It’s the second week of our Spring Break. Even though the kids are on holiday, like so many mums, I still have to juggle work – illustrations to be completed, orders to be dispatched, a laundry pile to be tackled, emails to be sent and phone calls to be made.

As I sat in front of my computer replying to emails, Sam appeared, his face beaming with excitement. “Check out this squirrel mum, it came right up to me while I was on the deck”.

The…

It looks like SW has finished laying eggs - we hope that all 4 will hatch.  Incubation usually lasts 33 to 35 days from the date the last egg, or the second last, was laid. As you monitor the FalconCam during incubation, you will almost always see a parent covering the precious eggs, and you will see a lot of pictures that look like this:…

Turn off the screens—the television, the computer, the video games. Take time from work, from chores, from the day-to-day tasks that keep us busy. Adults and children, take it outside. Every couple of weeks I will challenge you to see and hear new things—to hunt the woods for wildflowers, to find shapes in nature, to sit by the waterside and listen for unique sounds. So much to experience out in the world!

This week’s challenge: Just…

I found it this year, the farewell season.  Fumbling toward spring I happened upon it. The moment…the moment where we turn our face from winter. Hunched and pinched, we turn, we straighten.  We notice light, growth and in the past, I have run to spring. Spring with her open, crocus filled arms teaming with new life.  Here, we drag ourselves across the winter finish line,…

Blogger's Note:

Richard Louv recently wrote in a post:

THE REALITY OF NATURE IN DIFFICULT TIMES

. . ."In a virtual world where information overload is more accurately described as information underload, a little raw authenticity and…

There are 4 eggs in the nestbox.

SW usually has 4 eggs, and most peregrines have…

For the past couple of days, my younger son and I have been trying to cure our nature-deficit disorder. Right now, I’m sitting in bed in a Bishop, California motel that, well, isn’t the Ritz. Matthew, who is 23, is still asleep, and deeply. A few hours ago we staggered across the clumped grass and mud along the Owens River, struggled to keep our balance as 40 mph gusts tangled our…

I'm very excited about an innovative project created by Parks Canada and Discovery World to recognize the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada. The National Parks Project sent 39 Canadian musicians and 13 filmmakers into 13 national parks to discover their incredible beauty and to celebrate it through film and music. I missed the first part, airing on DiscoveryWorld last night at 8 pm ET but hoping to catch the next episode, and happy that it's available online: …

Blogger’s Note:  This entry was inspired by the preposterous, though serious notion we (as humans) had "evolved" ourselves away from needing a Plantaris Muscle.  The plantaris muscle is used by animals in gripping and manipulating objects with their feet –…

As dawn was breaking this morning, SW flew into the nestbox and laid her first egg. Congratulations, SW and Boomer!

SW usually has 4 eggs, and most peregrines have three or four eggs.  Some young females may produce less and some females may have five or even seven eggs, but it seems to be difficult for most peregrine parents to keep up with feeding more than 4…

Today is the official launch of our newest exciting venture: Hike A Lot, LLC!

Alice and I have fired up this new non-profit company to help encourage as many people as possible to get outdoors.  From the Hike A Lot site, we will feature video and text reviews of products that help make the outdoors more enjoyable and comfortable to families.  Aside from product reviews,…

Are GPS devices making us overly dependent on technology at the expense of learning about and orienting within our surroundings? Studies say they are. They also may be partially responsible for Nature Disconnect around the developing world.

There are positive aspects to GPS and other positioning devices. They have created a surge of popularity…

This nesting season falcon fans have been worried about challenges to Boomer and SW for their nest.  Here is SW’s new mate, Boomer.

SW’s mate from last year, Ranger, was in rehabilitation for many months after suffering serious head injuries and was finally released after his recovery in January.  There is always the worry that Ranger will try to retake his…

Currently I am looking for information regarding the newly implemented Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program in Ontario and getting kids outside in nature.

I am developing my thesis and wondering what is happening in Canada.  Contacts have directed me toward many international resources but I am curious about Canada.

The TDSB TOES programs are in the early stages of developing kindergarten outdoor education programs and I have looked at Montessori and Equinox (previously…

As most of us are well aware, virtuality already deprives many children of time spent in the 3-dimensional, natural world.  But is there danger in 3D?

Does mediated, 3D exposure alter the area in a child's developing brain responsible for processing 3D images as well?

One major problem is caused by the way movie 3D images trick our visual…