Greening Sam and Avery

Day 244: march challenge - get involved

I am not going to talk politics. Nope. Not going to do it.

BUT the situation that is going on in my state right now has prompted the theme of this month's challenge. GET INVOLVED! One thing that I hope to teach my girls as they grow up that being a good environmental citizen means being a part of the solution. Giving back. Volunteering. Voting. Supporting environmental cuases. Standing up for what we believe in. This could mean getting involved at your child's school to help them establish a recycling program or composting program. Helping your community create a community garden. Taking your kids on a liter walk. Giving money or time to your local conservation organization. Or educate yourself on the environmental situation in your state. There are LOTS of ways to get yourself and your kids involved. But it is impossible to raise responsible environmental citizens without getting involved in some way.

And if you are in WI I am going to help you out and make it SUPER easy!

You're Invited!

WAEE is hosting a 2nd annual Lobby Day Breakfast at the
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters (WLCV) Lobby Day on
Wednesday March 16th!

Come discover how EE is part of the WLCV’s priorities and how you can support Wisconsin's Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights.

The entire event, including breakfast, is free.

Please plan to join us from 9-10am in Madison on March 16th at the Monona Terrace - Room M/Q.

Continental breakfast will be provided, plus time for networking and the opportunity to learn about the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights and how you can get involved. After breakfast, join WLCV's schedule of events.

Now is a great time for you to get involved: the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights is a non-budgetary resolution and may be just what legislators are looking for to stand behind (rather than the politically charged "budget repair" bill). However, in order to be heard above the current turmoil and get legislators' support, it's critical the EE community speaks up to say "EE in our state is important". March 16th is the only organized Lobby Day for this issue during the current legislative session, so come! Have breakfast, learn about advocacy, show your support, get involved and have fun!
Registration ends March 9th so, act now to sign up for this exciting EE opportunity!

To sign up for this special WAEE event, contact Betsy Parker at betsyjmp@gmail.com or (608) 209-2909.
To learn more about WLCV’s Lobby Day and sign up, visit: ConservationVoters.org

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The Nitty Gritty!

If you are not in WI there are still a ton of ways that you can get involved in your own state. But I want you to get creative and let me know how you help the environment, environmental education or education in your area. Join the challenege by commenting, emailing of posting on the Greening Sam and Avery Facebook page. Throughout the month I will be sharing other ways to get involved and linking to people that send me their ways of getting involved. So join in and get some link love!

WI friends and bloggers - please help spread the word and re-post the above invitation, share on Facebook or tweet! We really need to get BIG numbers to show up at the Lobby Day.

Day 220: winter fun recap

We did some more digging out today. Only about two inches fell this morning but it was enough that shoveling was required. I hate those small amounts the most probably because they aren't enough to pull out the snow blower but enough that we can't leave it lie on the sidewalks.

Sam "helped" with the shoveling. Discoverd some big icicles that were dripping and played on the "mountains".

But today's post is more about a look back at what we did last month as a part of the January Monthly Challenge and what you all did to participate!

So here goes with the list and lots of links!

Frozen Bubbles - idea for this came from here via twitter, Welcome to Our Wonderland and here via a comment.

Painting the Snow - idea for this came from here via twitter and Child Central Station.

Exploring a frozen lake 

Winter Bike Riding

Snow Flake Matching Game

Ice Sculptures

Animal Tracks - done here, and track mysteries, and more tracking here and here

Feeding the birds - done here, and well most days!

Indoor snow - done here and here by us and at the Little Learner Lounge and Random Stuff too.

Track Makers - which were done much better over here!

Sledding

Skiing

Sure you all have had a lot of other great winter fun ideas! Would love to hear more about what you all have been up to. Leave a comment with a link so we can all check out your FAVORITE winter idea so far!

We are still deep in winter so I can use all the ideas that you have to keep me motivated to enjoy the cold or ways to incorporate cold/winter themes with our indoor play.

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The Nitty Gritty!

Nothing else for you today. Off to eat and enjoy the superbowl!!  Happy Superbowl Sunday.

Day 217: we tunneled

I can hang onto an idea for a long time before I find a time/place (and motivation!) to put it into action. Anyone else like that?

Anyway, quite a while ago Angela posted these great photos of the tunnels her kiddos had made. I loved the idea and it looked like so much fun. But until today I had never had the right pile of snow (or motivation!) to make it happen.

Today we dug a tunnel! A BIG tunnel. Okay, not that big because Chris couldn't fit in it but I could squeeze through and the girls loved it. Sam got to help me dig it out, Avery was napping. I cannot even describe in words her excitement and sheer delight when she was on one side of the tunnel with me on the other and we broke through the snow and could see each other. It was an AWESOME moment.

