Built playgrounds are boring!

It started when I was on a church committee that wanted to re-do our playground. We are landlocked by urban development and spaces that cannot be developed as a permanent play space because they provide income from seasonal parking for football- that most sacred of games. This is a tiny space, mind you. The whole area is only about 24' x 15' wtih significant safety hazards and outdated residential equipment that was essentially taking up over 60% of the playable space. (More on that in an upcoming post). Since the space backs up to our nursery and toddler rooms, it was determined that this would be designed as a play space for ages 0 - 5. First the committee said, we have a little bit of money we want to spend. "We thought we should buy a climber." I cringed. Then I sighed.

If this is your line of thinking, or if you are trying to persuade others why other alternatives should be included, here are some reasons why a climber may not be the first thing you want to spend your money on:

1) They only foster one kind of play, at the expense of others

Playgrounds may be the most dangerous place you take your kids. Some believe this is because they only lend themselves to one way play. You climb up, then you climb out, then you fall off. After the brain and body has utilized the equipment the intended way a few times it gets bored and tries to give itself new challenge. This is when the equipment gets used, say by the third visit, in ways outside of what the manufactures intended it for. This is how my own son broke his arm- climbing on the outside of the tube slide to battle his friend, who then pushed him off.
Also play structures work on the development of gross motor play, but only a small subset of that, but do little to foster fine motor skills, emotional development, or imaginative play. On most play structures kids can not easily skip, there is little to push or pull, they can not lift loads across the playspace. Kids can not perceive differences in heavy or light or different kinds of sensations. There is very little pinching, handwriting, threading. It is harder to invite a friend to tea on the top of the slide, or to include very many friends in the top of your tower. And since the essence of imaginative play is loose parts- those bits that can be structured and restructured into infinite creatures, emotions, role-play, costumes, vehicles, counters, or alphabets- it is disappointing when there are few to be found besides wood chips. These areas also are usually designed for a very specific targeted age range and are inappropriate or even dangerous for other siblings who may find themselves playing at the same location.

2) They demand very expensive materials for filler and shading

If you decide that you are going to build a playground, the conversation will then turn to necessary fill requirements to make the space safe. Very quickly you will realize that your budget has been consumed annihilated to go towards rather boring materials such as pea gravel, poured rubber, rubber tiles, artificial turf, or maybe wood chips, the later must be refilled annually to maintain safe fall heights. (Many areas on existing playgrounds have inadequate depth of filler to meet fall height and safety guidelines!) You may have started out wishing to have other things in your playspace: elements for art, music, bikes, cooking, or construction and find that at the end you have nothing left in budget or space except for making these giant, too often gaudy, rainbow colored industrial structures.

Additionally when most large playgrounds are built, one of the first things that is inevitably done is that trees are removed. Now you have no natural shade and natural play elements are removed. The exposed playground equipment gets hot! This makes the space more limited to certain hours or seasons for comfortable play to occur. Many pediatric and dermatological associations are also beginning to worry about the consequences of excessive sun exposure in young children. So shade sails, which often cover a very small part of the space, must be ordered.

3) They don't usually lend themselves to imitating nature in structure or function

With few exceptions, most playgrounds do not imitate or leave room for nature. How lovely though when there is a "nest" to climb into, a cave to go through, or a forest to lie in. In most playgrounds it is hard to find much which imitates  biological, chemical, or physical processes. There is not usually available water. Where are the life-cycles, evapotransporation, or melting? Does the space foster biodiversity or are the humans the only ones allowed? Are there rocks to turn over, layers to unearth, decomposition to witness?

The children hope so.

Strawberry fields forever

Just a few weeks ago I worked with my son's pre-school and kindergarten to design and install some new kid friendly garden spaces. My favorite element, though, was the strawberry tower.

This was a little bit expensive for one tower, but the good news is that the plants are perennials,  so with a bit of care hopefully the plants will produce strawberries for years to come.

