Tag Archives: nature

Discovering Patterns in Nature and the Home

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Part of basic math is discovering the patterns that exist in nature, in our homes, and all around us. After your preschooler can recognize shapes, she will begin to realize that shapes come in collections – patterns of circles, lines, and swirls. Identifying patterns will help children with geometry later in life. It is also an important pre-reading skill, since recognizing sight words is all about recognizing the patterns of the letters that you have seen together again and again. How can you and your preschooler discover patterns in and around your home? Use different sorts of dry noodles to … Continue reading →

Recognizing Shapes in the Environment

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I’m not an artist, and I’m sorry to say that I’ve modeled this inappropriate behavior to my daughter. While I should have been sitting paintbrush in hand in my jaunty beret, I’ve been doing the laundry or reading instead. Woe is us, to lack in artistic endeavors. Of course, my daughter does exercise her creativity in many ways. For a while she was deeply into making sculptures with found objects and tape. The key was the tape. I’m sure that she could have sold them for some large sums of money at a gallery, actually. Anyway, one of the areas … Continue reading →

Disney Scientists Learn the Language of Elephants

I expect a lot of things from Disney, but science isn’t one of them. Well, I should amend that statement. Disney’s known for innovation in artistic fields, and sometimes that bleeds into the sciences with the architectural and other advances made by the Imagineers or at Pixar/the Animation Studio. But I never expect to hear of new scientific discoveries made, and published in professional scientific journals, by Disney employees. That’s just what happened this past year, however, as scientists from Disney’s Animal Kingdom teamed up with Oxford University and the zoological group Save the Elephants to study a herd of … Continue reading →

How Goes the Outdoor Challenge?

A little while back I talked about the outdoor challenge. Simply put, my challenge to you (and to myself!) was to get your child outdoors for as much time as they were spending in front of a computer or a television screen every day. How are you doing? I must confess to flunking the first few days, but I have an excellent excuse. My daughter came down with the stomach flu and it lasted for two days. When she’s sick, she watches more television, although I did do a good job entertaining her with books, naps, and those paint-with-water crafts. … Continue reading →

The Outdoor Challenge

I have a spring challenge for you. As the days begin to get warmer and the snow begins to melt, it’s time for children to head outside. Of course, you may have been playing outdoors all winter, but if you haven’t been keen to embrace chilly weather and heaps of snow, here’s your chance. When the snow melts and snow pants and long jackets are less necessary, this is the perfect time for you and your preschooler to head outdoors. Children these days are suffering from a lack of outdoor time. They sit in front of computer screens more than … Continue reading →

Disney’s Quiet Florida Escape

Sometimes it feels like the only Disney attraction I talk about are the parks, especially Walt Disney World in Orlando. It’s one of the most popular locations and a lot of interesting promotions and events are happening there right now, so I do want to share them with everyone here at families.com. But for those who might tire of the hectic crowds, noise, and cement pathways of an amusement park, Disney has an entirely different option: the Disney Wilderness Preserve. The Walt Disney Company created the Wilderness Preserve in 1992, purchasing the 8500-acre Walker Ranch in Poinciana, Florida. In partnership … Continue reading →

Get Out in Nature to Boost Your Green

Yesterday was a great day for myself and my family. My husband took the day off of work for our anniversary, and we celebrated by getting way from the indoors. My oldest son still had to go to school, but we packed up the two younger kids and headed to our favorite botanical gardens/historical estate. Fall was in evidence everywhere. From the mums that decorated everything, such as the new electric trains display and the inside of the conservatory, to the pumpkin playground, where the kids could climb over straw bales and use wheelbarrows to cart pumpkins. As the sky … Continue reading →

Add a Little Nature to Brighten Your Home and Your Mood

When your home is dark and gloomy then chances are that your mood is the same way. Our homes are reflections of ourselves, and then often can determine just how we feel. That is why it is so important to add things to our home that can brighten it up and add to a wonderful sense of comfort and joy. One of the things that can really brighten a home is a commitment to going back to nature. This can be done simply. Treat yourself to some beautiful brightly colored flowers. There has been some research showing that flowers can … Continue reading →

Fall and Holiday Decorating with Nature 2

Isn’t it fun to decorate for the fall and upcoming holidays? I’ve done a little bit with a basket of mini pumpkins, a friendly scarecrow and some candles, but I am itching to do more. Some of my favorite decorating involves the use of natural materials. I covered some ideas for fall and holiday decorating with nature in an earlier post. Did you like that log idea? Now I’ll share some more suggestions for your home. With a heavy rain yesterday, I know that there are plenty of fallen twigs and small branches in my yard. One idea is to … Continue reading →

Introducing Babies to Birds

Perhaps it is the fact that my mother used to call me a Butterball turkey (I was a fat baby) or the many references to feathering one’s nest in preparation for a child or having a nesting instinct, but I have always seen an association between babies and birds. Both are delicate creatures that are tiny, cute and can make a lot of noise. Introducing your baby to birds can be a fun and educational experience for you both. Through birds, you can introduce the following concepts: Colors from a bright red cardinal to a dull brown mourning dove, brilliant … Continue reading →