Once Chris got home the temperatures had dropped quite a bit so we didn't stay out too long, so I didn't get that many pictures but here are a few.

So, I got motivated. And it was a blast.

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The Nitty Gritty!

Did you see the February Challenge that I posted? Probably not. It's okay, I am awful at advertising this silly "meme" that I try to do on here (I think I can call it a meme although I am not technically sure of the definition). But I am hoping that there might be someone out there that can help me with that! I am wondering if there is someone that might be able to "help me" create a button for the monthly challenges. I want something very visible that will make it easy for people to see the challenge, find the original post in order to comment and participate and jump in at any point of the month even though I don't mention it everyday (most days!). Anyone willing to help me? 

Day 216: snow and the challenge

So if you live in the midwest or watched the news at all today you know what we did today. For almost four hours throughout the day we dug out our house, driveway, sidewalk and deck. My back is sore!

But it was a great snow day!

So in the midst of all the snow pictures I wanted to fill you all in on the February Monthly Challenge.

February is a hard month for me because it is still bitterly cold up here but I am SO done with winter. I find that I start to get into a homebound kind of slump. I don't want to leave, I don't want to do anything and I just don't want to face the cold anymore. SO this month I am challenging us all to get out of the house.

Last month we did pretty good at getting outside to play in the snow. I am not up for that anymore! Ha, just kidding. But this month I want to focus on the cool places that we can go in winter. What kind of field trips do you do in winter? The zoo? Museums? Nature centers? What does a quarry look like in winter (can you even go?)? Been to a rock shop lately? Ideas people! I need lots of ideas that are awesome so that I can get motivated to find new field trips to force us out of the house.

So please share where you go with your kids to learn, have fun and be out of the house in winter. Are they nature or green related? Of course those are the ones I am most interested in, but feel free to share ANY ideas with me. 

As always to participate in a monthly challenge (and get LOTS of link love throughout the month) all you have to do is share your idea in a comment, email me, use the hashtag #fieldtrip on twitter or post ideas to the facebook page! Lots of ways to participate. And if you feel like blogging about the challenge and the way you participated in it that will mean even more link love!

Okay, that is it for today. I am spent!

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The Nitty Gritty!

I am using the nitty tonight to ask you all for some parenting advice. I normally keep this kind of thing for my personal blog but I need all the help I can get so I am looking for advice from all of you too.

I have a biter. Avery is starting to bite, a lot. What do I do? She is a year old. How do I discipline her, teach her or discourage her from biting her sister? Anyone ever had a biter before? How did you get them to stop? Would love any help you can offer.

Day 212: a bit of inspiration

I am writing this post as I sit in a rustic lodge style dining hall over looking thousands of acres of WI woods and an incredible bird feeding station that is attracting more birds to one spot than you can even imagine!

I am in paradise!

I just finished up the keynote speaker and am taking a break to do a bit of blogging then I will head to more sessions on sustainable education, winter outdoor fun for kids and sustainable gardening! And some skiing will be thrown in there too.  

Being away from my kids is always a sacrifice but one that I am willing to make this weekend in the name of environmental education! hehehe (Hope Chris and the kids are surviving!)

Anyway, on to the point of today's post.

My girls are in the hands of their dad today and tomorrow. They will be playing in the snow, seeing friends, reading great books and lots more I am sure but none of which is very interesting, earth shattering or inspiring SO I thought I would instead share some resources and links. 

Here we go...

I am addicted to "The Kids Guide to Nature Activities" by Joe Rhatigan right now. Written for kids it is pretty simple but still SO informative. They do include some organized and outlined activities in there that I am excited about. For example there is a "follow the leader" activity in there that I have never seen before. It shows pictures of symbols that you make on a trail using rocks and sticks to guide the people behind you on a hike or treasure hunt. I don't have a scanner or I would share the symbols on here but they are super simple and if you copied the pages of the book to give to the participants this would be a super fun game to play out in the woods with kids.

Another hike idea that they have is the "no-moving-until-you've-spotted-something-alive-and-moving hike". That just sounds fabulous! You literally stand in one spot and cannot move until you spot something that is moving (plants don't count) and then you can hike again. You can pre-determine how far you will go until you are required to stop and find something else that is moving. I think this would be such a great way to get kids to focus on the little things on a hike and really notice all the wildlife around them.

 

Some other ideas in the book to entice you to check it out:

• how to make a homemade backpack out of a pair of old jeans!
• the whatever-you-find-in-the-kitchen-cabinet snack mix "recipe"
• instructions on how to make your own sleeping bag
• camping checklists for kids
• simple animal calls
• bug traps for catching and observing bugs
• the whole chapter on explore the shore!
• dendrochronology - I know you are curious what that is!!
• and much more!

