Above is one of our favorite spots to share God's Creation with our children. Its about a 5 mile hike to get to this spot. I'd go every week if I could. Think about your favorite spots in nature. Have you been there lately? Why not? Do you know that many children grow up in ignorance of what God has provided us in nature? When I taught middle school, one of our first field trips was to the Sandia Mountains. More than half the students in my class had never been to a forest before. They lived only 20 miles from it and yet had never been! How can children or people care about trees, wildlife, or our earth, if they are isolated from it? I had a friend many years ago who came to visit me one day. It was the first time she had been to my home. This friend was a bright, intelligent, and well read person. After viewing my gardens and eating my home baked bread she confided that she didn't realize before that the food she bought in a store had been actually grown somewhere, in the ground, and came from seeds. Where did the disassociation of science in school with nature happen for her? Children crave contact and activities with their parents. My children would rather spend a weekend camping with us than having a new video game system. Wouldn't yours? Time spent with your children is an investment in their future. Time spent in nature is an investment in all of our futures. Nature is crucial for developing minds and spirits. Did you know that time spent in nature reduces stress and strengthens the immune system? It combats depression and (IMHO) ADHD. Did you know that interacting with nature builds IQ? When you get away from the rat race, you have the quiet and peace to share what is important to you with your children. You can share your values AND your love. So what are you doing this weekend?  Ok, you are with me so far. I'm so glad! Do you need ideas about sharing nature with your kids? Here are a few of mine: * Grow a garden. Children develop all sorts of natural science skills as well as an appreciation of growing things and the earth when they grow big fat pumpkins or juicy watermelons. If you think you don't have a place to grow anything, try a big tub full of purple carrots! A butterfly and hummingbird garden gives endless joys. You can find a book on what plants to grow for this and many of them will happily sit in pots on your front step. * Give your child and camera and take her on a hike. Help her make a book or collection of the photos she took. Help her to draw some of what she saw and add the drawing to a nature notebook she can keep for herself. She'll treasure the notebook in the years to come and so will you. * Beyond hiking, you can also find parks to walk in, creeks to canoe in, trails to bike on, and gardens to vegetate in. We're blessed with a botanical garden about 40 miles from here that is FREE! * There are endless books to enjoy at your local library to read TOGETHER. Beyond books about endangered animals and books about trees, you can find books about the animals of Africa and Australia and books about sea life in the deep dark trenches. Ask a librarian for ideas about books appropriate for your child's age if you are unsure. * Make art from objects found in nature. Your library will have books about how to do this! * Ask your school to provide an outdoor classroom. Let's encourage our schools to stop disassociating science with real life. The first school I taught at had a small grassy field, a paved play ground and about 5 shrubs around the entire school. Nothing else. That is an appalling environment to learn and teach in. * Have sleep overs and let your child set up a tent in the back yard. Falling asleep to nature's sounds is wonderful! * Set up an area outdoors to eat in. One of my sons loves to sit on the front porch and eat breakfast or lunch. He sits on the swing and glories in the mountains opposite our own mountain (and set to be destroyed by a greedy developer quite soon, unhappily.) * Hang a hammock somewhere. My children love to sway in the hammack while reading. Sometimes they simply vegetate there. THIS IS GOOD FOR THEM! * Encourage a simpler lifestyle. If you feel like your life is too frantic for words, so is your child's. When do you have time to be still and listen? You need that. So does your child. Find friends who feel the same. The support system goes a long way in helping you change. Its difficult to choose simplicity in this grasping, clutching culture we have in America. Its difficult to convince your child that a simpler life is better when friends flash their latest phone and expensive games. But having friends who feel the same is the antidote!  * I thought of one more idea. Why not give your child a camera and see what they can find!  More critter photos: 
  For more on teaching science, CLICK HERE |
Organic Gardening | | Homeschooling | Hands For God | Simplicity And Sustainability |