Tag Archives: outdoors

Nature Poop Post #2

A magical moment in any outdoor adventure is to find . . .

SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO!!!

Who left this behind?

❤ 🙂 ❤

What do you do on this special occasion?

  1. Watch Your Step!

2. Look with your eyes not your hands (no touch!)

3. Draw or take a snapshot of the poop to later decipher which field or forest animal left behind this special clue.

BONUS – Sing your own verse of SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO to celebrate discovering which animal has passed this way before you!

❤  🙂 ❤

SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO is a P.L.A.Y. on words!

SCAT = animal poop

SCAT = the improvised singing of nonsense syllables in jazz music like bop-doo-wop

What other natural treasures did you find in your P.L.A.Y. today? 🙂

Draw, write, color, and creatively capture your discoveries

on the pages of your Nature Adventure book!

Nature Poop Post #1

SCAT – WHAT’S THAT???

A curiously fun and magical moment in any outdoor adventure is to find . . .

SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO!!!

Who left this behind?

SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO is a new special P.L.A.Y. combination of two things:

SCAT = animal poop (aka feces)

SCAT = the improvised singing of nonsense syllables in jazz music like bop-doo-wop.

❤ 🙂 ❤

What to do when you find the poo out in the wild:

1-Watch Your Step!

2-Look with your eyes not your hands (no touch!)

3-Draw or take a snapshot of the poop to later decipher which field or forest animal left behind this special clue.

4- Get curious if you like and poke it with a stick to try to figure out what this animal ate. Can you see fur, seeds, grasses, or ???

BONUS P.L.A.Y. – Sing your own verse of SCAT–BE–DOO–DOO to celebrate discovering which animal has passed this way before you!

❤  🙂 ❤

What other natural treasures did you find in your P.L.A.Y. today? 🙂

Draw, write, color, and creatively capture your discoveries

on the pages of your Nature Adventure book!

COVID-19 + Homeschooling – Special Edition Part 2

Painting en plein air (aka outdoors)

P.L.A.Y. in Place with a Plan

Still trying to find a rhythm for your days while facing the uncertainty of how long the kiddos will be “schooling at home”?

P.L.A.Y. has a day-to-day plan that is truly flexible and can be done in place while you all stay safely at home indoors as well as right out your back door in your own yard.

Remember learning happens all the time especially when we are engaged, curious, and approach with a sense of P.L.A.Y.

*Sign up on the side bar with your email to receive these daily P.L.A.Y. posts and activities OR check back OFTEN!

Looking for oodles of ideas on how to spend your days at home as a family working and P.L.A.Y.ing?

Read this online review series I created based on Laura Grace Weldon’s book:

Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything

— AND READ BELOW FOR MORE WAYS TO PLAN YOUR DAYS —

Here’s the Weekly Plan:

Monday – Nature Alliteration Adventure + Nature Journaling

Tuesday – Bird BOOK LOOK with a new story chapter and related online resources + activities/projects

Wednesday – Nature Alliteration Adventure + Nature Journaling

Thursday – Bird BOOK LOOK with a new story chapter and related online resources + activities/projects

Friday – Nature Alliteration Adventure + Nature Journaling

Saturday – Potluck P.L.A.Y. Pick (soooooo many options – you decide!)

Sunday – P.L.A.Y.  in Place with a Plan = Many topics showcased including A Family Gardening Series

Nature Journaling is for All Ages

Nature Journal – Spring Flowers

Here are some general examples of flexible daily plans that can be rearranged to suit your family while staying in place (appropriately apply to various ages and stages):

MONDAY 

MORNING

  • Breakfast & clean-up
  • Chores Together (care for pets/make bed/brush teeth/sort laundry/etc.)
  • Music & Movement (sing, dance, play instrument, yoga, etc.)
  • Building Projects (Legos, cardboard box forts, imagination & creativity engagement)
  • Read Anything! (solo, 1:1, together)
  • Hand Work (knitting, weaving, sewing, jewelry making, drawing, etc.) while listening to audio book recording

NOON

  • Kitchen Food Prep Helpers
  • Lunch & clean-up
  • Story Time (audio book or solo reading or together)
  • Rest & Regroup Quiet Time
  • Outdoor walk with today’s Nature Alliteration Adventures
  • Indoors/Outdoors write and draw in your journal to capture your nature adventures

NIGHT

  • Kitchen Food Prep Helpers
  • Supper & clean up together
  • Bed Time Routines (bath/teeth/pjs)
  • More short stories or ongoing chapter book or make up an ongoing story to add to each night!

Tuesday

MORNING

  • Chores Together (make bed/brush teeth/care for pets/sort laundry/etc.)
  • Breakfast & clean-up
  • Workbooks or appropriate online Screen Time work
  • Arts & Crafts project or Hobbies

NOON

  • Kitchen Food Prep Helpers
  • Eat lunch & clean-up
  • Stroll/jog/bike neighborhood and say hello to neighbors from a distance
  • Rest & Regroup Quiet Time
  • Bird BOOK LOOK next chapter and related activities and online resources

NIGHT

  • Kitchen Food Prep Helpers
  • Supper & clean up together
  • Family Games
  • Bed Time Routines (bath/teeth/pjs)
  • More short stories or ongoing chapter book or make up an ongoing story to add to each night!

