on one side of our house this year, I showed it off the other day when I talked about our erosion problems. But what you can't see in the photos are the plants that we have in that area.

 
Tthe good plants that you can't see - lots of native ferns, a big bleeding heart plant (just popping up at the far left), several trilium plants and lots of hostas. But you also can't see the bad plants - the HUGE hostas, a half dead holly bush and lots of unidentified weed-type annuals that I can't seem to get rid of. I have a love hate relationship with the hostas. They are big, hold back lots of soil and fill the space beautifully. But the area and the landscaping just scream woodsy, native plants to me which hostas are not. SO, I have been trying to introduce more WI native plants.

Which (FINALLY) leads me to what we did today. We hit up the UW-Arboretum Native Plant sale. This is  a huge event (which we did not really know before we got there!) and a great way to stock up on local plants.
 
Every plant had these great signs that were big and described the plant which made it very easy to see the plants around the crowd and know if it would work or not.

 
So here is everything that I got to help fill in the area around our dry creek bed! It is currently 10:49pm after a date night with my husband and quite frankly I cannot remember what all those plants are called (HA!) but I do know there are two may apples, two trilliums and three other plants that Sam helped me pick out, I will have to tell you what those are tomorrow!

We haven't gotten them all planted yet, I am hoping tomorrow will be our BIG planting day as I think it will also be time for us to get some serious plants in our garden too. Frost mornings are hopefully a thing of our past.

The view and grounds that we were on at the native plant sale were not bad either!

 
We had a great time and I cannot wait to see what our side yard will look like in a few years when all these plants take root and start to spread!

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The Nitty Gritty!

First I want to share my little soap box about native plants - if you are having landscaping issues or are making changes to your yard I would STRONGLY encourage you to seek out NATIVE plants which means the plants that have ALWAYS been there. The plants that are there in the middle of the woods or fields where humans are not. These are plants that will thrive, spread and look amazing no matter what you do.  Yes there are wildflower seed sets and fun growing kits at every store and great looking plants at every big box store in town but those are not necessarily the plants that are best for your yard, your soil type, your climate, etc. and may not last more than a season or a year or two. The may require a ton more water than what your area is use to getting or may not a lot of additional fertilizer because you don't have the right type of soil. These requirements of non-native plants are not very eco-friendly. Plus, you never know what kind of invasive, new species you might be introducing to your area. Okay, off my soap box now!

"Stomp the Tail" - This is totally unrelated but I wanted to share it anyway because I thought it was so cute! I had a 5 year old's birthday party today that I worked. The theme was just basic; animals. I did an inside program where we examined lots of animal mounts, discussed differences and similarities and then we headed outside to look for signs of animals. When the party was over and the kids were just waiting for parents to pick them up, the mom handed each child a long piece of crate-paper. Each child tucked the streamer into the back of their pants to create a tail. Then, confined to a small area, they were told to try and "stomp" the tail off of the other kids. It was hilarious to see the little kids chasing each other around trying to stomp on the flying tails. They had a blast!

I can see this game being a great active piece to a lesson on animal adaptations. What purpose do animal tail's serve? Why are they different? What special traits do they have? Etc. Could be a really fun way to compare animals!

 

 

Day 284: learning and matching flowers

The flowers around here are just starting to bloom. The natives are quite a ways from popping up but some of the garden favorites are up and looking beautiful.

Which made me realize that I hadn't really talked with Sam at all about flowers. I know that our walks and bike rides will quickly become all about spotting and talking about flowers so I wanted to create an activity to that would help to start that conversation.

So I created this flower matching puzzle game! I found pictures of some common garden flowers and some common native flowers that I know we will see in our yard and on local hikes on the internet and printed them out.

 
Then I glued the pictures on to some paperboard (old cracker and cereal boxes). I wrapped tape around the edges to help hold the the pictures together.

 

 
Then I cut the pictures into two pieces, using different shapes/patterns for each picture, to make them into minature puzzles.

I wanted Sam to have to match up the flowers and then put together the puzzle. I probably could have cut them into smaller pieces (which I still might do) but I wanted to start with just two pieces.

As she was working to put together the pieces I talked to her about what the flower was and where we would find them this spring and summer. It was neat to see her excited about the ones that we were growing and would have in our yard.

We also used the flower cards today as a "hide-and-seek" kind of game. I hid one side of each flower and then she had to find the matches and put them together. Just made the same activity a bit more active for her.

She had a lot of fun with these little card/puzzles and they were super easy to make!

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The Nitty Gritty!

Additional concepts and extensions on this activity -

• easy to discuss and work on colors
• can count different colors or types of flowers
• petals can be counted
• flowers can be catagorized by color, number of petals, where they will be found
• bigger pictures can be used and cut into smaller pieces for more difficult puzzles
• if laminated they could be used for a hiding type game outside
• if you have an older child you could put the name of the flower on one side of the puzzle and the picture on the other, of facts about the flower on one side and the picture on the other
• these could be made with pictures of trees, leaves, animals, butterflies, fish, almost anything!
• lots of ways to add and change this up....any more ideas you can think of?

Adapting this idea from the snowflake match game that Sam loved so much at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center's Wonder Bugs program.