Digging a Hole on the Beach

Photo taken by Christine Nielsen

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to the beach with friends. While we were there, my son gave surfing a whirl (He actually got up on his feet!) while my daughter dug a deep hole with our friends' daughter. Eventually my son joined the two girls. They made that hole so deep they needed to get inside it to dig it out. They even built steps in the walls so they could get in and out of it.

And, why did they dig that hole? Just for the fun of it, of course. They had no real plans when they started and they easily abandoned it when we told them it was time to leave. This is  a perfect example of the process being more important than the product. It's also a great example of unstructured, outdoor play. Our kids had never met until that day, yet they easily settled into this project together.

As most of your kids go back to school, I hope you'll remember to allow for unstructured play-time (preferably outdoors) for your kids.  It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work and school, and sports, and music lessons, and dance, and...and....

Take a breather. Slow down. Let your kids (and yourself) enjoy a little down time. Everyone's health and well-being will benefit.

When was the last time your kids enjoyed some unstructured, free play-time? How about you?

Related Posts:
Loose Parts Play
Loose Parts Play, Part 2
Loose Parts Play, Part 3
Encourage Free Play and Tinkering

Humans Need Nature

If you're a regular reader, my title seems kind of obvious, doesn't it? Perhaps you're thinking, "We know that already. Tell us something new!"

The thing is, I firmly believe we all need to get outside, but even I need to force myself out sometimes. I mean literally talk myself into it- "Stop working. Get up out of your chair. Take a hike."

Yesterday was one of those days. I was on a roll, sitting at my computer, working hard. Many hours later, when I finally stopped for lunch, I realized my body was mad at me. I was stiff and achy and needed to move. I almost took a quick walk along the road but geared myself up for a woodland hike instead. (I procrastinated at least half an hour first, though. Why did I do that?)

Then I stepped into the woods and saw this:

I had to lie down beneath this Beech and look up at the lovely baby leaves.

The trees are just coming into their full glory. Some trees still have tiny leaves, while others are more fully leafed out. But all of them have that fresh, lime green color only seen in spring.

I love the woods and I love these trees. I'll bet you have natural places you love, too. Perhaps it's the desert as the sun rises over the dunes or the view from a mountaintop or the the rich, deep green of a rain forest. I hope you'll make time to get out and enjoy those places you love. 

On a related note, if you'd like to be a guest blogger here at Polliwog, drop me an email. michelle(at)michellecusolito(dot)com 

I hope you'll share favorite natural places or travel stories. If you're not a long-time reader, please familiarize yourself with my focus and style before contacting me. Your post will need fit with the blog's tagline: Muck about. Meet the Locals. Expand your world. I look forward to hearing from you.

What are your favorite natural places?

You might also like:
Nature Photography With Kids
Nature Observations

Travel Tuesdays: A World of Beauty, Charm, and Adventure

My reflection and a submerged frog.

As you know, I've been totally immersed in the wood frog migration around here. I haven't been traveling anywhere far- just hiking the mile and a half round trip from my house to watch those frogs do their thing. Truthfully, I've gotten behind in my blog schedule because I've been so invested in observing and photographing the frogs.

Today, I even saw an otter. An otter! That's the first time I've seen one in that pond, though my dad said he saw one there about 20 years ago.

Usually I prepare my "Travel Tuesdays" posts in advance and schedule them to post automatically. Alas, I have nothing in the queue today. I was feeling guilty about it- I have a blog and a schedule to follow, after all. Then I thought of it this way... aren't I doing exactly what I'm encouraging you to do with your kids? Get outside! See the world! Connect with nature!

And so, I won't share any travel adventure stories today. Instead, here's a travel quotation that fits with my wood frog excursions:

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru 1889-1964

Boy have my eyes been open this week! (And my ears. And my nose.) If the wood frog migration eventually settles down, I'll be back with a regular Travel Tuesdays post next week. If not, you might need to send a search party out to find me.

What nature adventures have you had this week? The weather in the Northeast has been amazing. How about in your little corner of the world?


Related Posts:
Travel Tuesdays: Wood Frogs are Traveling
Travel Tuesdays: Mark Twain Quotation
Travel Tuesdays: Be A Traveler in Your Hometown or State

Time to Smell the Roses

Yesterday, I went out for a brisk hike after working at my computer for too long. Sometimes I get rolling and it's hard to pull myself away, but I'm always glad when I do.

