Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Fall

Photo taken 20 October 2013

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book
by Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer

I recently came across this book in my local library. It's packed with fun activities to get kids outside exploring and enjoying nature.

From Indie bound:

"Nature is a destination, but you don’t have to travel anywhere to find it. Just open the door and step outside. A fun, hands on approach to getting involved in nature, The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book is a year-round how-to activity guidebook for getting kids outdoors and exploring nature, be it catching fireflies in the cool summer evenings; making birdfeeders in the fall from peanut butter, pine cones, and seed; building a snowman in 3 feet of fresh winter snow; or playing duck, duck, goose with friends in a meadow on a warm spring day."

The book includes checklists, challenges, projects, outdoor recipes and games. Organized by season, you can easily flip open to a random page a find something fun to do. It's a great addition to the many other books about sharing nature with childlren that I already highlighted on my Pinterest Board.

What other books would you recommend that focus on sharing nature with children?

Related posts:
Loose Parts Play
Author Interview: April Pulley Sayre
Nature Walks with Toddlers
Play Outside!

Moon Baths and Sea Turtles

Today features Guest blogger Kelly Kittel.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

~Native American Proverb

One of the 99 reasons we moved to Costa Rica  was so our children could experience the wildlife there before it’s gone. Sadly, most of the critters are, indeed, endangered and could disappear in their lifetime. I know this firsthand because in 1987, my husband and I traveled to Costa Rica where we beat the bush at Monteverde until we found the Golden Toad—a fluorescent orange beauty endemic only to that cloud forest.  Since that year, it has never been seen again. When I learned of its fate some years later, I felt I’d lost a friend.  I believe you will not miss what you have not known, so we took our kids to begin their love affairs with the likes of monkeys, scarlet macaws, and sea turtles.  

We were lucky to live near a prime nesting beach for olive ridley and black turtles with an occasional leatherback.  Many nights after dinner we checked the tide chart, strapped on our headlamps, and drove our quads through the jungle to the deserted beach with any combination of our four children who didn’t have homework.  On our playa there were one or two guards hired by the developer who owned the property and sometimes Ticos (Costa Ricans) camping under the trees, but typically we were alone with the waves and the stars. 

We’d kick off our flip-flops and head for the tide line, strolling along the warm water’s edge and sending cascades of phosphorescent creatures sparkling their bioluminescent light show before our happy feet. Whenever we spotted turtle tracks heading up the beach, we'd followed them with excitement, hoping to find a female digging her nest. 

Once we found a turtle, we’d quietly set up camp nearby.  I’d pull a cool, cotton sheet from our backpack and spread it out on the still-warm sand, then offer up some bug spray and snacks.  We’d lie on our backs and have a moon bath, picking out all the constellations we knew for up to an hour while the turtle worked, using her powerful back flippers to dig a perfect hole and rocking her shell back and forth to scoop up every last bit of sand she could reach, flinging it far and wide.  You haven’t lived until a sea turtle has flung sand in your hair.  

Once the digging was done, she'd sigh and rest for a moment.  Then we’d move in quietly behind her to watch her deposit her clutch of about 100 ping-pong ball-like eggs.  

We’d retreat to our sheet while she quickly filled in her hole, flipping sand all around her to camouflage her nest.  Unfortunately, many Ticos and animals love to eat turtle eggs and while she makes a valiant effort to hide her babies, it is impossible for her to cover the wide tracks made by her shell and flippers as she heaves herself back down the sand to her saltwater home.  

We'd usually followed her to the water’s edge, amazed by her speed and agility once she was back in the sea.

In the 8 months we lived in Costa Rica, my kids watched so many sea turtles lay their eggs, they could all give guided tours, including Bella, who was four.  I hope some day they’ll be able to bring their own kids to our beach, spread out a cool, cotton sheet under the night sky, and remember the familiar whoosh of warm waves gently kissing the sand while a mother sea turtle sighs nearby, her salty tears flowing from the effort of ensuring the survival of her species. 

