Camping In Style

Rock Art: Draw a line or spiral with a long stick and collect rocks and pine cones - place on the line in a pattern. Show them a picture of “The spiral Jetty” by Robert Smithson.   Camp Kitchen: Collect cooking gear from the thrift store, see if you can find items on small scale, find a flat rock, log or camp bench and draw in chalk a stove top (two circles with an “X”) Fill a pitcher of water and tell them to go to town making mud pies and cooking them. (keep mud away from where people walk). Rock & Stick Art: Hunt for sticks and rocks then paint with washable tempera   Pine Cone Critters: Glue small rocks, sticks onto pine cones to make different figures. Tacky glue works best.   Hide & Seek an old stand by.   Bug Hunt with a bug jar.   Hopscotch: Use a long sticks to make squares in dirt & small rocks to throw.   Beading: $1 store good for this, I like using a tray or baking sheet to contain every...

“HEY, THERE’S A TREE IN THERE!!” Look at all those acorns just lying around in the road, going to waste! C’mon, join the fun!! It’s all the rage!!! ACORN FLINGING!! How do you do it? By flinging every healthy hearty acorn you see off the road back into the woods! It’s fun AND convenient!! One of your far-flung acorns may grow into a tree someday thereby benefiting future generations or if not, it may make a squirrel, scrub jay or another critter happy! YUM! So Join the Fun!! Send me some photos of you gleefully flinging and I will post them here! Now get out there and get FLINGING!!! Post from Eco Activism

After the Summer guests have gone, the smoke has cleared from local fires and before it gets too cold, our daughter and I set up a tent-less room on our deck to stargaze and sleep in the cool evenings. Extra comfy using our indoor linens A sheet to cover during the day Every morning we take a big sheet to cover our bed during the hot day to protect it from leaves or even the dog should he sneak onto the deck and decide to take a nap. So far so good. Bravo sleeps with his ball   She sleeps with a doll GREAT bonding time Yesterday our daughter woke up at 6am, still dark and said "Mom hurry come out the stars are so pretty" I was awake in the house only to rush out, snuggle and star gaze with her. We saw a shooting star and it felt so awesome to share this moment with her. I highly recommend it! Eco Friendly Inexpensive Fun Easy Memorable Doesn't Require Scheduling  

Rock Art: Draw a line or spiral with a long stick and ask them to collect rocks and pine cones and place on the line in a pattern. Show them a picture of “The spiral Jetty” by Robert Smithson Camp Kitchen: Collect cooking gear from the thrift store, see if you can find items on small scale, find a flat rock, log or camp bench and draw in chalk a stove top (two circles with an “X”) Fill a pitcher of water and tell them to go to town making mud pies and cooking them. (keep mud away from where people walk) Rock & Stick Art: Hunt for sticks and rocks then paint with washable tempera. Pine Cone Critters: Glue small rocks, sticks onto pine cones to make different figures. Tacky glue works best.   Hide & Seek and old stand by Bug Hunt with a bug jar Hopscotch: Use a long sticks to make squares in dirt & small rocks to throw Beading: $1 store good for this, I like using a tray or baking sheet to contain everything Journal:...

Hermit Thrush As Spring nears I hear more and more birds every morning. It makes me feel hopeful, excited and curious about what birds we have here in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Then in my research I found two great resources.  Barn Owl at Folsom Zoo * South Yuba River Park Association Birding at Bridgeport by local expert Bill Cortright Bring In The Clowns photo by Mark Schmitt w/ GREAT photos Schedule for South Yuba Bird Watch Red Tailed Hawk at Folsom Zoo And a beautiful resource site through San Francisco State University listing details about the Birds of The Sierra Valley and The Yuba Pass Area click here to see their report. American Dipper taken from Wikipedia SUGGESTED READING Sierra Nevada Natural History, T. I. Storer, R. L. Usinger,D. Lukas; The classic book on all aspects of the natural history of the Range of Light. Order at Amazon A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to the Sierra Nevada, S. Whitney. ...

Last week we went to The Folsom Zoo with my daughters Expeditionary Learning School. I have never been fond of zoos. However this zoo has the healthiest rescue animals who are the happiest animals I have ever seen. All the animals are fed organic food, the deer come up to be pet and the animals are loved by the staff. Check it out if your ever in the area. 

I was sent this joke by my friend from New Orleans. Our last name is Boudreaux and my husband is from New Orleans where these jokes go back and forth to see who is less intelligent. My feeling is it's Thibodeaux. Sounds Like: Boudreaux: Boo Drow Thibodeaux: Tib E Dow Canvas Tent Shown without Optional Rain Fly by Pinnacle Tents CAMPING JOKE:   Boudreaux and Thibodeaux went camping in the desert.  After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep.  Some hours later, Thibodeaux woke Boudreaux and said, "Ma sha, look towards da sky, what you see?"                  Boudreaux replied, "I see millions of stars."                  "What dat tell you?" asked Thibodeaux.                  Boudreaux pondered for a minu...

SUPPLIES FOR YOUR KIT 8+ assorted colors felt squares 1 ball of yarn any color/black 1 bottle of tacky glue 1 pair of scissors Paint, acrylic or tempera in red, yellow, blue & white only 1 black marker or enhance with whole package of assort. colors Stack of white paper 1 paint brush EXTRA IDEAS: needle thread for older kids, popsicle sticks, plastic eyes, pipe cleaners 1 Felt Finger Puppets draw shape of finger on back of felt draw figure shape outside of the finger line. Head, arm, legs cut out shape glue together just outside of finger line, enough to get your finger in younger children can make a simple sun or flower shape instead decorate outside with eyes etc... and use yarn for hair 2 Pine Cone Critters collect 1 pine cone and assorted smaller rocks, sticks, acorns, pine needles etc.. glue eyes, ears, feet to make critter use felt to make ears & decorations use cut yarn to make hair or braided tail 3 Sick Bugs...