Nature Study – Watch the seasons unfold with your kids – Making of a Phenology wheel

As a family we spend a lot of time outdoors, observing the open spaces around us. Trees, animals, birds, insects what stood out for us as we watched the same space day after day for almost a year was that it was never the same. There was always something new – a flower, a pod, leaves turning yellow, different butterflies, moths one season, katydids / grasshoppers the next. This led me to look for ways in which we could track and plot these findings to look back on while also being able to compare each season and each year. It … Continue reading Nature Study – Watch the seasons unfold with your kids – Making of a Phenology wheel

Why children love ‘Messy Play’ and how to make it fun for you

You probably have a child that loves to put their hand into anything messy, gooey, slimy or sticky, and you are loosing it because that mess is going all over your couch or cushions and the rest of the house. Yes, that is good reason to loose it, I’m with you there. So what can you do about kids who love messy play? Think about this, I’ve heard a lot of people say ‘Cooking is therapeutic’, ‘I love art or DIY’, ‘Beaches are my favourite holiday spot’ do you know why this is? All these statements reflect a pull towards … Continue reading Why children love ‘Messy Play’ and how to make it fun for you