Do your children love a particular natural place so much they'll miss it if it's gone? How could you deepen their connection to it?

KellyKittel currently lives on an island in Rhode Island with her husband and the two youngest of their five children where she walks or swims the beach daily but sees no sea turtles.  She was recently published in Getting Out: Your Guide to Leaving America, which she does as often as possible, and Moose on the Loose, a travel humor anthology.  She is currently writing a travel memoir about living in Costa Rica and writes a blog, "Where in the World are the Kittels?”

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Wordless Wednesday: Salamander

Photo taken 30 October 2012

Go Mushroom Hunting With Your Kids

Photo taken in Bartlett, NH 6 Oct 2012

Many people associate autumn with aging and the approach of death. Indeed many poems have been written about being in the "autumn" of one's life. Sure, annual plants die during the first frost. Deciduous trees lose their leaves and  look dead to some. But around here, mushroom/fungi seem to come to life out of nowhere during September and October.

Have you noticed how many are around? Last year, I took a walk and focused on locating and photographing the variety of mushrooms I saw. Yesterday, I left my camera at home but saw just as many when I was out in our woods.

So here's a nature adventure for you and your kids this weekend- go out mushroom hunting! Maybe hand your kids a point and shoot camera and see how many they can photograph. (Use the "macro" setting to get good shots. The symbol looks like a flower on most cameras). Later, you can try to identify them using a field guide, if you choose.

CAUTION: Just remember that many mushrooms are poisonous. Only trained experts should pick and eat mushrooms. In fact, I generally encourage my kids not to touch mushrooms because I can't identify the poisonous ones. If we do touch them, we immediately wash our hands thoroughly.

How many different kinds of mushrooms do you think you can find? Have your kids make a prediction before you go out. Then, I hope you'll report back to us!

If you don't live in the northeast or an area with lots of mushrooms right now, what organism can you search out this weekend? I'd love to hear what you find.

Related Posts:
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Big Day for Wood Frogs?

Long time followers of my blog know I look forward to the wood frog migration every year. It usually happens on a warm day following a rainy day or days.
Last Wednesday, we had rain. On Thursday, the temperatures were in the high 50s, so my kids and I went searching for frogs. All was quiet when we reached the pond, so we sat and listened for a while. By the time we left about 30 minutes later, quite a few wood frogs were clucking. YAY, we thought. The day has come! By Friday, mating should be in full swing.

That night I sent a Facebook invitation to all of my friends in Rochester called, "Wood Frog Adventure." I invited them to meet at my house at 3:30 and start walking by 3:45. The goal: get to the frog pond to observe and hear the frogs. Three families joined us for a total of 9 children, 4 adults, and 1 dog.
The kids ran ahead...

We reached the pond in a noisy mass... the dog got ahead of the child holding the leash and jumped in the water... and we heard nothing.

Not one cluck.

Not one croak.

Not one splash.

On a usual migration day, the sound is deafening. In fact, our human presence doesn't usually bother them. On this day- nothing.

Did that phase the kids? Of course not! There were murky pockets to investigate.

And tree bridges to explore. 

And plans to be made.

What the plans were, I have no idea, but shortly after this tete-a-tete, the kids ran off together.

Before we left the pond, we did hear a few clucks, but nothing as impressive as last year. Did it matter? Heck no! We had a great time exploring the woods together. The message...science can be tricky. Even when you think you know what will happen, nature doesn't always cooperate. That's the beauty of it, really. If you keep looking and keep exploring, you'll still enjoy nature and get to know it's rhythms.

What changes have you been noticing this spring? Be spontaneous. Grab your kids and hit the trails. See what you can discover together.

Big Night for Salamanders

In my very first blog post titled, The Big Day, I described the spring emergence of wood frogs and their race to a nearby pond to procreate.

