Maple Syrup Festival

Well, that was an interesting homeschool tour today!!

Usually when our family has gone to the Maple Syrup festivals in the spring we want to cuddle up next to the warm fires where the syrup is boiling. Not so much today.

Today, the campfire evoked thoughts of hot dogs, s'mores, and swimming holes, and we could use the smoke to keep the mosquitoes away instead of warming ourselves.

Hard to believe it was almost 80 degrees!  I suppose this unseasonable warm weather is going to make Maple Syrup expensive since it cut the sap collecting season short.

So many families here today!

I have always loved red twig dogwood

Woodsy Room Decor

When the seed catalogues are arriving in the midst of the snow falling it's no wonder I'm itching for some nature inside.

Here are some things that are inspiring me today:

JenlovesKev etsy shop and blog

Cutting Edge Stencils etsy shop

Driftwood mirror via Abode Love

Camp-inspired bedroom at Offbeat mama

Ikea hackers lighting

Ikea Hackers lighting

20 x 200 Art

Decorating with Nature: 3 Design Projects

These projects are more sophisticated adult versions of nature crafts that can be used for decorating the inside and out.

(1) Graffiti Moss

Inhabitat provides all the instructions and tutorials needed to make letters, shapes, or whatever graffiti inspiration is on tap with moss! (See cool instruction graphics and different recipe here.)





DIY Moss Graffiti

(2) Tree themed shelf

One of Inhabitat's many green gift guides for 2011 showcased this awesome shelf made with real trees.  Available from Hold Close The Moon on etsy.

Wall Hook / Shelf by Hold Close the Moon

(3) Tree branch wall hooks

Those wild and crazy inventor-hackers at Sugru have figured out how to use their moldable sugru silicone putty to make permanent wall hooks using tree branches.

I think it's really cool-looking and functional. But I just wonder what happens when you want to take the hooks down since the sugru appears to be really really permanent.

If I were to do this I would put the tree branches on a back board type of thing so it can be hung on the wall and removed later if needed.

Wall Hooks by Sugru

Sensory Overload and Sensory Delight at Christmas

Christmas comes with a variety of sights, smells, sounds, and social interactions that can be pleasant for some and overstimulating for others.

But here are some things I think my sensory kids would really like to visit.

(1) A swinging Christmas

Racho Siempre Verde Christmas Tree Farm in the San Francisco Bay area brings out the kid in all of us and focuses on nature's delights. 

They have free activities that include GIANT swings from their giant trees, straw bale forts to explore, a giant xylophone to play up on the hill, and all the roasted marshmallows you can make and eat by the fire.

You can make your own wreath using their array of supplies and materials from nature for $7-$10.

Oh, and you can buy a Christmas tree.

Xylophone



Tree Swings

swings @ tree farm from laura copeland on Vimeo.


(2) A singing Christmas

Brown's Christmas in Mason Michigan features a musical light show set to music that can be enjoyed with the car radio. This year's display features a special tribute to the Michigan State University Spartans.

Experimenting with the Laws of Physics: Grandpa and the Grandkids

I love how my dad plays with the grandkids!

My dad is really smart and talented.

• If you need something excavated and leveled in a tricky, difficult situation my dad is the one to call.
• He has an amazing talent with earth.
• His abilities to get unstuck in wet dirt are legendary.
• Like many boys today, he loves to learn with his hands and by experimenting.

I love that he encourages that kinesthetic learning with all the kids, boys and girls.

Here is some fun they had today experimenting with trajectories, weights, ballasts, pulleys, leverage and force.

Grandpa's stone yard is full of natural and manmade materials for exploration

Goal orientation and persistence in action

It is clearly evidence that I am not a helicopter parent when it comes to real world play :-)

Levers

Balancing

Climbing

Tying  knots

Pulling from the right

Pulling from the left

Brainstorming strategies

More people pulling

Adding ballast weights

Grandpa asking questions about how strategies might work

Success!! Pallets down!!

...and the *real* playground sits empty at grandma and grandpa's

Kidscaping and Natural Playgrounds: 10 Sources for Design Inspiration

Kidscaping at Hoffman Hoopla

I've been introduced to lots of folks (lots from Australia!) encouraging "Natural Playgrounds." (Thank you Facebook!)

Instead of (or in addition to) commercialized play structures these natural play spaces encourage interaction with nature and reliance on natural, rather than "man"-made structures.

This is something many play and child development specialists are advocating, especially in light of increasing autism spectrum disorders, childhood obesity, and early and extensive use of technology by kids.

