Nature Sock Bracelet

Although fall has been here since September, it is finally settling in. I love the different colors of fall. This week, go out and embrace the season. Use an old sock to cover your hand in. Then, go walk out on a trail, in your backyard, or at a local park. Reach out to feel the leaves, trees, and other wonders of nature. When you get home look at all the treasures that you collected on your sock. You will be amazed at what you can find!

Pumpkin season is here and with it brings delicious recipes and ooey gooey pumpkin guts! I love carving pumpkins, they have such a nostalgic feeling to them; the taste, the smell, the feel, all make pumpkins a very memorable part of fall. Even if you don't celebrate Halloween, or carve out a jack-o-lantern, you can still enjoy the delicious roasted seeds and creamy pies. Use a pumpkin to teach your child about what makes a plant. They can help you to dissect your pumpkin and feel the fibers squish together. While you are elbow deep in pumpkin goop, point out how the seeds are protected by the pumpkin and even set some seeds aside to re-plant to further the lesson on plants.


Want to make some totally delicious tantalizingly yummy pumpkin seeds? Here's how!

You'll need:
One baking sheet
Olive Oil
Pumpkin seeds
Salt

The day before, rinse your seeds and dry them on a baking sheet. This will take about a day.
After they are dried, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, using your freshly scooped pumpkin seeds, cover your baking sheet with a single layer of seeds. Drizzle olive oil over the seeds and spread them around so that the seeds receive a thorough coating of oil. Next, sprinkle your seeds with salt, however little or generously you want. Now you can pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes use a spoon to shake them up a bit and put them back in for another 10 minutes. When they obtain a golden brown and a crisp look to them they are done! Allow them to cool and enjoy your healthy harvest snack!

Feel free to spice it up! Use any desired spices to create a flavored pumpkin seed. My personal favorites are seasoned salt, garlic, and cinnamon with sugar.

Check out how this girl does it!
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/17/how-to-roast-perfect-pumpkin-seeds-easy-crunchy-addictive/

When the Goin' Gets Tough...

I once heard that there is no inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing. While I do feel that this is, in most cases, true I do have some chickenish reluctance that prohibit me from exploring the outdoors in thunderstorms or blizzards. So what then when you have a craving for adventure and nowhere to go? Bring nature inside! Here at the zoo we use sensory bins, they allow us to capture elements of the natural world in a structured setting. Yuck, structured...not my favorite word, but sometimes it is necessary. As I look out my window today at black skies and torrential rain, I can't help but think that playing inside is a good idea.

Playing inside can be done in a bevy of activities, from sheet forts to bathtub scuba diving. This week if your weather turns sour, bring the adventure in with a good ole' fashion game of floor lava or utilize sensory bins to keep in touch with nature. Fill a bowl or Tupperware with sand, dirt, rice or any kind of substrate. Then, hide treasures in there for your young Magellan to find. Allow them to manipulate the feel and properties of the substrate. Pour and fill vials for hours of natural fun as the rain sings a soft pitter patter on the windows.

Land Ho!

Monday is Columbus Day which can be pretty exciting. After all, the discovery of a new world is something to get excited about. Columbus came to the New World in a grand boat, so why not celebrate in like fashion? Let's make our own boats! Using natural materials to make boats can become a very good lesson in density and buoyancy. Encourage your little explorer to find a variety of natural materials to sail with. Then head down to the creek, pond, pool, or even a bucket and roll up your pant legs! Use this time of exploration to splash around and test the different properties of nature. Children also can become quite creative when tapping into this day in history by constructing their boats. Making your own boats will fill up a sunny fall day and bring a sense of wonder for the possibilities of what is left to explore. 

Check out the awesome boats that this mom and her little ones made after a rainy couple of days turned a nearby alley into a creek! Diy Del Ray in DIY Kids: Making Toy Boats with Found Objects