
A March treasure quest for you and your curious Capkin is to search for the letter “C” in nature.
What other natural treasures did you find in your P.L.A.Y. today?

We’ve had quite the odd summer so far here in New England. It has been either full on hot sunshine or full on rain for most of this season thus far. There hasn’t been too many days with clear and moderate temperatures.
We began with super dry conditions and wondering if we would ever get the chance to enjoy building a campfire in the fire pit out in our community meadow. The garden seedlings needed constant tending to with frequent watering and folks adding mulch or wood chips to help retain the moisture.
There were very hot days that clustered together to make a heat wave more than once in both May and June.
Then the rains came in and everyone gave thanks for the assistance in watering the gardens and had much gratitude for the green lushness that naturally arrived too.
And now we are in the opposite situation where we are having day, after day, after day of rain. And the rain comes in quantities that have been raising the water levels in both the brook (seen above/below) and in the river adjoining our community property. A gain of 7 inches of rain was recorded in our personal gauge in just the span of a few days.
The gardens are now well watered naturally and the hoses sit all curled up wondering when they will ever get used again. The forest has mushrooms that are not typically seen at this time of year and the red efts have been seen in larger numbers on top of the leaf litter on my walks in the woods.
My daughters 6 year old goats, who are not known to thrive in rainy conditions due to hoof rot and other ailments, are tired of being penned up at the barn and eagerly await a dry day to be back out in the meadow munching on all that greenery that has been growing “like weeds”!
And that fire pit, well it has been mowed during one brief reprieve in the rain and now it sits all soggy waiting to dry out just enough to welcome our community to circle up and sit on the benches and share stories, roast marshmallows, and return to summer P.L.A.Y. time traditions.
May you and yours be taking the moment to soak in both the sun and the rain and being present for all the P.L.A.Y. nature moments in your neck-of-the-woods this summer.
Over 90+ outdoor adventures designed for June + July + August
*Access to water is recommended for this P.L.A.Y. guide book with adult supervision for water safety as needed.
From Old Mr. Toad’s Music Bag and The Smiling Pool Playground to Old Mr. Toad’s Odd Tongue you will find plenty of engaging and entertaining chapters in this nature story activity book created for the young and young at heart.
Thornton Burgess’ 100+ year old original characters have been updated in this edition for the 21st century family to model mindfulness and loving kindness throughout their adventures in the Green Forest and beyond.
Bonus Materials includes:
From Paddy the Beaver building a home and building a new friendship with Sammy Jay to creating a winter tail trail in the snow you will find plenty of engaging and entertaining moments in this nature story activity book created for the young and young at heart.
Thornton Burgess’ 100+ year old original characters have been updated in this edition for the 21st century family to model mindfulness and loving kindness throughout their adventures in the Green Forest.
Bonus Materials included:
*Young children must be assisted in this craft due to sewing needles and hot glue usage.
**Children 3 and under must be supervised when playing with Capkins due to small parts choking hazard.
Capkins were originally created by Karen beginning in 2016 for her own outdoor P.L.A.Y. nature adventures.
She has carried them with her every day on her nature walks and is so very glad to share them with you.
You are invited to make your own Capkins and encouraged to bring them on your adventures with friends and family.
Capkins like to be handmade and put into this world with loving kindness. ❤
They are not sold or found for sale in any stores, rather they are given away freely.
Please be mindful of this practice and be willing to make a few extra Capkins and pass them forward to new P.L.A.Y.-ers.
By sending this photo postcard you are giving P.L.A.Y. permission to post it on this blog and on P.L.A.Y. PINTEREST page and any other public forum that aligns with the mission of P.L.A.Y.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING THE P.L.A.Y.-full JOURNEY!!!
P.L.A.Y. has provided new online versions of these updated and annotated 100+ year old public domain classics to:
Happy Heart Day Everyone!
Time to step outdoors and go experience Nature’s Love All Around!
Open your eyes, and heart, to see the natural world through the lens of wonder without expectations and you will be amazed at what you will find. By taking daily walks you have the opportunity to experience the simple pleasures that the great outdoors has to offer. Mother Nature loves to put simple surprises in your path and you just need to be present to receive the gift.
I am sure the landscape near you is full of these magical moments too if you simply walk daily with a sense of wonder (with a heartfelt nod and much gratitude to Rachel Carson for her inspiration!)