But not much in this book about winter. And since I know most of us are still dealing with snow, cold and ice I wanted to be sure to share some links for great winter activities.

I don't usually share links or activities that I haven't tested out first because I like to be able to say that the activities work and give some feedback. SO if you try out any of these activities please let me know how they went, a link if you blog about it or share your thoughts with us through the January Monthly Challenge (which will be ending soon and I will compile all the shared ideas into one BIG post!).

This first one is just a super simple list of all the possible things you can do in winter! Most of them I knew but seeing them all in one spot really amazed me at how many cold weather options there really are. Winter Activities - List of 50

This one is a link of links! A giant list of resources for parents, teachers and anyone else that might need crafts, activities, games, printables, etc. for winter fun.

This one is not so much for activities or ideas, it has some really great safety reminders and tips about camping in the winter. There were quite a few that I needed to be reminded of and a couple that were new to me. If you have done or are planning on doing some winter camping I would check this out.

Winter Camping Safety Tips and Tricks  - Boy Scouts of America

And I want to re-share (since I have posted them before) two of my favorite places to get winter fun ideas. Go here or here for some great mom/kid/teacher tested and approved winter fun ideas.

Okay, I can't waste this whole amazing conference on my computer! Gotta go. Be back tomorrow with more to share.

Day 189: settling back in

A whole day of travel is easy on no one. Coming home to a house that you have not spent more than 12 hours at in over two weeks is overwhelming and exhausting! 

Needless to say today was pretty low-key. Getting back into the routine, doing laundry, unpacking and re-establishing normal life. But look what happened while we were away! Not sure who attacked our bird feeding station but it is a MESS!

 
Pieces on the ground, hooks missing, board warped...just a hot mess all around! Rats.

However, it has clearly been a HUGE hit because the amount of tracks and bird activity has been crazy.

 
So we restocked the feeding station and then enjoyed some great birding today.

But what is up with this?

 
Where did all the snow go? I wrote that January Challenge post expecting to come home to FEET of snow and we don't even have inches! But I know that more snow will be coming so please visit the challenge post and send your ideas my way. I have nieces and a nephew coming soon and I would love to have some great winter activities to do with them so they can see what snow and winter is really all about (they live in St. Louis where snow doesn't stick around for very long...unlike here...wait...)

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The Nitty Gritty!

The ideas for the Winter Fun January Challenge all already coming! YEAH! I commented on the post with one idea already; if you didn't see it I got the idea of spraying snow with colored water from HouseHoldSix. Check her out at http://confessionsfromhh6.com/ 

Child Central Station did this too and used kool aid to make the colored water so that it would smell good too. Thought that was genius! Check it out here.

And BlogFrog has not let me down either! Got the idea of doing frozen bubbles from a fellow blogfrogger! Check out her post here.

So be sure to check out the BlogFrog discussion and #winterfun on twitter, or comment on the January Challenge post to be a part of the conversation and get some link love!

Day 188: january monthly challenge, needing motivation

We are headed back to WI today. I am not looking forward to the day of travel BUT getting home will be very nice. Except for the weather. I know I am headed home to LOTS of snow, frozen temperatures and the end of winter not even remotely on the horizon. All those thoughts are leading me to all of you!

The January Monthly Challenge (just five days later than normal!) is all about winter. How do you enjoy winter where you live? What do you do with your kids to get out in the cold? What is your kid's favorite snow activity? Have you tried a new winter sport lately? I am looking for new ideas, advice, stories, PICTURES and anything else that can get me excited and keep me motivated to get my girls outside this month.

As always these monthly challenges are meant to stretch your comfort zone so PLEASE try something new with your kiddos and let me know how it goes! Get an idea from someone else, test it out and report back. Let's all help to keep each other active and outside this month. If you live in a place that is warm right now feel free to join in but we all might hate you! Just kidding!

So, how do you participate? As always I am all about sharing so if you leave me a comment or email me with an idea or a link to a post I will probably share it with everyone else in a post. And just like last month you can join the conversation on BlogFrog or use the twitter hashtag #winterfun to see what people are talking about on twitter.

Let's share ideas and keep everybody motivated to get outside this month and for the rest of winter! Can't wait to see what ideas you all have.

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The Nitty Gritty!

In just a few hours we start the very long travel day. So not excited about it. Especially because Avery turns ONE today! What a way for her to spend her birthday right? I am doing a personal birthday post to her over at the Enlund blog. Feel free to jump over and read about my little girl.

Day 176: how green are you being

The Holiday is upon us! So how green have you been or are you planning on being?

