Ah, so many birds and so little time to sketch them poorly in my nature journal! While we did not see too many big animals on our trip to Olympic — not like going to Yellowstone where you’re practically tripping
Olympic National Park: Bird Watching
Olympic National Park: Wildflowers
In the literature I was reading preparing for our trip to Olympic, one description stated that the park had a “dazzling variety of wildflowers.” That was no joke! Due to the extreme variations in ecosystems throughout the park, countless types
Olympic National Park Ecosystems: Pacific Coast
We spent our last couple of days in Olympic on the Pacific Coast, staying at Kalaloch Lodge and visiting Ruby Beach. Prior to our trip, we had prepped with several books about wildlife in the Pacific Northwest and Native
Olympic National Park Ecosystems: Temperate Rainforest
The word “rainforest” conjures images of brightly-colored macaws, 15-foot anacondas, and jaguars creeping along tree branches; however, rainforests are designated simply by the amount of precipitation they receive each year. Their flora, fauna, and climates vary in every other way.
Olympic National Park Ecosystems: Mountains
Our week in Olympic National Park began in the mountains surrounding Lake Crescent. We lodged at the Log Cabin Resort and had a cabin right on the water. The boys enjoyed having easy access to the water for tossing rocks
Olympic National Park Nature Study
The American National Parks are a dream come true for families seeking an opportunity to explore wildlife and wilderness. This summer we made our first visit to Olympic National Park. Located on the Olympic peninsula of Washington state, this park
Gardening with a Preschooler: How Plants Grow
Our seed project has been taking off! Our preschooler planted zinnias in a few pots, and he has been faithfully watering them every day and making sure they get plenty of sun. The sprouts are finally big enough to put
Preschool Science: The Walking Rainbow
To reinforce the color-mixing ideas we’d talked about previously, we tried another experiment with food-coloring and water. This demonstration relies on the tendency of liquids to reach equilibrium. When we connect the jars, the water will flow until it has
Preschool Science: Color Mixing with Ice
We have been talking about boiling, melting, freezing, and states of matter with our preschooler, so we tried this simple color-mixing activity. First, we made blue, red, and yellow ice cubes. We needed five of each color for this activity,
Boundless Energy: Awesome Preschool Science Activity
This week, our marble set has been working overtime. Â We engineered a wall of pipes and tracks to run our marbles down, and we’ve been using it to explore how potential and kinetic energy work. Â We began with a short