Flower Pounding Craft + Wildflower Nature Study

It's wildflower season here in Colorado - my favorite time of year to hike in the mountains surrounded by color! Last week we went up to one of our favorite spots and collected the most gorgeous bouquet, including some of my favorites: chiming bells, larkspur, Indian paintbrush, lilies and geraniums. I've already pressed these beauties…

Amazing Moths and Night Creatures – and FREE Printables!

It’s National Moth Week! Did you know that moths outnumber butterflies 9 to 1? There are so many beautiful and amazing species and they’re important nocturnal pollinators. Over the next couple of weeks the kids and I are going to be looking at the summer night sky and all of the creatures that come with…

Summer Trees: Nature Study Lesson Plan

We study trees all throughout the year - partly because my husband is a forester and trees are a big part of our lives (they're like family!), but also because there's just SO much to learn about! So here, I present to you, our favorite resources for learning about trees. Tree Nature Study Resources This…

Learning About Honey Bees ~ A Complete Nature Study Lesson Plan

Honey bees are one of our favorite nature study topics ~ they are such amazing creatures! Their hives are incredibly efficient, with different jobs assigned to their workers, like: Nurse bees, who care for the youngGuard bees that stand watch at the entrance of the hiveThe queen's attendants, which bathe and feed the queenConstruction workers,…

A Roundup of Our Best-Loved Spring Nature Crafts

Don't you just love this time of year? Here in Colorado, March tends to be more of a battle between winter and spring, as the first flowers bravely peek out from fresh waves of snow. Nature crafts are a fun way to celebrate the new season while we wait for things outdoors to thaw. I've…

Autumn Activities to Celebrate the Season

Fall is here! It's my very favorite season, and because of that I tend to go *slightly* overboard with all of the fall things. (Can you relate?) I put together a list of all the things the boys and I have done over the past few years, as well as some on our list for…

12 Nature Play Ideas for May

Now that our yard is waking up and everything is blooming, I though it would be fun to do a roundup of nature play ideas you can do from your own backyard: Nature Playdough Caterpillars Nature Butterfly Symmetry Nature Weaving Craft Nature Salt-Dough Pendants Nature Scavenger Hunt Nature Bugs Grass Weaving Sun Catchers Nature Letters…

Night Sky Playdough; Our Favorite Way to Study Space

Let me begin this post by saying we made this night sky playdough NINE MONTHS ago and it is still going strong! I don't know how, I don't know why, but this playdough lasts forever. (We store it in a ziploc storage bag inside a cupboard inside a cool room). We've used it to study…

New! The POND Nature Journal is here

Friends, it's here! The Pond Guided Nature Journal is in my Etsy shop and ready for your little explorer. Inside are posters, flash cards, coloring pages and journaling prompts covering 5 different topics (frogs, dragonflies, turtles, aquatic plants, aquatic minibeasts), and I’ve also included ideas for activities, sensory play and a book list. Head over…

rocks and mineral download

Rocks and Mineral Properties – FREE Activity

Here's a little boredom buster that's sure to keep the rock-lovers happy in your house. This is a FREE Rock and Mineral Properties Activity Sheet for immediate download. My boys loved testing the rocks from their collection - I hope your kids love it, too! Rocks and Minerals - Free Download