*Adapt this to suit your family, all ages and stages, especially during this time of transition.

Still looking for more ideas on how to spend your days at home as a family working and P.L.A.Y.ing?

Read this online review series I created based on Laura Grace Weldon’s book Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything

Remember, it is more important to stay connected to one another than to “get it right”. ❤

Tomorrow’s another day with new opportunities to try-try-again! 🙂

Plenty of hugs works wonders!❤

Please contact Karen@passionatelearningallyear.com with your questions and for parenting support during these challenging times.

You don’t have to do this alone. ❤ ❤ ❤

Sending a smile to help light the way,

Karen 🙂

FYI – Visit the first post in this special series at COVID-19 + Homeschooling – Special Series Part 1

P.L.A.Y. in Place with a Plan

Beaver BOOK LOOK 9 (+ videos) The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver (Annotated) by Karen L. Willard

Join this P.L.A.Y. adventure by purchasing HERE!

The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver (Annotated):

A P.L.A.Y. Nature Story Activity Book

by Karen L. Willard

Learn all about amazing beaver behaviors in this P.L.A.Y.-filled nature story activity book based on the Thornton Burgess animal adventure series.

Bonus P.L.A.Y. Beaver VIDEO Series

– Watch on PINTEREST – 

Video 17 <HERE>

 Look closely – guess who left a winter white tail trail along the river?

 

Video 18 (silent) <HERE> 

 Ssssh! Let’s silently follow the tail trail through the snow and sunshine.

Video 18 (narrated) <HERE>

Visit these P.L.A.Y. video pins on PINTEREST to see updates of actual local beaver activity similar to Paddy’s adventures and stay tuned for more in this series.

❤ ❤ ❤

This P.L.A.Y. guide book provides hours of entertainment as a read aloud to share with the whole family, a community group, in a classroom, or to simply curl up with solo.

The BONUS P.L.A.Y. guide pages include opportunities to:

  • illustrate each chapter
  • photos shared of real beaver activity
  • tree themed and blank nature journaling pages
  • recommended resources and so much more

 ❤ ❤ ❤

Join the P.L.A.Y. adventures and share them with family and friends!

Purchase your P.L.A.Y. nature story books and adventure guides HERE.

BOOK LOOK – Crinkleroot’s Guide to Giving Back to Nature by Jim Arnosky

 ~ ~ ~ BOOK LOOK ~ ~ ~

Crinkleroot’s Guide to Giving Back to Nature

by Jim Arnosky

Karen’s short + long of it with P.L.A.Y.ful story preview & P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions.

P.L.A.Y.ful story preview (short):

Clever & Curious Crinkleroot = He Knows Nature

Simply Stated = How to Do Our Part to Protect Planet Earth

Super Series – Checkout more Crinkleroot Children’s Books

P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions (long):

  • Challenge: What calls to you: spreading seeds, planting, setting up bird feeders, protecting spaces, or ??? Time to make a plan!
  • Super Challenge: What needs your attention locally to help the planet? What do you see or hear folks talking about? What small steps can you take to help out or spread the word?
  • Super-Duper Challenge: Jim Arnosky’s stories with his Crinkleroot character have been created by getting outdoors in nature every day and P.L.A.Y.-ing. Read more about how his day’s are filled with doing artistic work indoors for 20 minute sessions and then getting outdoors for long walks in-between. What could your day look like so you are connecting to nature & P.L.A.Y. as often as possible?

Capkins LOVE to be read to – especially playful nature themed story books!

  Be sure to visit and support your local library ❤ ❤ ❤

 

Winter #8 – Nature Alliteration Adventure

Purchase Here – P.L.A.Y. Nature Alliteration Adventure Guide Books

❤ ❤ ❤

A December treasure quest for you & your curious Capkin

is to search in nature for . . .

” Treasure Trove of Tracks “

Bonus – Winter White in the Woods

❤ ❤ ❤

My curious Capkin & I found this treasure to match the description.

❤ ❤ ❤

What other natural treasures did you find in your P.L.A.Y. today? 🙂

Draw, write, color, and creatively capture your discoveries

on the pages of your Nature Adventure book!

Seasonal Gifts That Keep on Giving!

❤ ❤ ❤

New P.L.A.Y. title available  <HERE>!

The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver (Annotated) by Karen L. Willard

This new nature activity story book will provide hours of read aloud or independent reading enjoyment for kids and adults alike as you discover all about the habits of beavers in a New England setting wrapped in a fun-filled adventure spanning one year and all four seasons.

Rediscover this 100+ year old story and characters by Thornton Burgess in this new updated edition with language for the 21st century family modeling loving kindness and opportunities for the woodland characters to practice mindfulness as they go about their days.