Some notes about strawberries
There are two primary eating kinds: 1) June bearing and 2)Everbearing. June bearing produce one crop (in Oklahoma) for a short window during May to June (or end of April this year!). Everbearing produce continuously throughout May and June with other small crops possible in summer and fall. For a school group that will not meet during the summer, I would recommend either an early or mid-season June bearing. Groups that will meet through summer should consider everbearing varieties. Strawberries need full sun and frequent water at the roots but should never be left in standing water. Ozark beauty, All star, and Early glow might be two varieties to try here because they are resistant to many diseases. And Albion and Seascape are everbearing varieties noted for doing well in containers.


The recommended time to put out transplants here is February 1 to March 20th, or some areas can get away with establishing plants in fall before frost. However, we put ours in April 10th and they are quite happy! Choose plants that are shiny, not powdery (indicates fresh pesticides or possible fungus), vigorous, and without many brown leaves or bug damage. Make sure to check the undersides of the leaves to make sure you are not bringing home any visitors! Plants from small local nurseries will probably have received better care than those from large retail stores. Mail order might be another great possibility to find a particular variety. Also at the very least look for plants that have some white flowers, however your students will be delighted faster if you pick some with small white berries already growing! Bloom to berry is 18-45 days!

The materials used:

• 4 plastic garden pots that stacked: $14.99, $12.99, $10.99, $8.99
• 3 40lb. bags (we actually only used 2.5) of cheap garden potting soil: $9.00
• 1 flat of strawberries: $18
• About the equivalent of 2 bags of compost (Our city is fantastic in providing a city-wide compost program so we can get compost for free if you scoop it yourself)
• bird netting: $8 

----------------
Total cost: $82.96

*This project could be drastically cheapened by using used pots or pots acquired at places like garage or estate sales. (Make sure to wash used pots in a bleach water solution first to avoid contaminating your plants). Strawberries are also very prolific growers and every few years need to be thinned, so check around if anyone has any to give away!

 We also had kid wheelbarrows and shovels available.

The process
The project was done after school and we had about 10 students and three adults helping with the project. The kids eagerly helped scoop compost and soil into each pot. We filled each about 2/3 full to start. Then they used their shovels to mix the pots.

Next we stacked and nested the pots. I found some terra cotta pots for the same prices, but had purposely chosen these plastic ones, just in case one were to fall on a kid.

Finally we added our plants about 5 -8 inches apart on each level. It is a little tricky to get them wedged between the pots. In this case shake most of the dirt off and then tuck them into holes on the edges. It is important to set your strawberries in the dirt at about 1 inch below the stem line. This keeps them from rotting or drying out.

Fill holes with remaining dirt/compost mixture. We then added a few spoonfuls of Strawberries AliveTM organic fertilizer to each individual plant. I happened to already have some at home so I did not charge the school for this cost. You could also add compost and a liquid organic fertilizer like a fish emulsion blend monthly. They are heavy feeders so you will have to feed often.

Care
Drip irrigation or hand can watering works best and do not let soil dry out. Because these are in raised pots they will probably need daily watering and perhaps twice a day in the heat of the summer. When berries begin turning red, cover with a bird net. Put straw on the berries before heat of summer and again for winter. Ladybugs (see upcoming article!) and insecticidal soaps can be used to deter aphids and spider mites. This elevated method may give some protection from roly-pollies and snails. Planting marigolds nearby will also attract beneficial insects.

Tube time to tree time

After several weeks of traveling, sick kids, and a stressed husband in the middle of his comprehensive exams for his doctorate, I'm finally back!

My five year old son LOVES all things electronic. Be it video games, T.V., or computer games he is constantly begging- badgering- berating me to have more more more time to do these activities. One he particularly likes lately is Sonic Underground (which he discovered for himself). It is nearly impossible to turn it off without serious drama, even when it seems to me like I have offered much more appealing things like going outside to play in the mud or play with bows and arrows. Conversations about why it is not so good for his brain are just exasperating and forcing him to go outside just makes him frustrated. I don't want to set up that dichotomy of having to go outside because my mom makes me versus doing this cool media because he likes it. I also want to honor his interests. So we started to have a conversation the other day about what it is about video games he likes exactly.

