January 2011 Blog Posts (23)

                                                                                                         America

your children are

not dead; they are

only sleeping.

Alleluia!

There is a poem

here somewhere

I know I am close

and it will be about

the unspeakable…

What is considered to be too cold for recess in Canada and the US differs from state to province. On our Facebook page, we had one mom reporting in Texas that kids are watching cartoons at their school when it is 15°C (59°F) outside because it is too cold. Then we have schools in Canada and the US that are outside when it –20°C (-4°F). …

Chat overheard near the Veterans Park Croquet area, Delray Beach, FL:

A wee girl flatly stated to her new student, "Be careful, sometimes I forget my sippy-cup on the grass."

The eldster student, securing his cup's lid, replied, "I've done that before."

The embolden girl whispered conspiratorially, "Also, I get sooo excited playing, I forget to go to the…

I recently completed a short web video as part of the City of San Diego Parks & Rec web series. It follows Families Adventures in Nature as they explore Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. In the process it demonstrates  the importance of reconnecting children to nature.

http://fieldnotes.com/csdprcn.html

When children and nature mix, something magical happens.

Watch the video..........

Sadly today, children spend 90% of their time indoors.

I am passionate about getting children outdoors and connecting with nature. I believe if we inspire a love for nature in a child, it will lead to a desire to protect it. First we have to give children the opportunity and freedom to go outside and explore, discover…

There are lists everywhere in our house.  Grocery lists, honey-do lists, the lists go on…  And this is where my husband and I found ourselves on New Year’s day, creating another list.  Not an exciting list, not a bucket list or list of our favorite things, as usual, this list consisted of chores and mundane must do’s.  All the “shoulds” lined up in a neat row waiting to be anointed with a holy “you are a good person” check mark.  So, I am sure you can imagine my relief when Matt Polstein…

My home province of Newfoundland and Labrador has so many natural gifts that for those of us living here, we tend to take them for granted.  Growing up near the ocean, and being the son of a fisherman, seeing icebergs was a near daily occurance. Over the years I've seen many different shapes and sizes, both up close and far away.   A cool thing is when icebergs 'founder' - when they flip over or break apart.  It tends to happen in seconds and shows the amazing power of when something so big…

Want to get kids acquainted with North American birds?  Look up my book "The Wonder of Wings". It has  color illustrations of 24 species, and a rhyming poem to go with each, plus a few other poems about birds.   I feel the rhymes will help kids remember facts they have read.

I also have a coffee table book of 256 nature photos (scenic landscapes, flowers, birds, insects, etc.) combined with captions that are either descriptive or imaginative, to enhance the impact of the photos.  This…

Spotted this in Sunday's NY Times, and it introduced a slew of questions for me!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/nyregion/16critic.html

Your thoughts?

Latest post at my blog: TheNatureSchool.net

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are, of course, in the midst of winter (you southern hemisphere folk will have to wait till July). What winter looks like varies greatly from latitude to latitude. What winter usually does usually have as a common thread is unpredictable weather. The northeastern United States is buried under mountains of snow that are atypical for that region at this time of year. US weather reporters have said that…

There are many state and local parks accessible - even within walking distance that you might not even know about. Sitting down with your children to explore your own local maps and destinations is a wonderful opportunity to talk about how our land is preserved and the wonderful ways you can engage with it.

Simple ideas like

• Unfolding a map - not via the computer but the experience of touching the paper and running your fingers along the places you can visit - is a…

We move to our new house this week and while clearing out his room, Samuel found a blank canvas. "Oh mum, can I do a splat painting for my new bedroom?"

"Of course you can Samuel" I said and gladly handed him my basket of paints.

He headed out to the back garden and lay his blank canvas on the snow.

Samuel was in his element.

He was completely and utterly free, wild and spirited…

The Dragonfly.  It is one of the largest insects you'll see around.  Most people avoid them for fear of their biting or stinging abilities. Still, their helicopter-like flight makes us pause in amazement when they hover over ponds or in our gardens. It's just that they look like they could do some damage. In Newfoundland we've dubbed them with names such as horse stinger and devil's darning needle - the latter more common in areas settled by the Irish.  My boyhood logic told me to avoid…

Dave and I have begun the trip home (using modes of transportation that are much faster than our …

This article was written by Maureen Hanzel when she and four other folks affiliated with Shedd Aquarium joined the North American Odyssey, canoeing on the Yukon River…

I work at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC), located in eastern Pennsylvania, near the Delaware River.  Our mission is to advance environmental awareness, knowledge, and appreciation through hands-on experience in a natural outdoor…

As the education coordinator for Volcan Mountain Foundation I would like to bring kids onto the mountain for a near-by nature program...the funny thing is...here we are in the country, yet we will have to bus the kids there; while in the City of San Diego you have your canyons near-by for many kids to walk to!

We are currently creating an education program as part of their science framework experience, by getting them up on the mountain to learn about their own back-yard. We have been…