I am probably the last person in my city to have an Ipod. At least, it seemed so. But my Ipod-free world is no more. On Sunday we traipsed into the local electronics store and used a whole whack of gift cards to buy an Ipod Touch. Now, officially this is so that we can use Facetime to communicate with my husband when we are away from each other. Unofficially? Well, let’s just say I went a little crazy on the apps last night. Particularly those of the nerdalicious variety. Let’s face it: apps are cool. They’re wee little programs … Continue reading →

Book: Discover the Amazon: The world’s largest rainforest Author: Lauri Berkenkamp Published by: Nomad Press Ages: 9 and up Grade Level: 4 and up Book Synopsis: From avoiding predators to navigating through the jungle without a compass, this innovative guide provides kids with the vital tools one would need if lost in the Amazon. Offering practical survival techniques based on real stories, children will learn lessons that can be adapted to almost any outdoor situation, such as making fire, deciphering animal tracks, and using the natural world for all to create necessary supplies. Opening with an informative section on the … Continue reading →

What do you think about when you teach science? Do you think that you’re helping children understand the world, methodically and in a practical fashion, going through the families of plants and the different groups of animals? Is science a way of categorizing the world and helping it make sense? Do you think that you’re helping children change the world, creating science experiments that may lead to solutions to global problems? Are your children going to create cures for diseases and reduce the pollution from vehicles? Is science a way into the minds of the past and the great minds … Continue reading →

Do you wish that you were the plant whisperer, a naturalist and herbalist who knows all about the amazing properties of edible and healing plants? Sure, you might. But how do you become such a guru without sitting down with a book and memorizing the plants around you? What if there was a fun way to do this – like a game? Over the Christmas season, we finally opened the game that I’d purchased for my daughter a long time ago, at least a year back. I was waiting for the opportune moment to give it to her, and that … Continue reading →

Ah, winter. Around here the sodden, soggy weather is punctuated with the occassional chilly day when we look up to the mountains and relish the sight of some snow. But really, in the Pacific Northwest winter can be hard to find. I do like to celebrate it anyway, so this coming week I’ll be doing an educational program for local children. It focuses on snow, ice, frost and hail – all of which are notably absent from our landscape at the moment! Whether you have 2 foot long icicles hanging outside your window or you are basking in the glow … Continue reading →

Ah, Christmas. It’s a time for relaxation, for family, and for exploring your mad scientist. Yes? Well, we all know that cats view the Christmas Tree as a physics experiment. Now you can experiment with your Christmas tree too! Christmas trees look very different. A number of the true firs work very well as a Christmas tree because they have widely-spaced branches, perfect for hanging ornaments. If you don’t know what kind of tree you have, find out! Learn about the history of your tree. Read stories about trees as habitat. The Night Tree by Eve Bunting and The Little … Continue reading →

What a wonderful time of the year. A time of storms. A time of fallen branches. A time of crafts to make with those fallen branches. Ok, maybe the song doesn’t quite go like that, but there are an awful lot of branches about. Before you take them to the chipper or the compost, bring them indoors and use them for winter crafts. These bare branches are good raw material for craft projects that open up a conversation about forests and forest animals. One of my favorite simple branch crafts that is floating around Pinterest is a designer’s delight. Take … Continue reading →

Tis the season of all things icy. From skating to ice cream on mince tarts, kids love to explore the cool side of winter time. Some animals live in places where it seems to be winter most of the time. Polar bears and arctic foxes just have a few months of summer before the season cools once again. In the south, penguins also face frigid water most of the time. How do animals survive in icy water? How do beluga whales survive in an icy environment? How do sea otters survive in icy ocean water? These animals have different survival … Continue reading →

It’s getting colder out there. That means that everyone is creeping into holes to stay warm. They might live in big holes, like our warm house with its nice warm blankets. They might live in small holes, like the holes in cones and logs. This is the season to peek into little cracks and holes in the forest and see who’s living there. Cones are like animal apartment buildings. In the winter and late fall, small animals creep into the cracks between the scales of the cones. When you bring them indoors, they creep out again to see what is … Continue reading →

At the nature center where I work, we have an Elmo. Unlike his Sesame Street namesake, Elmo is not an assuming presence. He’s a small machine, and rather gray. However, when you turn on the switch, Elmo turns kids on to nature. He’s a macroscope. What is a macroscope? Like a hand lens, it magnifies objects that are hard to see with the naked eye. Like a microscope, it’s a machine to assist your eyes in seeing things that are not necessarily noticeable with your eyes. Our Elmo also projects items onto a screen, so worms look as large as … Continue reading →