spring is springing

Depending on where you live the weather is getting warmer and spring is spring around you. a great way to teach your kids about nature (and food which we will talk about in June) is to start a garden! Who doesn't love to play in the dirt? Ok well some kids don't but my DD (dear daughter) is a tactile person and if she could play in dirt and water all day she would be one happy kid. weather you have a windowsill or a huge back yard you can plant something. you can sprout seeds and put them in the dirt and water them and watch them grow and if they are food eat them in the end. herbs are good for this because most of them seem to be pretty hardy.

table top herb garden
(great to do with a moms group or group of people so you can share the seeds)
you will need a a few herb seeds say 3 different kinds
an cardboard type egg carton
dirt
some rocks or gravel
a clear glass wide but not to tall vase such as this one from target
http://www.target.com/Glass-Hurricane-Vase-8-2/dp/B0026RMDOQ/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton

to make
put rocks in bottom of the vase
put dirt on top of that
put some of the dirt in the egg cartons.
put a few seeds in each dirt filled egg carton. Cut those ones out and place them on top of the dirt in the vase. Water and make sure they are getting good light

as time goes buy your seeds will sprout. you can talk to the kids about thinning the seeds. Have your child or children pick which ones they think look strongest and take the selected ones and plant directly into the vase. you can continue to water and care for the plants per the instructions for that herb and you have a fun centerpiece that is educational and interactive to some extent.

more nature walks

As long as were talking about nature walks. The girl scout saying “girl scouts take only pictures and leave only footprints” comes to mind.

If you have a collector; figure out a way to make collections without removing things from the environment. You can pick up the leaves and rocks and sticks and look at them. How do they feel? Are they heavy? Rough, smooth, slick? Are they shinny? You get the point. Ask your child what do they like about the object. So Rose can’t always answer that but she will be able to some time. Older kids can draw in their journal about all the things they found or saw along their walk. Another fun way to collect is to take pictures. Either you take a picture of them holding the object or older kids can take their own photos.

nature walks

Its April

Its been forever since my last sharing with you but like they say you can start a diet in the middle of a bag of potato chips so you can restart your dreams any time

So April we stick the dominate theme of the month. Nature and Earth. As a human and a mother these two themes have a special place in my heart. What kind of earth will we leave our children? Their children? The health of our Earth is directly related to the health of our bodies.

So Rose and I will be doing several things this month and I will share them with you. The first is nature walks. Look at birds hear them sing. Talk about what you see and feel. How does the wind feel? How does the air smell? Bring a little bag with you or a backpack and pick up trash along the way. If you go out on a walk even 4 times this month and pick up a bag of trash each time that is a big step and it is teaching your little one the good values of being stewards of the earth as opposed to pillaging it for it’s resource.

That’s today’s tidbit, remember we are blessed to have our children lets enjoy them and celebrate our life with them.