Rachel Carson – The Sense of Wonder: A Celebration of Nature for Parents and Children
Take a look at more of the HEARTS I’ve discovered over the years on the landscape here at our hilltop home in New England.
This will be my fifth winter walking in these woods and following the many deer tracks in the snow. It is such a joyful and P.L.A.Y.-ful activity to do on a cold winter’s day and it helps me to add variety to my daily walks by simply stepping alongside the hoofprints and seeing wherever the trail may take me.
On some outings I even discover coyote and turkey tracks right beside the deer tracks and I wonder at how this encounter looked or who came through first or last or if someone was being followed.
I’ve only actually seen the deer a few times up close as I approach the babbling brook and my sounds are muffled. More often I see them at a distance in the corn fields as I drive along the roadway out of town. Either way I am always thankful for knowing they are there in our fields and forest and also call this place home.
To give gratitude for the many years of awe and wonder this P.L.A.Y.-ful practice of tracking the white-tailed deer has provided I have created a new story series based on Thornton Burgess’ 1921 book The Adventures of Lightfoot the Deer.
Time to get curious and introduce your family to another four-legged friend found in the fields and forests near your home.
These two fine fellows have been greeting me each morning with a quizzical look as I care for my fellow community member’s six goats this week. For although I was given a fine tour and took plenty of notes on how to care for them before their owners left I am sure they are fully aware that I am simply the “temporary help”, doing my best, with each placement of the hay, water, minerals, and attempt to mimic their daily routines.
At times I have helped with some of this routine goat care for my daughter’s four goats as well over the years and so it is all familiar to some extent.
However what has just occurred to me, in just a few days time of doing double duty, is that our animals continue to provide that opportunity for close contact and connection while our human connections feel the strain of “social distancing/physical distancing” as the pandemic continues in 2020.
Caring for the goats requires no mask and they love to get up close in your face, nose-to-nose, to check out your minty fresh breath (or breakfast breath!). They keep their ears perked and really listen in on your morning chatter, singing or whistling too, as you go about your chores. They are also always up for plenty of scritchy-scratches on their chin, back, and pretty much most any place on their body and can get a very relaxed Zen look in their eyes if you brush their backs long enough.
And if you are lucky, as we are in our community, there are other animals that come to pay a call routinely visiting the goats and chattering amongst themselves about the latest news in the animal world. And they are probably talking about those silly “new beaks” on the humans too. What happened to their faces? What is this thing called a mask?! Why do they stand so far apart vs. getting together like they use to circled up like a gaggle of geese?
Oh what a world!
Truly, although there is a time and energy commitment beyond house pets like a cat or dog, goats are fine companions for times like these and very appreciative of human attention.
This “granny goat” is giving gratitude for the opportunity to connect to these sweet creatures, thankful my fellow community member and daughter have taken on these responsibilities all these years, and I am so happy to be a part of their larger herd!
Time to go P.L.A.Y. with the “(grown)kids”!
Sending hugs & smiles to help light the way,
Karen ;0) ❤
Hello P.L.A.Y. Community!
Just taking a moment to send out a big THANK YOU! to all for continuing on this journey of Passionate Learning All Year and having the courage to make connecting to nature with your family a priority even when the going gets tough.
The year 2020 will be written into the archives as a challenging time for most everyone for so many reasons.
And what I also know to be true is that the folks that were able to set an intention to connect to nature routinely discovered a sense of momentary calm, moving from their “head space” into their “heart space”, even in the midst of what felt like a succession of storms.
I found this to be true too. Taking a moment to look at the clouds passing by, gathering a “stripey” stone down by the river, tossing crisp leaves to the wind, visiting tiny tadpoles to talk to them daily and see how they’ve grown, countless curious Capkin snapshots in every season, and simply being present in the great outdoors daily has made all the difference in how I’ve experienced 2020. It has been a very important part of my resilience in such challenging times.
And as we head into the winter months, with a new year right around the corner and a pandemic still looming large, please know that by taking the time to connect to nature you and your family are making great contributions to your well being and that of this planet.
Every moment that we can stand in wonder of the nature spaces we visit provides the opportunity for calm, connection, and a great sense of P.L.A.Y. if we are truly present for this simple gift. Our children, already by their very nature, know how to do this thing called P.L.A.Y. and here’s hoping you will continue to join them on this journey. This is a gift that truly benefits us one and all.
Be well, be safe, and simply BEE (and please be in touch HERE)!
Sending hugs and a smile to help light the way,
Karen ;0)