Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Nature Exploration in Winter Edition

By: Shevy

Shevy — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:11:31 +0000

@Battra92
What leads you to define everyone who predicts a depression as either ignorant or arrogant?

While I believe that a depression is by no means certain, it is one of the possible outcomes on a relatively short list of alternatives.

On a totally different note, the post with all the uses for coffee filters was great. My personal contribution dates back to when I was with a previous employer, in the IT department. We used to go around the office every few months cleaning all the computers, both monitors and keyboards, with barely damp coffee filters moistened with water and diluted liquid soap.

You wouldn’t believe how much grunge would be removed with a little gentle rubbing and the benefit of the coffee filter was that (as noted in the article) they’re lintless. A paper towel would have made a terrible mess and could have caused problems with the functioning of the keyboard. Lint, crumbs, dust, etc. builds up underneath the keys. The worst example I ever heard was of someone whose keyboard stopped working and the repairman discovered that it was due to all the cheese powder from the Cheetos the owner ate while on the computer!

By: Jude

Jude — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:44:22 +0000

Birds. They’re around all year. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/ has bird songs and information. It’s an amazing site. I’d also use the wildlife sites for your state to see what wildlife lives there, and use enature.com to read more about animals. My favorite nature store is Acorn Naturalists. They have fun nature kits and books, as well as track, scat, and bone casts. But you can study anything you can find–e.g. cockroaches and spiders, if that’s what you have.

By: Battra92

Battra92 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:24:56 +0000

Anyone who is predicting a depression is either ignorant or arrogant.

Probably both.

By: CPA Kevin

CPA Kevin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:03:55 +0000

I was just saying the same thing to my wife after shoveling snow yesterday – that even though it’s cold, we need to find a way to get outside more. We have a 18 month old, so it’s tough to find that balance of getting him outside but not keeping him out too long. We spent about 15 minutes playing in the snow yesterday though and had a blast.

By: partgypsy

partgypsy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:16:45 +0000

Joan reminded me that some of my favorite memories as a child was visiting an arboretum that our parents, especially our Dad, would take us quite often. We would look at the flowering trees in spring, walk through leaves waist deep in fall, climb over fallen tree trunks in winter.

By: SarahMich

SarahMich — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:53:12 +0000

I can think of several nature-related things that can be done inside. I don’t know how many you’d have close to you, but if you checked around, you might be surprised. Locally, around here, options include:

-A fantastic indoor conservatory as part of the university’s botanical gardens. The outdoor gardens are free, and there’s a fee to tour the indoor conservatory, but it’s low (around $3, maybe cheaper for students and young children) and it’s worth it.

-The local science museum. Admittance is by donation, and they have a planetarium, a great geology exhibit, dinosaur bones and more.

-Science and nature programs through the local library, such as a speaker coming in and showing off a variety of live bats.

-Several parks locally have science and nature centers which can be visited for free. They’re indoors and feature educational exhibits that include plants, stuffed animals or sometimes even live animals.

-Aquarium and pet stores often don’t mind if you just browse through taking a look and not buying.

By: Joan

Joan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:20:36 +0000

Trent: Are you aware that this is the start of a good education for your children? They don’t even know that they are learning, but you will be surprised at how much they will retain. Just the fact that they are doing something with daddy is making memories that will stay with them forever. One day, one of them will mention something that you have done together; you will think back to how young they were and be amazed that they remembered. It isn’t so much what you do with them at this age; because everything is new to your children. I think it is a great age to be around a child. THE TERRIFIC TWO’S THREE’S AND FOUR’S.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:03:47 +0000