Me: I was wondering what is it that you like so much about playing video games? It's not one of my favorite things, but I know it is something you like a lot.

C: Well it IS one of mine.

Me: Do you like being able to act out and be part of the story? Being able to knock out the bad guys? How fast it moves? Being able to do tricks you can't do in real life?

C: Yeah, I like all of that. I like going fast.

Me: Well did you know that the video game started out with someone's drawings? It didn't move at all.

C: Really?

Me: It took someone a long time to draw them over and over again to make something that we call animation. They had to be a really good artist- just like you. And they had to do a lot of sketches-just like you drawing in your nature journal. They had to practice a lot and pay attention to the details too.

(We then spent some cool time on youtube looking for some flip book animations.) Here was our favorite:

You Tube video: Flipbook Animation: Sonic the Hedgehog (Full Version) by bloodyrenegadex

(In this day in age kids have the privilege of seeing life in fast motion. We are so spoiled with all the National geographic type images and videos. We never have to wait or plan to see anything. With all these marvelous end products it is so easy for all of us to forget about the process and the painstaking work that might be involved in acquiring such photography and images. As naturalists and interpreters we constantly feel like we are trying to teach a fast world to look slowly. And we worry that our message will be obsolete to this generation who seem to have already jumped ahead to the next thing before we even open our mouths. So I thought fast...what could I do to help him see a process and how can we use nature to show a product and mimic the fun of animation over time? Time-Lapse Photography!)

Me: I know that sometimes I have seen photographers do a trick. Just like the animation tricks our eyes to see many pictures become one, they can make something that usually happens a little bit slowly like a flower opening or a tree growing appear to happen more quickly so that we can watch the whole process. This is called time-lapse photography.

Cris: That sounds really cool mom. 

Here are some amazing nature videos that we found in our discussion of time lapse photography:

 

You Tube video: Flowers in Growth (Time Lapse)

You Tube Video: Thunderstorm time lapse

You Tube Video: Time lapse dandelion flower to seed head

And now Cris and I are doing a project where we are taking pictures of trees in our yard over many days to see how they change over time. We have a tulip tree that is particuarly interesting. As it is spring and everything is bursting into bloom this is an awesome time to do this project!

Look around, what can you and your students turn into an animation/time-lapse project?

Winter wear

It seems a bit absurd to talk about winter clothing, given this bizarre warm weather we've been having here in Oklahoma. It almost seems like we are skipping winter entirely. Even my wimpy California self is starting to miss it. But should it ever decide to reappear you can refer back to this post for some tips on dressing children appropriately for winter elements.

Nothing is quite as adorable as toddlers dressed up like Michalean Ompa Loompas trying to waddle through the door. But are you smothering them? How much is too much?

What should they wear?

• Inner layer of pants and shirt made of wicking (preferably non-cotton layer)
• Next layer of pants and shirt made of wool or synthetics
• Light outer coat
• Thin outer coat (bulk doesn't always equal warmth. Your child will be more comfortable if they have a coat they can play very actively in and that has fasteners that are easiest to take off. This layer will come off quickly in many situations.
• 2-3 layers of non-cotton socks
• Boots that are water and cold resistant- not rain boots!
• Mittens, hats that cover ears. 
• Scarves optional

Check here for a great video on how to dress kids for winter from the Canadian organization Active Kids Club

NOTE: As they run about, children's body temperatures will rise quickly. Most likely they will end up with less layers than you. Encourage them to take off layers as they run to avoid getting sweaty- which could make them cold.

Advice on reducing the expense of winter clothes:

• Choose function over style. All those extra designs etc. are cute but may add substantially to overall cost.
• For coldest conditions choose snow suits over snow pants because they are warmer overall and more able to be adjusted in size.
• Choose unisex colors (or remind your kids that colors are not gender specific) so they can be shared between kids.
• Choose items with drawstrings and adjustable straps so they will last over several seasons.
• Check consignment, thrift, and local and online resale companies.
• Use synthetic pajamas as a first layer.
• If snow boots are not available, plastic bags can be used for short time periods around rain boots, if the child is wearing extra socks, to keep moisture out. Check frequently to make sure child's toes are not becoming too cold.

