Hello, November! November holds a special place in my heart. It used to be one of my least favorite months, the beauty of early fall fading, the days growing shorter, the landscape turning gray, and winter’s sparkle still far away. Many years ago, my friend Dawn...
Halloween is here, along with all the spooky, magical things happening in nature as fall deepens. Spiders creep into cozy corners, webs glisten across the lawn, leaves turn skeletal, and owls hoot overhead. Who needs gory decorations when the outdoors is full of jump...
Maple Seed Dragonfly Nature Craft From spring well into fall, maple trees are bejeweled with curious winged seeds. Botanically, they’re called samaras (pronounced suh-MAR-uh), but you might know them as helicopters, whirlybirds, maple keys, or simply maple seeds. And...
If you’ve ever watched your child pause to admire a beetle or a feather, you already know the magic of slowing down outside. Nature journaling for kids turns those small moments into lasting memories and gentle learning by capturing the beauty of the natural world on...
Towards the end of summer and throughout fall, rose plants are bejeweled with rosehips—the bright red seed pods of the rose. In minutes, those little beauties can become beads and be threaded into beautiful, biodegradable bracelets and necklaces—a perfect, low-prep...
Preserving Autumn Magic with Air Dry Leaf Bowls Slowly, nature nudges toward an incredible seasonal shift. The weather cools, nights grow longer, and deciduous trees know the time has finally come. My children notice the first signs of turning—a singed edge here, a...
Snorkelling is magical, isn’t it? Seeing what’s happening just beneath the water's surface—delicate corals, swaying seaweed, and colorful fish darting about—has captivated humans for ages. I still remember the first time my children and I went snorkelling together in...
It might seem silly to be sharing a tutorial on making nature paintbrushes for kids. After all, paintbrush have been made from natural materials for thousands of years! According to Britannica, paintbrushes are one of human's earliest art supplies and were used as...
If you’re hunting for mud kitchen ideas, here’s what I learned the hard way. Last year, after we moved, I finally set up a mud kitchen in our new backyard. We couldn’t bring our old one with us, and my kids loved it, so I rushed to recreate the magic. This time...
Welcome to your ultimate guide on building a DIY bug hotel for beneficial insects! At first glance, this bug hotel may look like a simple wooden block with tubes, but it’s an extraordinary habitat custom-designed to support solitary bees, predatory beetles, and other...
Beneath the still surface of a pond lies a magical world of mini-beasts—creeping, swimming, and darting through the water in ways that never fail to amaze kids (and grown-ups too!). I’ll never forget the first time I took my children pond dipping. We were all so...
Whittling is often considered an adult-only activity—after all, handing a sharp knife to a child might seem risky or even downright crazy. But historically, whittling is exactly how older generations safely introduced children to responsible knife handling and...
Are you co-parenting with nature? If not, you might want to consider making the natural world your partner in parenting. Nature-Connected Parenting, also described as "co-parenting with nature," is an intentional parenting approach that actively involves nature in...
Preserving autumn leaves in beeswax has become one of our favorite fall family traditions. Every fall we gather leave, my personal favorites are red maple leaves, and then we dip them into melted beeswax to preserve their vibrant colors. It's a simple, beautiful way...
Discover the best fall picture books for kids—stories about apples, leaves, pumpkins, woodland animals, and cozy harvest traditions your family will love.