That time of year is upon us again and wood frogs are not the only animals that migrate this way. Here in the Northeast, spotted salamanders also emerge this time of year and seek nearby water for mating. I'm wondering if salamanders use the same vernal pools as our wood frogs. I hope to set out one evening soon when the conditions are right and see if I can find some. Perhaps you'd like to do the same!

To learn more about spotted salamanders and their migration, read this wonderful book by Sarah Lamstein.

From the author's website:
“During the first warm rainy night of spring—
Big Night—spotted salamanders by the hundreds
crawl out of the woods and down to a natural
pool across the road. There they will breed and
lay their eggs.

Evan and his parents know the salamanders need
their help. Crossing a road at night is dangerous
especially for small amphibians. The family slows
the traffic. They carry salamanders across the
road. But the cars keep coming, and the hour
is late. How can the family help these delicate
creatures cross the road in safety?

Evan has the solution…”

In addition to Evan's story, the book includes lots of factual information about spotted salamanders and suggests additional resources.

For teachers and homeschoolers who'd like to use the book with students, Ms. Lamstein's website offers a classroom guide.

For those who live in eastern Massachusetts, Ms. Lamstein will be appearing at Tatnuck Booksellers in Westborough, MA this Saturday (March 12th) from 1-3 pm to talk about spotted salamanders. She suggests the migration may happen this weekend if the conditions are right. Watch for rain and temperatures over 40 degrees. I've found that in my neck of the woods, the wood frog migration happens on a warm sunny day (50 degrees or higher) that follows a day or more of rain.

Have you experienced spotted salamander or wood frog migration? This may be the weekend for both. Please share any sightings.

Happy Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few photos to inspire you. All of them were taken in my yard just a few minutes ago.

White Cinderella Crab Apple Tree about to bloom

Lilac

Kwanzan Cherry Tree blossom being visited by one of our honey bees.

A mix of flowers under our maple tree.

Bleeding Hearts dug from my mothers' garden and planted here.

I encourage you to get outside today, even if only for ten minutes to enjoy what nature has to offer. No matter what your job is, you deserve an actual lunch break- take part of it outside. If you live or work in the suburbs or country, lucky you! Get outside. But, even if you live in the city, nature abounds. Go out and find it. Maybe it's pigeons on a wire, a tree just starting to leaf out, or an ant hill in the cracks of the sidewalk. Look closely today and find what nature has to offer you.

The Big Day

Press play, close your eyes, and listen carefully. Do you recognize this sound? Don't peek at the video. Just keep your eyes closed and listen for 18 seconds.

Press play again and watch this time. Now do you know what animal it is?

Here's a closer view:

Last week marked the beginning of the wood frog migration here in southeastern Massachusetts. The first night, known as "Big Night for Wood Frogs" usually happens on the first warm day following rain. Over the weekend of March 13th and 14th, we had lots of rain. Not so good for the many homeowners who had flooded basements, but great for wood frogs and other amphibians getting ready to come out of their winter homes and procreate!

I knew Thursday the 18th was a prime day. So my four-year-old daughter and I packed up some water and snacks and headed out for our first wood frog adventure of the year. We walked through the woods, approximately 1 mile northwest of our home, to the pond we know the wood frogs visit. Within 200 yards of the pond we could hear their clucking sounds. This one sat completely still on the bottom of the pond. It was still a bit slow so we were able to catch it.
After gently holding it and observing it, we carefully placed it back in the water where we had picked it up.

We were so excited that we headed home to invite some friends to see the frogs with us after school. We met my eight-year-old son off the school bus and headed out.

Together we observed frogs floating on the water,

listened to the frogs songs,

and watched for ripples on the water that happen as frogs puff up and then cluck to each other.

I didn't lecture or try to teach what I know about wood frogs. We just soaked in the wonder of it all, pointing out things we noticed. I asked the kids, "What do they sound like?" My son's friend said, "ducks." My daughter said, "chickens." Both good comparisons, I thought.

Photo taken by Alison

We arrived home tired and hungry, yet energized after such an exciting day.

Special thanks to Alison for sharing her photos with me.