One other thing that I did with my kids when they were small (and still do to this day) is utilize my local nature centers. I’m really lucky…in NEOhio there are nature centers everywhere, and all of them have age based programs for 1-100 years old. And the best part, is that they are usually free, or at most $3 per outing. And trained professionals whose life work is the environment is leading the activity. (I DON’T NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!!) With my girls, we’ve learned some amazing things…like how the doodlebug rolls up, where the groundhogs sleep, why the woodpecker has such a long tongue, and all the critters that live in the mucky part of a pond by digging it up and (yuch!) sorting it all out!(There’s an awful lot!)Most of the program have a portion of the event outside. Also, if you have a National Park close to where you live, they offer excellent Junior Ranger programs, and the one near us recently started Junior Junior Ranger programs for the 3-5 set. If you visit a National Park on vacation or other travels, inquire about what your kid can do on that day of your visit…I guarentee there is something available to do to learn about the park you are at. Plus, if you do about 3 or more of the offered activities, your kid gets a Junior Ranger badge! My kids have probably 6-8 badges from different places and years we participated locally. I know a homeschooling family who spend all vacations at National Parks and the kids have a vest with all their patches and badges…they are smart kids!

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:37:53 +0000

This may have been mentioned already (too many comments, not enough time!)… grow some sprouts indoors. A little bit of nature in action even in winter, ties in with your interest in gardening and in food. Something low key to “study” after you come in from your adventures in the great (cold) outdoors.

Plus, lots of nutrition for not much money.

By: Gratie

Gratie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:17:17 +0000

Your son is not too young for a magnifying glass and you will find all kinds of creatures in the corners of your basement probably (unless you are clean-a-holic) – mites, dead spiders, and other reminders of animals. You can collect dead plants or frozen plants and look at their small structures. You can find cool things in an abandoned bird’s nest, too.

If you go to Ebay you can probably find a little “microscope” attachment for your computer and he can look at all sorts of things he finds with the magnifying glass.

He is also not too young to make a biome in a jar or grow seeds and start to take simple measurements of growth. He can use a real ruler at that age.

Of course, he will find all kind of things to do with fish. You can teach him about fish being attracted to certain things – like colors, or rocks, or you can train him to make his fish only eat from a certain part of the tank. You can take his goldfish, wrap its gills in gauze soaked heavily in water and then look at its blood flowing through its tail through the microscope. The fish will not be injured at all as long as you keep moistening the guaze with the water from the fish tank.

He is not too young for a thermometer either – he can do experiments with ice and water – the effects of wind on evaporation, how ice freezes, how salt works to change the freezing of ice, how ice and wind changes the tempoerature of the air.

(I am a scientist, start ‘em young!)

By: Vicky

Vicky — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:31:55 +0000

Try this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dirt-Activities-Discover-Wonders/dp/1590305353

Don’t overthink or overplan it. Just bring them out. Camp in your backyard. Get one of those magnifying boxes for kids and just walk around looking for things to look at more closely. The wonders of nature are something you can’t plan for – be open to them.

By: partgypsy

partgypsy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:27:02 +0000

As others have said, Planet Earth is incredible from ages 4 to 84. We have bird feeders up so the wintering songbirds (quite a variety) come to feed. I’m not sure what birds are in your area, but if you have food they will come and you can observe.
I highly recommend “Almost Everything” by Joelle Jolivet. It has pages of anatomy, trees, structures, animals, etc done in beautiful but very accessible artwork, your children will love it.
I love the Usborne science book series. Even if your child is too young to read them, these were some of my older child’s favorite bedtime books, especially the ones where you have to find say 5 of a certain animal in a certain ecology scene. She was having fun but learned alot on the way!
I don’t know if you have a telescope or a neighbor has a telescope, star and comet gazing are year-round affairs.

By: ThomasB

ThomasB — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:05:34 +0000

go find some alder branches and make some snowshoes, he gets to watch you “use” nature, be self sufficient and frugal, you get to be a kid, stomp around in the snow and tow him behind in a cheap plastic sled (use 2 thin pieces of PVC about 5ft long crossed behind you to keep the sled from bumping in to you). There’s a solid 7 months of real winter where i live ,it is an awesome time to get out in nature,it will blow your mind to see tracks and watch animals survive or thrive, they adapt so should you. Enjoy.

