Look, there’s an owl nest.
Hey, check out the trout lilies.
And just ahead, there’s a homeless man sleeping.
So it goes at Turville Point Conservancy on a Saturday morning hike.
Owls and the Homeless: When nature and reality meet Read More »
Learning to ski is a humbling experience. Fall, get up. Fall, get up. Poles and skis slip and slide and get tangled up in the weirdest of ways. That’s pretty much how it goes for first-timers, especially as they learn to maneuver hills. I can’t think of a better metaphor for life. If kids can
What goes down must come up: Life lessons learned while skiing Read More »
This may seem like a no brainer, but in today’s world of competing interests and childhood obesity we can no longer assume that kids are getting outside. Come to a public hearing on January 5th from 10 am to 2 pm at the State Capitol to promote the Wisconsin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. Meet the bill’s
There ought to be a law: Wisconsin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights Read More »
You never know what you’ll see while biking. On Monday, bike club went to Monona Terrace Convention Center and spotted two Pacific Loons feeding in the waters near the bike path. The kids thought they were ducks, but the pointy beak and diving behavior suggested otherwise. I didn’t get the best photo, but that didn’t
Pacific Loon on Lake Monona Read More »
Carrot juice or chips? Raw peanut butter anyone? What do you think kids will eat? Turns out they’ll eat all three, but not necessarily in that order. I didn’t think they’d like carrot juice, but they did. They watched intently as the Willy Street Coop juice bar man turned carrots into juice with the flip of
Carrot Juice vs Chips: Bike for Life explores the options Read More »
They came; they made bubbles; they left. I just went through 12 gallons of bubble juice at Wisconsin Public Television’s Open House at Vilas Hall in Madison, WI. That’s a lot of bubbles. That’s a lot of kids. That’s a lot of fun. About 1000 kids and parent showed up to make bubbles, see Mr. Steve
Lots of Bubbles at Wisconsin PBS Kids Open House Read More »
I let five boys play in “the pond” during after school on Friday. They got a little wet and dirty and they loved it. Imagine that. “The pond” is a rain garden sandwiched between our parking lot and a cell phone tower. It’s a little bit of wild in an urban setting. It’s a place where chorus
Boys build things and play in the water Read More »
I dare anyone to say that kids don’t need recess to learn. There is no better way to prove this than an old-fashioned rainy day. Today was such a day. By 3:00 pm (when we pick up kids from school for afterschool), they were jumping out of their skin. The noise level on the bus
No recess equals wild and crazy kids Read More »
I hated walking as a kid and would beg my mom to drive me places. “You can walk,” she’d say and then explain how when SHE was a girl she had to WALK 100 miles just to get to the bus stop…” Okay, I exaggerate a little, but I truly hated walking. Other kids got
Why kids don’t walk and what we can do about it Read More »
Looking for an easy Nature Hike? Just ask the kids to find two cool things. I did this with a small group of Kindergarten and First Graders and was amazed by the results. Joe immediately found a crack on the ground. “Maybe there’s magma down there,” he said enthusiastically. He then started to dig in
Two Cool Things: Nature Hike made Easy Read More »