Google Search "Natural Playscapes"

Here are some great resources for inspiration:

1. Natural Montessori Playgrounds. This includes an overview and checklist of potential materials to include in a natural playground.
2. Dwell. Features a step-by-step slide show tutorial on how to build a natural playscape.
3. Let the Children Play. This blog features ideas and photos from amazing schools that are implementing natural play areas.
4. Rusty's Blog.  Author and owner of Earthplay, Rusty shares photos and ideas for incorporating natural features into kids' play.
5. Hoffman Hoopla Kidscaping Projects. Please visit their blog to see all the amazing features they've incorporated into their backyard!
6. Childscapes (AU). Company specializing in natural playscapes.
7. Natural Playgrounds (US).Company specializing in natural playscapes.
8. Earthplay (US). Company specializing in natural playscapes.
9. Google "Natural Playscapes" and select images. You'll be lost daydreaming for hours!
10. Library.  Check your local library for these inspirational design books:

Books for more ideas:

Lush living: 3 Ways to Decorate with Living Greenery

Pouring over some delicious magazines (thank you library!!!) I found inviting indoor projects to try.  These are nature crafts sophisticated enough for adults but things the kids can do to.

Hopefully they can help to help fill the winter void when I'm missing my time in the flower beds and gardens.

Terrarium

From The Vintage Modern blog

The Vintage Modern provides a handy tutorial on making your own terrarium. Featured in the September 2011 issue of Real Simple, the terrarium is described as adding many components to the home:

-- Like a fish bowl it adds life
-- Reflects light, brightening dark walls
-- Feels calm and homey

-- Adds sophistication when used in modern shapes

Living Cactus Wreath

Featured in the October 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens this succulent wreath can provide an easy care decorative element for indoors and out. 

Check out the complete instructions at their site.

Living Moss Balls

From Carissa's Creativity Space

Carissa offers a great tutorial on inexpensively making a real life living moss ball for display. 

It will need to be kept moist and out of the sun, but otherwise is a simple way to incorporate greenery a display for any season.

Lawns with Less Grass: Outdoor play spaces for children

We have been working to eliminate as much unnecessary grass as possible. 

If the grass isn't a space in the yard that is conducive to playing ball or some other purpose, I feel there is no need for grass which needs to be watered and mowed.

Instead, my goal is to make our yard a magical place for kids to grow and explore, even in the middle of the city.

So we added a small pond, lovingly referred to as a puddle by my neighbor, and lots of plantings.

Perennial beds, vegetable gardens, fruit trees and bushes, and paths give us lots of alternatives to grass.

Butterflies, birds, rabbits, hummingbirds, bees, and even deer come to visit our little oasis in the city.

I drew much inspiration from "A Child's Garden: 60 Ideas to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children" by Molly Dannenmaier.  The photos are incredible.  The ideas unique and magical. I wanted to jump into each page and live there. 

The book provided ideas for creating the essential elements of an outdoor playspace including, water, dirt, sand, creatures, and places for climbing, pretending, hiding, picking, moving, learning, imagining.

Because we live on a corner lot, with lots of front yard and hardly any back yard, all our gardens are front yard gardens.  So it was wonderful to find a book all about growing in the front yard instead of the traditional back yard garden. 

I love the concept of The Welcoming Garden by Gordon Hayward, with gardens that call out an invitation to enter and gather instead of being seen as barriers or perimeter borders.

Here are the books which have been useful in thinking about how to create our outdoor environment for children and adults, keeping in mind low-maintenance goals while being on a small plot of land in which all our space is in the front.  That's a tall order!  These are some great books to help.

Integrating Art into Nature -- trees and leaves as art sculpture

The Crafty Crow is a delicious resource for finding hands-on food, art, craft, etc. ideas to do yourself or with the kids. The site aggregates findings across the web and indexes them here.

I was particularly enthralled with the entries under "Art History" including this tree sculpture from One Golden Apple that I'm looking forward to trying next fall in our neighborhood park woods.

Homeschooling with Nature and Science

There are some terrific resources from 3rd generation homeschooling parents at http://www.bringinguplearners.com/ to help integrate nature into homeschool activities:

• Nature walk ideas and tips
• Making a nature journal from found objects
• Getting "into nature" when you aren't "into" it
• "Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding" by Bernard J. Nebel, Ph.D." This K-5 curriculum guide gets high marks from Amazon reviewers as well as lots of "crunchy" homeschooling sites.

And they offer 101 ways to spice up your homeschooling or afterschooling activities.