Gardening with a Preschooler: How Plants Grow

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

Heirloom Bloom

Heirloom Bloom

My grandfather loved his flower garden.  I recall my mom planting a few tomato plants for them one year, but for the most part, they grew the flowers.  A mountain of snapdragons.  Hoards of little pansies that my grandma always

Little Green Thumb: Gardening with a Preschooler

Little Green Thumb: Gardening with a Preschooler

One of our big summer goals for this year has been keeping a vegetable garden.  We tried last year but without much success (weeds, squash bugs, some kind of hex on our peppers…), so we are being more deliberate and

Nature Journal

Nature Journal

My aunt — in addition to being a corporate real estate lawyer — is a very talented artist.  When I saw her last month at my sister’s wedding, she pulled me aside conspiratorially at one point to show me her

Summer Goals

Summer Goals

Finally, finally, finally, summer is here! You cannot know unless you have ever taught middle school the blessed relief that Memorial Day weekend can bring. This new season brings a major shift in our day to day routine.  No more

Teeny Tiny Photographer on the Trail

Teeny Tiny Photographer on the Trail

As preparation for our trip to Olympic National Park this summer, we took our littles hiking.  For the past few months, we have been letting our older son, who is three, take photos around the house with our camera.  This

Cave Hike

Cave Hike

We are taking our boys to Olympic National Park for a week this summer, so we did a little trial run this weekend.  We hiked down to a cave near our house — about a 2.5 mile loop — with

Bird Watching 

Bird Watching 

To say that I enjoy watching birds is a bit of an understatement. Essentially, if you are driving, don’t ask me to navigate because chances are good that I’m going to miss our turn if an interesting bird flies overhead.

No Wind, No Problem

My three-year-old is forever teaching me about determination (or “stubbornness,” depending on the particulars).  This week, it was the kite he got in his Easter basket.  Every day, he’s been looking out the window and declaring that it’s really windy

Charlotte Mason: Outdoors Every Day

Charlotte Mason: Outdoors Every Day

Since making the decision to home school my children, currently ages one and three, I have been researching various methods of home schooling.  Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share with you some of the benefits I’ve seen