From building his home and storing foods to engaging with new friends in the Green Forest and leaving a tail trail in the winter snow Paddy the Beaver has plenty of adventures just waiting to be shared with you. ❤

 * BONUS *

  • Each chapter has illustration boxes to be completed by the reader.
  • Curious Questions and P.L.A.Y. Photos provide opportunities for family discussions and further playful investigations.
  • Tree themed coloring and nature journaling pages to share your creative view of the natural world.
  • Recommended Resources suggesting both picture and chapter books for your P.L.A.Y. adventures.

❤ ❤ ❤

Time to get ready to P.L.A.Y. throughout the WINTER season!

<Purchase Here>

This is a P.L.A.Y.-filled nature guide, with open-ended activities and a fun alliteration twist, encouraging kids and families to explore and connect to the great outdoors daily throughout the winter season.

Each of the 90+ pages provides a new adventure prompt for play-and-seek in nature and a place to capture the memories of these magical moments by drawing, writing, and creatively expressing yourself in this book.

The matching daily blog pages found on this website provide support and inspiration for your seasonal outings including stories about the very curious Capkins who add charm and creativity to every opportunity taken to walk in wonder.

This book is designed specifically for the months of December, January, and February with access to ice and snow recommended.

Visiting a field or forest, a meadow or mountain, a brook or your own backyard with this book you are provided the opportunity to get curious, embrace the simple gift of spending time outdoors, and to foster a daily habit of P.L.A.Y. and connection with your own true nature.

❤ ❤ ❤

❤ ❤ ❤

BOOK LOOK – The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward

 ~ ~ ~ BOOK LOOK ~ ~ ~

The Busy Tree

by Jennifer Ward

Karen’s short + long of it with P.L.A.Y.ful story preview & P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions.

P.L.A.Y.ful story preview (short):

Roots and Rhyme and a very good time!

Delight-filled Discoveries from Trunk to Tree Top

Who lives Here in this busy Home?

P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions (long):

  • Challenge: “Come and see!” is the invitation provided on the last page of Jennifer’s book. Select a tree near your home to visit once a month and create a basic sketch of what it looks like. Record the date and season you first started watching your “busy tree”.
  • Super Challenge: While visiting your tree look for traces of insects, animals, weather, and other changes. Record your findings by creating drawings while visiting your tree or take photos and finish the drawings in your Nature Adventure journal at home by looking at the photos for details. 
  • Super-Duper Challenge: Once you have visited your tree for a year look at all the sketches you have made through the seasons and compare what the tree looks like then and now. Make one grand list of all your recorded findings to see just how BUSY the tree has been!
  • Super-Spectacular Challenge: Try this all over again with another type of tree, perhaps a fruiting tree or one in a forest vs. backyard, and swap things up to see the different types of “busyness” that takes place with various trees. Do you see differences? Similarities?

Capkins LOVE to be read to – especially playful nature themed story books!

  Be sure to visit and support your local library!<3 ❤ ❤

 

BOOK LOOK – In a Nutshell by Joseph Anthony

 ~ ~ ~ BOOK LOOK ~ ~ ~

In A Nutshell

by Joseph Anthony

Karen’s short + long of it with P.L.A.Y.ful story preview & P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions.

P.L.A.Y.ful story preview (short):

Noticing in Nature in a Nutshell

Acorn: Adventure of a Lifetime

Collecting Connections

P.L.A.Y.-filled activity adventure suggestions (long):

  • Challenge: Select one thing in nature and learn about the life cycle adventure it goes through. Example: Plant, Rock, Brook, etc.
  • Super Challenge: What are the changes or transformations this natural item goes through? Over how long – days, months, years? What does it look like? Perhaps draw the cycle in your Nature Adventures journal.
  • Super-Duper Challenge: What connections do you see to other things in nature during the transformation process of the item you are studying? Any surprises? Example: In the story the cherry tree is linked back to the oak tree and acorn.

Capkins LOVE to be read to – especially P.L.A.Y.-filled nature themed story books!

  Be sure to visit and support your local library! ❤ ❤ ❤

Potluck P.L.A.Y. – One Day Wild Wonders

Purchase Here – P.L.A.Y. Nature Alliteration Adventure Guide Books

 These P.L.A.Y. wonders were all found on one day’s walk in the wild. 

(also known as) 

Fabulously Fun Fall Finds!

1st year harvesting Autumn Olives (oh my tartness!) to freeze for smoothies, pies, sauces, with lycopene/Omega 3/ Vitamin C, A, E!

❤ ❤ ❤

Nature’s velcro? Fun for landscape art parts!

❤ ❤ ❤

Fall can be fun and a little “deflating”. Poof!

❤ ❤ ❤

Taking the time to look up into the sunlit forest canopy.

❤ ❤ ❤

Bonus!

I saw “Mr. Prickly Porky” on his rounds in the forest which is not typical during daylight hours. He was quite large, moved a bit faster than I expected, and made for the base of his hollow tree home when he knew of my presence (especially hearing the bells on my walking sticks).

❤ ❤ ❤

Visit my video on PINTEREST (here) to experience the simple gift of “Fall in the Forest – Wind & Water Wonders”.

❤ ❤ ❤