Ensuring you have adequate warm clothes at your site:

• Consider including necessary clothing items in grant requests.
• Ask parents to donate old winter clothes
• Share a class set between other classrooms of the same grade ***(Note if you are sharing outer clothing layers between students make sure to take these steps to insure germs and lice are not spread...1) Wash all items in hot water cycle of 130 degrees F 2) Dry on hot cycle for 20 min OR put items in sealed plastic bags for two weeks. 1)
• Ask local businesses to sponsor mitten, hat, scarf, or boot trees over toy trees during the holidays

• If you have a parent who sews, consider enlisting them as part of a grant or PTA funding to make durable class set of clothes. 
• Instruct parents to send extra under layers in case kids get wet or sweaty.

 1 Kids Health. "Head Lice." Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/head_lice.html# on January 30, 2012.

When is it too cold to play outside?

While doing my thesis I was shocked when teachers revealed to me that here in Central Oklahoma sometimes the students could not even go outside when it was below 50 degrees F outside! Many of the students were not acclimated to spending any time outside. They often could not afford adequate clothes. The school or the district had overly prohibitive policies. Also some of the necessary clothes are difficult to buy here.

So, how cold is too cold to go outside?
The more you research this question you may realize that in many places it is largely an arbitrary judgment call.  Teachers and parents in northern states and countries are much more lenient then are schools in places like Florida.  Some states (like Missouri) have set up a simple traffic light frame of reference. (Even these guidelines are a bit on the cautious side compared to what schools in sites like Minnesota or outdoor recreation leaders will endure with their students). I could not find parallel regulations for Oklahoma.

Green light: Temperature above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind below 15 mph. Children may play for long stretches bundled to their comfort level.
Yellow light: Temperature between 13 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind 0 to 40mph. Bundle children in several layers with a non-cotton base. Children should also have mittens, hats and water-proof winterized shoes. Play should be limited to short bursts of up to 30 min.
Red light: Below 13 degrees it is unsafe for children to be outdoors at all.

The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) website is the most accurate place to check the temperature and wind. For a more precise estimate of what your conditions actually feel like on the skin check out their wind chill table below.  Find out the temperature and then your wind speed. Read down to the number where those two columns connect. This will tell you the wind chill, or what temperature it actually feels like.

Borrowed from

http://www.weather.gov/os/windchill/images/windchillchart3.pdf

http://www.weather.gov/os/windchill/images/windchillchart3.pdf

Using this table you can see how dramatically wind can change the conditions. Almost any wind would put you into the yellow zone. A 40 degree day with 20mph makes the temperature feel like 30 degrees and extra caution should be taken to make sure children are properly bundled. However, this table also serves as a reminder that in most winter weather conditions (at least here in Oklahoma!) the dangers of frostbite or other severe tissue damage are highly unlikely in a typical playtime period.  (Note: It is very important to keep children dry so if children go out in sleeting or snowing weather they will need dry clothes to change into. Children also should always be taken inside if they are shivering or have bluing lips. Infants will need additional bundling and less time outdoors as they cannot adequately warm their own bodies).

In a region where the temperatures fluctuate so widely during the winter, care givers should make their assessments on whether to play outside based on the actual weather conditions (taking into account the clothing students have available). Playing and learning outside everyday is a right that should be entitled to all children everyday, when the conditions are safe.

Stay tuned for the next post for more information about how to dress properly and creative ideas to make winter wear available at your site...

Book Review: What will I do without you? (lower elementary fiction)

Jefferson Bear and Figgy Two Socks are best friends.  But when Jefferson Bear must go hibernate, Figgy must figure out how she will occupy herself in his absence. She feels abandoned, sad, and angry when he must leave. And nothing seems fun anymore. She starts out exploring by herself and finally finds a new friend in Hoptail the Squirrel. Gently and permissively this book explores the more challenging emotions that can come from interactions with friends. Especially, you will love the gentle watercolor pictures that make the winter forest so playful and inviting. There is much to talk about in the backdrop. And in case you are wondering, yes, red foxes really do enjoy red worms- but even more so in the spring and early summer.

