Wordless Wednesday: Salamander

Photo taken 30 October 2012

Hurricane Sandy

We were incredibly lucky during Hurricane Sandy. We only lost power for a few hours and we had no property damage. This afternoon we went out to survey the damage behind our house.

I'm thinking of all of the people who may still be suffering without water, electricity, flooding, or even worse, especially in the NYC area. Stay safe everyone.

Play Outside!

My sister and my 2 1/2-year-old niece are visiting from San Francisco this week. On her first morning here, my neice couldn't wait to get outside. My sister and I were still both a little sleepy and didn't really want to go outside then.

But she kept saying, "I want to go outside."

So I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my cup of coffee and trailed her out into the yard. She didn't even wait long enough to put on her shoes- she just went right out into the autumn morning in her bare feet.

I had forgotten how much my children used to ask to go outside when they were her age. I think the main difference with my children now is that they're older so they don't need me to go outside.

They might say, "Mom I'm going out," or "I'm going to ride my bike," and then they head out the door.  But my niece isn't old enough to be running around the yard by herself. Especially since she doesn't know my yard and we live on a busy street.

My niece spent maybe 10 minutes outside. She ran in the grass, dug in the sandbox, and played on the climber. Then she decided she was hungry and went back inside. That little outside stint was enough to satisfy her. Later, once my kids were home from school (her "big cousins") she chased them around the yard and jumped in our monster leaf pile with them.

The outside fun with her cousins continued yesterday with an investigation of what's left of our garden. When my sister went out to check on them, they were huddled around a rosemary plant picking and eating the leaves. They also tasted some alpine strawberries, fennel seeds, and garlic chives. Later, over dinner, my niece said, "You have a nice garden."

So today, I have no particular suggestions... Just a reminder that kids need unstructured outside time. If you have a yard, just let your kids go explore. If not, try to take them to an outdoor a space like a public park. Have no agenda.  Let them wander aimlessly, watch the clouds go by, or explore as they wish.

When did your kids last enjoy unstructured time in nature? How can you provide more opportunities for them?

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Richard Louv in New Bedford, MA

Wordless Wednesday: Leaf Fun

Photos taken 14 October 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Deep and Permanent Change

Machu Picchu, Peru

I have a busy week hosting Otha Day of "Drum to the Beat" at my kids' school and then my sister and niece from California. So today, rather than a lengthy post, I offer this quotation as food for thought.

Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.  ~Miriam Beard

What do you think? Does this ring true for you? 

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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.

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Mushroom Hunting

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Fall Leaves- This post suggests fall leaf crafts you can do with kids, including a modern twist on an old placemat activity.