Did you decorate with LED lights? Solar?

Did you use light timers on your decorations?

Did you make your own gifts or buy handmade or buy local?

When purchasing gifts did you choose to support green companies?

Are you avoiding wrapping paper or using recyclable paper?

Did you use homegrown food or buy local?

Are you carpooling to parties or events?

At parties are you using REAL dishes? Cloth napkins? Rags/dishtowels instead of paper towels?

And what about after all the celebrating is over....

Are you recycling all that wrapping paper and packaging from toys?

Are you using rechargeable batteries for the toys? Or recycling batteries when they are done?

Are you recycling your Christmas tree or reusing it next year (if it's fake!)?

Are you saving boxes, ribbons and bows to use again? Wrapping paper!?

Are you saving the leftovers for future meals (there are whole cookbooks on how to reuse the holiday basics)?

Hoping each of you can claim AT LEAST FIVE of the things on my list!

And what else have I missed?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Monthly Challenge - December

So last month we focused on hiking and getting outside a ton before the temperatures got too cold.  As a family we got out as much as we could and saw some pretty great spots.  Of course I am hoping to do more this month but with my daughter's new found aversion to the cold not sure how intense those hikes will be!! 

Thanks to everyone that commented on this challenge last month and participated!

If you need some great tips on how to hike with toddlers check out my guest post here.

This month is obviously ALL about the Holidays.  So I am hoping we can start a great conversation about how to green the holidays.  How do you celebrate with all the trimmings but still tread lightly on the earth?  Are their things that you do to get your kids involved in being green during the holidays?  We can all get better at being green this time of year by sharing our traditions, crafts, tips and tricks! 

I am trying something new this month.  So, if you want to be a part of this conversation, get a post, comment or idea featured  you have three options!  Simply leave a comment on this post (or any other post this month where I mention the challenge), join the Twitter conversation by using the #greenholiday hashtag or if you are on Blog Frog you can go here.

All month I will be stalking these conversations and sharing any ideas that get posted that mention the monthly challenge. So if you post about a green tradition on your blog be sure to join the conversation somewhere so we can all see the great ideas!  Let's share our wisdom and help everyone be more green at Christmas.

Day 131: what do you feel

Is my blog taking forever to load for anyone else?  Hoping it is just my computer.  But if you are reading this PLEASE leave a comment and let me know if you have any trouble loading my blog.  I have limited the number of posts on the main page but that doesn't seem to be helping on my computer.  Any other bloggers have suggestions?

On to today's activity ---

It's a classic but always a favorite. Sam would have played this at the park today for hours with the same items but eventually I got bored!

Super simple - I used some cloth bags that I have from another game.  One bag held a bunch of natural items and the other was for Sam to put her hand in.  I would put one item in the second bag at a time. Then Sam would would close her eyes and put her hand in.  She was tempted to immediately pull the item out so I would lightly hold her arm and the bag together making it so she had to keep her hand inside.  Then I would ask her about what she was feeling. Simple comparison questions were the easiest for her; is it hard or soft? is it big or little? 

I included several items that I knew she would get right away (leaf, stick, pine cone), a few that I knew she had seen and held before but might struggle with (acorn, acorn cap) and then one item she has never seen before (dried and hardened shelf mushroom).  I wanted it to be neat for her to experience something new and not have everything be completely familiar.

Like I said Sam would have played this forever. And we even got Avery to put her hand in a few times and pull something out! Sam thought this was hilarious.

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The Nitty Gritty!

I did this activity with a bunch more items in a fifth grade classroom back in college.  The students sat in a circle and each took turns putting their hand in the bag.  After they had felt the item for a few seconds they had to write down descriptive words for what they had felt.  They loved this activity. 

This is a simple activity but there are so many ways to change it up slightly and adjust it for different age groups. For older kids (even adults) I have used more complicated things like bones, shells and fur/feathers and asked for specific identifications (close guesses!) for what the item is.

Just get creative and stretch your imagination and this activity can keep anyone entertained!

If you need some inspiration for getting involved with the November Monthly Challenge you must check out Earth Mama.  She has her kids out hiking constantly.  They are outside all the time.  I hope my family will be just as involved in the outdoors as hers is someday.  And love it the way her kids seem to.

She stopped by my little corner of blogworld yesterday and left me a comment! This was HUGE for me, so I need to make sure that everyone sees it!

"That is so funny, because I was hiking with my kids today too and was in the same boat...lots of encouragement despite the whining. We all made it out with smiles on our faces. Life sometimes can be a struggle and teaching our children to relax and work through it can be so wonderful!"

SO get out and hike! And then let me know how it went!!