Admittedly, I probably am drawn to this book in part because it makes a top carnivore and a lowly scavenger lovable. After so many children's books that vilify them and perpetuate stereotypes of them as raging man-eaters or worthless competition that warrant extreme fear and thoughtless hunting, it is a welcomed change when they are featured as the main characters. I feel that introducing animals in such fanciful ways in children's books is one way we can start altering public perceptions towards them. (For two GREAT explanations and definitions of the importance of Keystone species and the crucial role of predators see these links. These are direct links to articles in Mother Earth News that I have found to be among the best non-technical and compassionate explanations I have ever seen. These would be a great review before teaching about food webs).

This is a great early elementary book for introducing curricula related to topics such as winter, snowmen, real verses pretend, hibernation, snow tracks, seasonal animal (and plant) adaptations, carnivore verses omnivore, and signs of winter coming verses signs of spring coming. On a social level this book discusses giving our friends space to be different from us, not being clingy, playing alone, dealing with teasing, and making new friends. 

You can share with your students what a real baby fox looks like:

Image borrowed from Lylaandblue.com

And you can remind them that in real life bear/fox interactions are much more intense. Go here to see an amazing photograph of the two chasing each other.

Winter outdoor education curricula ideas

Photo by Oakley originals at creativecommons.org

For early childhood/lower elementary:

From Growing Up WILD, Exploring Nature With Young Children:

• Hiding in Plain Sight- Use Hide and Seek to teach adaptation
• Tracks!- Explore and make tracks
• Oh Deer- Explore parts of habitat
• Field study fun- Explore a plot over time

From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers

• Cold cash in the icebox- Make an insulator to keep ice from melting
• Molecules in motion- Act out three states of water  

From Project WILD

Thicket game- use hide and seek to teach adaptation.

Non-fiction books

• Tracks, Scats, and Signs by Leslie Dendy
• Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's footprints by Jim Arnosky
• When Winter comes  by Laan and Gaber

Fiction books

• Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin
• In the Snow: Whose Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George
• Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Lee
• Stranger in the woods! by Sams and Stoick
• What will I do without you? by Sally Grindley and Penny Dann

 For upper elementary:

From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers

• Cold cash in the icebox- make an insulator to keep ice from melting
• The Incredible Journey- act out the water cycle
• Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc.
• Just passing through- Imitate how water moves down a slope (*Adaption: Change the game by declaring different temperatures in different rounds)
• Molecules in motion- Act out three states of water
• Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)

From Project WILD

• How many bears can live in this forest?- Students become bears and look for components of a habitat.
• My kingdom for a shelter- Construct a lifesize habitat replica 
• Oh Deer- students use tag-like game to learn about carrying capacity
• Urban Nature Search- gather data about what habitats exist in your area. (Winter is great time to find bird's nests).
• Quick Frozen Critters- Use freeze tag to teach adaptations.

Fiction books

• Julie of the Wolves
• Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
• Little house in the Big Wood by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Nonfiction books

• Arctic Tale by Wolverton, Richards, Gore
• Snowflake Bentley by Martin
• Learning about Winter with Children's literature  by Bryant, Keiper, and Petit
• Who lives in the Snow? By Jones and Powell
• The Kids' Winter handbook by Drake and Love

For middle school
From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers

• Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc. 
• Just passing through- Imitate how water moves down a slope (*Adaption: Change the game by declaring different temperatures in different rounds)
• Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)

 From Project WILD

• How many bears can live in this forest?- Students become bears and look for components of a habitat.
• My kingdom for a shelter- Construct a lifesize habitat replica
• Oh Deer- students use tag-like game to learn about carrying capacity
• Urban Nature Search- gather data about what habitats exist in your area (Winter is great time to find bird's nests).

 For high school:

From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers

• Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc. 
• Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)

 From Project WILD

• Artic survival- Do a simulation of hunter gather lifestyle in the artic. 

