Finding Nature

As Earth Day approaches, we've been trying to do more activities that focus on appreciating nature. We recently made a special treat for our backyard birds, and today we went on a nature walk!

The weather was perfect: clear skies and light sweaters!

As we began our walk, we came across a fence blanketed with lusciously sweet Jasmine. Delicious!

We walked some more and soon discovered a school of happy tadpoles wriggling around in what was little more than a puddle of water. Little Bit wanted to hold one, so my cuz fished one out to show it to her. I was thrilled to come across the tadpoles. I can't remember when the last time was that I saw one...perhaps not since I was a kid myself and actually took the time to look for such tiny beings.

We tried to let Little Bit set the pace as she stopped here and there to examine a weed or admire a flower.

  

So often she sits relegated in her stroller and I push her along steadily forward. Today we paused, listened to, smelled, and discovered the world. Our world. Our beautiful Earth.

Unplugged Project: Rockin' Out

Here is our first attempt at participating in the Unplugged Project weekly blog carnival hosted by Unplug Your Kids.

Since I was drawing a blank with what to do for this week's theme, which was rocks, I did a good ol' Google search and came across this.

Perfect! A rock garden seemed just right for a toddler.

So, off we went to Grandma's house to collect some nice rocks!

We didn't have to go far...Grandma's driveway has plenty to choose from!

Here is Little Bit with her shiny red rock collecting pail (i.e. leftover Valentine's Day bucket).  She's starting to lose interest at this point.

So, I helped her out a bit!

Once we had enough rocks we brought them inside for a good scrubbin'. I can tell she'll make an excellent dishwasher one day (yes, I'm ready to start delegating chores).

Back at home we got our supplies together to paint the rocks. Little Bit couldn't wait to get started!

 

And the painting commenced.

Once the rocks were dry, we "planted" them in a nearby flowerbed.

Tadaaa! Here we have a very blurry picture of our completed painted rock garden!

 

I really enjoyed this project. We were able to stretch it out over the span of a few days with each step being nice and short...perfect for a toddler's attention span! And, we got to spend time outside in the beautiful weather we had this week...awesome!

I can't wait to see what next week's theme will be. Sound like fun? Come join us!