Some days, I do more sauntering than hiking as I meander along looking for mushrooms, or birds, or animal holes. Yesterday, I just needed to move, so I set out intent on a quick, heart-pumping hike. My only problem... even when I'm moving along, intent on physical activity, I can't help noticing interesting things along the way. And then I stop to examine them more closely.

As I started down the trail, I noticed an area on the ground that had a strange, amorphous black hue. I considered stopping to look but reminded myself of my goal for this hike and kept moving. Then I saw another patch. And another. I HAD to stop. What is that? I'd never seen it before.

I crouched down, looked closely, and found thousands upon thousands of tiny insects bunched together, hopping around. Normally, I would have spent more time investigating, but I did have an agenda after all, so I took a few photos and hiked on. (Yes.. I did bring my camera...you never know when you'll see some thing interesting!)

As I hiked, I remembered I have seen these insects before. The difference... I've only seen them in the snow. Each winter for the past couple of years I've seen those same black patches on the surface of the snow. Have they always been on the leaf litter and I missed them? Do they normally appear only in the winter? (We did have snow last weekend- perhaps they appeared early because of it). What kind of insects are they? I have a vague memory of identifying them as something called snow fleas one year.

These questions present opportunities for me to do more investigating. Will I do a bunch of research? I'm not sure. It depends upon whether I see them again. I've written about this here before- I tend to learn all I can by observation rather than book/internet research. Then I see what the experts say. If my kids had been with me, I would have followed their lead. I still may do that if we see them together on our next hike.

Do you know your environment well enough to notice such a small detail? I don't spend a load of time hiking those trails- not nearly enough, actually. For all my talk of "get out in nature," I struggle to do that often enough, just like anyone in our over-connected, harried world. But I'm out there at least a couple of times a month, maybe four. And over time, I've learned to notice natural features.

You can teach yourself and your kids to notice natural details. Start with those that are part of your everyday life. You've heard the old cliche, "Stop and smell the roses." Consciously look around as you walk. Bend down to look at a patch of lichen up close. Examine the plants growing through the cracks in the sidewalk. Really watch how the pigeons walk and fly. Share your observations with your kids. Soon they'll be telling you more and more natural things they see.

Then, when you can, find a piece of nature you can explore with your kids. Visit it regularly and notice how it changes over time. Initially, you may notice seasonal changes, but if you do it long enough, you'll begin to notice the changes that happen more slowly, like a meadow slowly turning into a pine forest or a beach eroding over time, or a pine forest becoming a hardwood forest.

I tend to notice little things on the ground- be it tiny insects on the forest floor or minute seashells on the beach that look like grains of sand. That's my own personal interests showing up. But maybe you're kids will be into birds, or wildflowers, or marine mammals. Find what interests them (and you) and go looking for it.

When you do, please come back and share your discoveries with us.

Related Posts:
Nature Observations with Young Children
Seasons and Cycles
Fall Haiku
Mystery Caterpillar

Signs of Spring- Bird Sightings

Birds have been active in my neck of the woods. This morning, my daughter heard this one before she saw it. She rushed inside to mimic it's call to me. We watched it for as long as we could before we had to leave for school.

We put our hummingbird feeder out this week. Within one hour we had our first visitor.

Even as I'm writing this in my screened in porch, the number of birds in my yard is astounding...

I literally just stopped typing to snap these photos from within my porch. (The photo quality isn't great because I shot them through a screen, but they help make my point.)

 And then there are these impressive birds that have been hovering over my yard for the past few weeks. Anyone know what they are? Leave your guesses in the comments.

ADDED May 10, 2010

I can now say with confidence that the first bird is a Turkey Vulture and the second one is an Osprey.

Also, while browsing in my favorite, local Indie bookstore, Baker Books, I found this book the other day:

It would be a fantastic addition to a study of birds of prey. Large "gatefolds" (pages that fold out) help readers comprehend the size of the birds wingspans.
END added material.

Birds are everywhere. Regardless of whether you live in a rural, urban, or suburban area, you can enjoy birdwatching with your children and students. Learning their names may appeal to some children but learning about nature does not require labeling the species you see. Some even argue that labeling stops the learning- once you know the name of a bird, you can look it up and learn facts from another source. If you don't know the name, you tend to focus on making your own observations and end up with a more intimate knowledge of the animal.

If bird watching appeals to you and your students I highly recommend Inquiry at the Window:

 You can also read my post on Hummingbirds from last year.

Have you been noticing lots of birds in your area? What have you been seeing? Please be sure to tell us your general geographical area.

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.