What active winter curricula have you found useful?
Bonus points: What animal makes the footprints in the above photo?

Wiggly Winter Wonder: Educational Winter Outdoor Play

Your kids are climbing the walls. You are too.  They call it cabin fever, stir crazy. You're about to have a serious case of the winter wackies. But it's soooooo cold...what are some winter ways to take the learning outside?

First, focus on group activities

Cold weather may not be the ideal time for sitting still doing quiet solo activities in journals. You can always do the active stuff outside and then come back in for reflection. Focusing on group activities will build skills like teamwork, cooperation, and creativity while minimizing the time to think about whining or being cold. Group activities will also require involvement from you.  Likewise minimizing your ability to whine or lose feeling in your fingers. For starters you could...Build a life size model, host a winter Olympics, have a scavenger hunt.

Second, use big body movement

This is the best time for building those gross motor skills.  Get that blood flowing. Integrate the curricula with active play. Remember that most old fashioned running games can be easily be re-figured into a lesson. Freeze tag (pun intended) becomes an animal prey/ predator game, red rover (with safety adaptations) could demonstrate migration, and hide and seek can demonstrate adaptations.

Third, focus on dramatic play

What if that fort becomes a historical site? The kids become migrating animals, or physically re-enact the water and nutrient cycles. Perhaps you are able to enact the lifestyles of historic peoples that lived in your area or use snowballs as the ammo in part of a historical reenactment. Use your bird brains, your fox stealth, your smart asses (the donkey!) to figure out how animals survive and thrive in the winter.

Fourth, Use snow any way possible!

Weigh it, measure it, melt it, eat it! Count, add, subtract it. Create target games where the numbers are used in oral multiplication tables. Race on it with timed trials. Sled down it and calculate your velocity. Paint in it with food coloring. Build it.

What are some your most successful winter outdoor education lessons?

Our future's so hot, we gotta get shades!

Two weeks ago our state reached the 100 days of over 100 degree weather this summer. This excessive heat and drought was seen throughout the U.S. creating additional challenges, discomforts, and even dangers for kids to go and play outside. In these conditions kids can easily suffer dehydration, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, sunburn, eye damage, and even the kinds of long term skin damage that can result in melanomas- the most deadly form of skin cancers.

This week we are breathing a sigh of relief and hoping that fall is here to stay. Most of us are trying hard to put the squelching summer as far from our thoughts as possible. However, now is the perfect time to begin grant or fund-raising campaigns at your facility to be thinking about ways you can start providing shade as early as next summer. Additionally you can begin encouraging parks and recreation officials to add shade to existing playground areas.

Here is one grant campaign that is noteworthy. Starting OCTOBER 17th the American Academy of Dermatologists in partnership with the Johnson and Johnson Company will be accepting grants for up to $8,000 to provide shade to non-profits and public schools.

 http://www.aad.org/skin-care-and-safety/skin-cancer-prevention/shade-structure

Advantages to manufactured shade are that it is instantly available after installation and provides more uniform shade. However, very high cost. Some types of manufactured shades to consider include canvas sails and umbrellas.


Another type called a cantilever can be attached to existing buildings or fences, therefore, reducing the need for more posts. Lattices and recycled sheet metals may create a cheaper way to create some shade as well.

Let it snow, or embracing the beast!

To hear the weather forecasters around here talk, you would think snow portends the end of the world! How weary I am of talks of snowmageddon and this snow storm as "beast". Forecasters seem shocked and appalled at the children out in such "horrible" conditions. Shockingly many families are forced to spend more than 24 hours in the same vicinity. Many schools have been closed for four days with more foreclosures looming next week. Will we ever get back to the important things- like school? How can children possibly learn unless they are indoors seated in a chair doing what the teacher tells them to do?

Yesterday my son's school was possibly one of the only ones open in Norman. The high was 18 degrees. We arrived early for the pick up and all of the four year olds were gathered at the top of the hill impatiently waiting for their turns to slide down. Such anticipation, animation, exhilaration, and adoration for the world around them! And such wonderful teachers who have such admiration for children to allow them these essential experiences! As one teacher told me, she thinks not allowing kids to play in the snow is "absolutely cruel."