By: irena

irena — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:10:17 +0000

Explain to him that no two snowflakes are ever alike, and then make paper cutout snowflakes with him to hang up in his room or on the windows. I remember cutting different designs into paper to makesnowflakes use to amuse me for hours! =]

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:38:52 +0000

Now is the time to start long-term plants for spring planting! Start some tomatoes from seed! See also eggplants, watermelons, etc.

The Blu-Ray BBC version of Planet Earth is tops, but super-expensive. We watch Nature and Nova and lots of Gardening-by-the-Yard. ;)

And I second the just get out there bit. Even 20 minutes a day is great for the kiddies. Build an Igloo!

By: EJ Koon

EJ Koon — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:20:55 +0000

Go outside and look for animal tracks–even backyards will have some.

Freeze ice in different throw away plastic containers with colored water and build ice castles.

Catch a snow flake on a piece of black construction paper and then put it in the freezer. Look at it. Read books about Snowflake Bentley.

Look for book by Sandra Markle at the library. She’s written “Exploring Winter,” “Exploring Spring,” “Exploring Summer,” and “Exploring Autumn.

Blow bubbles outside when it’s cold.

I always used to go the the library and look for nature books and I also do search on-line (this time of year try: winter nature activities for preschoolers.

Have fun!

By: connie

connie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:04:43 +0000

Have you thought of a terrarium? That was a project we did in winter for about 3-4 years in elementary school. Probably 3-7 grades. Most of the kids had moms with houseplants that supplied our cuttings, we rooted them, then found a large jar with a tight fitting lid (usually a gallon jar left over from somebody’s restaurant – yes back then they were glass not plastic) which we filled with the appropriate things, I think I remember a layer of crushed charcoal, potting soil, plants, a layer of moss and even a snail or two. Then water well, seal and watch it grow. A complete little eco-system. I’m sure there are better directions somewhere on the net….This was all done with minimal cost (remember, it was a school project!) and some of them lasted for several years before outgrowing the containers. Even then, you could open them and prune the plants, etc. and seal again. But I also have to say – this is only an indoor activity. I agree completely that you should start your kids out early with being outside some each and every day. If they are kept inside all the time, then the occasion comes when they have to get out – they will be much more likely to get sick in my opinion ( as a mom who made this mistake and had a 3 year old with an ear infection) and also according to our pediatrician. Hope any or all of this helps -

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:45:11 +0000

If you have access to a local greenhouse or conservatory, try to get in for a visit! When I lived in Minnesota, I would go to the local greenhouse at least once a month Jan-April just to see the color green, and to smell things growing.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:24:21 +0000

Hi Trent,
I’ve been reading your articles for a long time, but have not commented yet, until now. I am moving to Iowa (my husbands home state) in a few months and we have a 2 year old. She also loves the outdoors and doesn’t seem to mind the weather. But another indoor option is to buy some goggles and let them use them in the bath. My daughter is warming up to the idea of taking the plunge, to see all the new plastic froggy and fishy toys I put at the bottom of the tub under the bubbles. She is a little hesitant to submerge her head, but I think she is about to do it any day now, she wants to find those frogs! I have a mesh bag and net for her “fish” for them once she gets the hang of it. Try it with your kids, it might be a winter alternative to swimming at the lake this summer! See you in Iowa in the Spring!! ~ Lindsey in CA

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:18:47 +0000

Plant some seeds in egg cartons or something. This gets a head start on your garden if you have grow lights.

While getting out in the snow to play sounds great, some things to consider:

1. Buying things in the spring for the kids in the following winter involves some significant gambling on what size they will be later.

2. Not all of us have normal circulation. My chief memory of all of my family’s snow “fun” is agonizing pain in my fingers and toes, regardless of how many layers of warm clothes I had on. I’m not saying your kids will be the same, but if they are complaining of pain, take it seriously instead of labeling the kid a whiner. Nobody else in the family had that problem, so I couldn’t possibly have actually been suffering.