All Blog Posts (780)

"Songs for Junior Rangers" is a 20 song CD that was recently released by the National Park Service to help connect families to the parks through music. It covers a variety of topics from sea turtles to the Tuskegee Airmen in a diversity of music styles from hip hop to a polka to jazz, blues and more.  Most of…

Just in! Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. He predicted an early spring on Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day, February 2, has basically everything going for it that I love in a holiday -- It marks a…

http://www.outskirtspress.com/bubsthebumblebeeandthespidersweb

blog:lorejayg.blogspot.com

http://www.Theprairiegarden.ca/2011.html/The Weird and Clever World of Carnivorous Plants by Joyce Graham…

I just placed an order for 100 trees and shrubs. Keep in mind that I don't live out in the country, not even on a small acreage. I think 100 trees might be a bit much for my family's quarter-acre property, and we're not planning to surround our house with a forest.

Why, then, would I order so many? To start…

Explorers Bird Song

As part of our ongoing Project FeederWatch unit, our class has been learning about the birds we observe at our feeders.   These kids are amazing!  They come into class every day excited to share stories about the birds they have seen at home -- they love to report that they are able to identify birds for their parents and are…

Animal Tracks & the Prospect Heights Trail

We hit the Prospect Heights Trail, on the upper hillside, yesterday morning in search of animal tracks, our theme for the Trek. We found a lot of…

Do you work with middle and high school youth?  Do you have teamwork and collaboration skill outcomes for your programs?  



If so, we'd love your input into some new tools we are developing!



The Science Museum of Minnesota and University of Minnesota are working to develop surveys for program staff and evaluators to measure teamwork and collaboration skills in science and nature out-of school time programs. We are in the planning stage of developing these survey tools.  We…

I run an ecotherapy center in Brooksville, Florida.  We have many different kinds of animals on our 10 acres.  Most of our animals all get along with each other, but not on this day....



So two of our male geese, big white Chinese cresteds, attacked and tore apart a small black chicken yesterday while my husband David watched, aghast. Aside from the racial implications, the sociological problem of geese, ducks, and chickens living together was in our face. Again. A year ago, we had…

We should all be worried about the gaping psychological chasm separating humanity from nature. Indeed a strong argument can be made that bridging this divide deserves to be ranked amongst the most urgent 21^st Century priorities. Yet so far the human-nature divide hasn’t even made it to our cultural to-do list.

For the past several decades, numerous scientists and environmentalists have been telling us that we must change our ways and strike a balance with nature, or face…

Building the Foundation for a Love of Learning.

It is very exciting time at Building Blocks Preschool.  We just rolled out our new website and sharing our story.  We have been sharing our story but not getting our…

Little Out Trippers

Welcome to Little Out Trippers - a Guelph, Ontario based company.

Planning a trip to Ontario? Discover our natural surroundings with a day trip introducing young children to adventure out tripping. Kids, bring your parents or caregivers to join in the fun. Food provided and guaranteed a good time, trips go out in all forms of reasonable weather.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. – Helen Keller

Being Green.  Thinking Green.  Outdoor Green.  Garden Green.…

I am the founder and Executive Director of the Building Blocks Preschool. We are a year-round Nature based and Reggio Inspired preschool.

In 2004 my husband Joseph and I decided to invest in our children’s early childhood education and in the Huron Valley Community. Our school resides in a 100 year old farmhouse that backs up to over 5,000 acres Highland Recreation Area ( A State of MI Department of Natural Resources).

Our school believes it is critical that children have the…

http://www.dahndesign.com/2012/12/20/the-edge-of-the-world/

We humans have a rather bizarre relationship with nature. We seek out nature to stroll, run, bike, rollerblade, climb, swim, skydive, surf, sail, commune, birdwatch, whalewatch, and stargaze, spending billions of dollars a year gearing up for and traveling to these activities. While there, we collect bugs, rocks, driftwood, fossils, counts of bird species, or, most commonly these days, photographs. Closer to home, we grow nature in our gardens, place it in pots that adorn our living spaces,…

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, how can we expect to create innovative new learning environments for our students and prepare them to be meaningful contributors to the 21st century when they are locked in their schools with armed guards standing watch at the doors? How can this possibly be conducive to learning and creative thought? This is America – leader of the free world – and our children deserve better. We need to find a way to make it so.

First and foremost,…

Just before Christmas, Aurora's Brownie Troop made coupons as Christmas gifts for their mothers and fathers. The coupons read:

• This coupon entitles you to 1 big hug.
• This coupon entitles you to 1 set table: knives, forks, spoons, napkins and even beverages.
• This coupon entitles you to the last cookie, serving of ice cream, bit of chocolate milk,…

Arriving at our backyard “sit spot,” Jade and I didn’t have to wait long before the familiar chickadee duo appeared in a nearby thicket and began chirping happily. A male robin patrolling his territory wasn’t far behind, his pulsing crimson breast pumping out a gorgeous melody. Next to emerge, seemingly out of thin air, was a pair of song sparrows, who began a staccato of “seep-seep” calls. “I’m here.” “Yes, I’m here too.”

Suddenly, like a lighting strike, the calm morning…

Once upon a time, harming a butterfly was a punishable crime. Hundreds of years ago, the Irish believed butterflies carried souls to heaven and interference was illegal. Ancient cultures worldwide have all cherished butterflies. Each butterfly lays it's eggs on a particular plant: Sulfurs choose Cassia.

It's impossible to count the different species of Sulfur butterflies. They fly in endless shades of white, yellow and orange. It's the result of massive hybridization; a unique feature…

Twas the night before Christmas, All the animals stood

In the crisp peaceful silence, Of their home in the wood.

The trees towered in might, Their branches did clatter,

As the squirrels come out, Of their nests, pitter patter.

The deer came together, they met, they communed

And from beyond the hilltop, rose the…