And yet I know many schools where students do not go outside if it is below 50 degrees. And in most public districts here in Oklahoma there are even policies forbidding kids from having recess if it is below 32 F degrees! This is unjust.

And while the issue is very valid that many students cannot afford to be dressed properly schools and childcare institutions can find creative ways around this problem. One of the easiest ways being building a collection of snow clothes donated from students who have outgrown them. With just a bit of oversight and commonsense there are many beautiful ways for students to enjoy snow play. This is one beast I think we should wholeheartedly embrace.

For some beautiful examples of children engaged in snow play in a climate much harsher then here check out some of my Frode Svane's photos from Norway.

The Butterfly Hunt

And they were off. Six little boys with butterfly nets flapping like starter flags behind them as they raced down the trail in search of Monarch butterflies. Even a grandpa, a retired structural engineer, who was visiting from Boston, commented on just how much fun this was and how much he was learning. "Am I too old to be homeschooled?"
We talked about migration, data, and about the tenderness and teamwork that was involved in catching and tagging butterflies.


Unfortunately we didn't actually catch any monarchs today. Two boys saw one. Where all the monarchs are this season appears to be a bit of a mystery. And from the Monarch watch website
www.monarchwatch.org they seem to be expecting later than usual arrival. Everyone is worried as last year was the lowest population count on record.

However it was still a very inspiring experience. We netted three other kinds of butterflies, a couple of dragon flies, and a katydid. We learned about monarchs' favorite food milkweed and we explored tall meadows and a dry creek bed. Some of the kids even saw an orb weaver spider catch and wrap a rather large grasshopper! Camouflage, culverts, and historical uses of cattails were also introduced. So, I guess that is a very successful day! Can your classroom offer so much in a two hour experience?

Sutton nature park is a jewel. I wish more developers could see the benefit in the proactive preservation of such areas. You can't undo development.

Note: We were later able to successfully tag Monarch butterflies a week later at our county Master Gardener demonstration area, which although very urban hosts a fantastic Monarch way station which offered tremendous butterfly diversity even at it's very small size of under 75sq ft.

Paucity of children's landscapes

We cajole our children to go outside, get some fresh air, go hunt for salamanders, but what if their are no salamanders to find? For nearly all of suburbia this is a sad reality for today's children. This was precisely the profound point that author and professor Doug Tallamy author of Bringing Nature Home was trying to make at a recent Oklahoma lecture. Currently the world is on a blitzkrieg to annihilate many of our co-habitants on this planet. Some sad realities:

• The biggest weed may be the American lawn. Currently this insatiable sprawling monster is occupying land in the U.S. 8 times the size of New Jersey!
• The number of species supported by non-native grasses is close to zero, seconded only by asphalt.
• In the U.S. alone currently 1 out of every 8 species, or a mere 38,000 species, are projected to be on the brink of extinction.
• One out of three of all bird species in the U.S. are endangered
• 85% of all woody invasive plants are escaped ornamentals
• Many of the laws intended to make neighborhoods "aesthetically appealing" are directly and severely compromising diversity

So perhaps the problem lies not with our children, who do not want to spend time bored outside where there is nothing to see, but with the severe paucity of our landscape. Tiny spaces, habitat fragmentation, non-native species are all bidding adieu to the plants and creatures that once inhabitated our shores.
The good news:

• Replanting half of the american landscape that is now lawn with native plants would be the equivalent of restoring 20 million acres or an area bigger than almost all of our most famous national parks including Denali, Yellowstone, The Adorinidacks, Yosemite combined!
• If many people in the same region did this it would create large corridors for butterflies and birds to travel through
• In as little as 3 years, many of the species most threatened may make tremendous comeback
• An intact ecosystem manages itself and would not have much noticeable pest damage
• Some native species like oak (Quercus sp.) and Black Cherry (Prunus sp.) support over 400 species of native butterflies!