Playdate With Nature

Fun February Classes!

2012-01-24T16:07:00.000-06:00

Posted by Jenny

Hello everyone! We hope you are staying warm and enjoying your winter! We have been busy here at Cantigny planning and preparing for all our classes and events for 2012! Lots of paperwork and computer work!

Needless to say, we are excited to get back into the classroom and see all our students again soon!

This year we are offering two one-time classes in February. They are sure to be a great time, we hope you can make it!

Here is all the information:

Snow Man Party!

Friday, February 3rd, 10:00-11:00am, ages 3-5 with parent, $10

Snowmen can be “snow” much fun! Join us for stories, crafts, and songs all about snowmen! If there is snow on the ground we will go outside and build a few snowmen too. After all the fun, we will share a treat of cookies and hot chocolate!

Love Bugs!

Friday, February 10th, 10:00-11:00am, ages 3-5 with parent, $10

Love is in the air! Come get ready for Valentine’s Day with your little love bug! We will read stories, make a craft, and have all the supplies ready for you to create special Valentine’s Day cards! When all the crafting is complete we will share a special treat!

Registration for both these programs is availiable online at http://www.cantigny.org/, or you can call 630-260-8162 to register by phone.

Hope to see you there!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Wait!!! Where's all the Snow?!

2011-12-19T15:06:00.000-06:00

Posted by Jenny.

We have spent the past month learning all about snow in our Sprouts, Wiggleworms, and Doodlebugs classes. We learned about where snow comes from, what snowflakes look like, what animals do in the snow, and we talked about all the fun things we can do when it snows outside. But, each week, our students would wonder where all the snow was!

By this time of year, most children dream of spending their days bundled up in snow gear and happily building snowmen, sledding, having snowball fights, and catching snowflakes on their tongues before heading inside to warm up with a nice up of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Sadly, that may take a bit longer then usual this year! I checked the forecast today, and it doesn't seem like any significant snow is headed our way, at least for the next ten days.

So.......here are a few suggestions of ways you can play with "snow" inside...that is, until we get enough snow outside to bundle up and go play!

These cottonball snowmen are simple and adorable! We made them in our Sprouts class:
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/winter/cotton-ball-snowman.asp

Grow your own snowflakes! Kids love this easy science experiment!
http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/ProjectDetail.aspx?ProjectID=152

Make snowflakes out of coffee filters! Each will be unique and beautiful, just like real snowflakes! You can hang them in your windows! The kids in our Doodlebugs class could have made these all day!
http://www.smartcenter.org/ovpm/december-07.htm

Cuddle up with that yummy hot chocolate, and read some great books about snow.

A few of our favorites are:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
The Secret Life of a Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht

Talkin' Turkey

2011-11-21T15:39:00.000-06:00

Posted by Jenny

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week, turkey has been on everyone's mind! Most people are thinking about the turkey they are going to eat for dinner (and all the yummy sides too)! But did you know that there is a group of wild turkeys that make their home here at Cantigny? These interesting birds can be seen all over the park, but do have a preference for the area in the back of the park near our Administrative Building. Sometimes they like to block cars making it a challenge for employees to go home at night!

Wild turkeys live in the woods. They need large trees to provide food and shelter. At night, the turkeys will roost in the lower branches of trees. Yes, wild turkeys can fly! Turkeys will eat whatever they can find, but really enjoy insects, berries, seeds, grains, and nuts. Male wild turkeys are called "toms" or "gobblers" and can weigh up to 21 pounds. Females are called "hens" and weigh about 10 pounds.

Next time you visit Cantigny see if you can find our wild turkey friends and tell them, "Gobble Gobble!"

As you and your family get ready for the holiday, here are a few fun turkey crafts to try at home:

Leaf Turkey
http://www.holiday-kids-crafts.com/thanksgiving-crafts-fall-leaf-turkey.html

This is a fun fall project to work on together. Go outside, collect some leaves, get your glue and paper out, and you are ready to make a cute turkey!

Here's a few more ideas for great Thanksgiving/turkey crafts:
http://www.preschool-learning-and-crafts.com/preschool-thanksgiving-crafts.html

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Perfect Pumpkins

2011-10-27T16:42:00.002-05:00

Posted by Jill

October is a great month to be a teacher! It’s chalk-full of fun topics: spiders, changing leaves, scarecrows, and PUMPKINS! I’ve always been a fan of pumpkins, from searching high and low for the perfect pumpkin in a large patch to sipping a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks, they are quite a treat!

Jenny and I both teach a series of nature-based classes at Cantigny Park. Last week, the topic was pumpkins. For our littlest friends, we simply explored the shape, color, and size of pumpkins. For our slightly older friends (3-5 yr. olds), we were able to get a little more in depth. Children not only explored the shape, color, and size of various pumpkins, but also learned how a pumpkin grows.

We gave the children a chance to investigate the inside of a pumpkin. We were both surprised how many children did not want to touch the inside of the pumpkin. I guess the slimy pumpkin guts and slippery seeds didn’t have any appeal. Who knew? The children noticed that the inside of the large orange pumpkin we cut into was also orange. Then the question arose, what color would the inside of a white pumpkin be?

I had never carved a white pumpkin, so this called for an experiment. I happened to have a small white pumpkin in the Education Center, so after cutting a lid, I carefully lifted it, and low and behold, the white skinned pumpkin still was orange inside, just a bit lighter than the inside of our orange-skinned pumpkin.

I turned to the web for an explanation and learned that most pumpkins are orange in color due to high amounts of lutein, alpha- and beta- carotene. That said, our white skinned pumpkin must have had lower amounts of these vitamins.
(Source: http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-for-your-home-garden/outdoor-living/the-many-colors-of-pumpkins.html)

We had fun in our classes investigating pumpkins, but I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite pumpkin activities to try at home with your family:

CRAFTS:

Pumpkin Seed Mosaics

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/fall/pumpkin-seed-pumpkin.asp

I found this craft on the All Kids Network website. We didn’t do this mosaic with our classes due to the large number of seeds we’d need, but it seems like the perfect project to do at home. If you don’t want to paint the pumpkin seeds, I imagine you could put them in a plastic baggie with some food coloring and a small amount of rubbing alcohol. (This is how we dye our rice and noodles for other craft projects, and it works great.) After the seeds have their desired color, lay them out on newspaper or a paper towel to dry.

ACTIVITIES:

Pumpkin Playdough!
I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually tried this recipe, but it seems like so much fun! The recipe is on the website: http://www.preschooleducation.com/. Let me know how it works!

(NOT FOR EATING)
5 ½ cups flour
2 cups salt
8 teaspoons cream of tartar
¾ cup oil
1.12 ounce container of pumpkin pie spice
Orange food coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)
4 cups water

Mix all of the ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until all the lumps disappear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Count and Compare Pumpkin Seeds
Count how many seeds inside a couple different sized pumpkins. Is the size of the pumpkin indicative to how many seeds it will contain?

Order Pumpkins
If you have a collection of various sized pumpkins, have your child put them in order from smallest to largest.

Sink or Float
Perform your own sink or float science experiment. Fill a baby pool, sink, or bath tub with water. Have a few pumpkins of various sizes on hand. You might want to include other fruits such as an apple, orange, or green pepper. Make a prediction on whether each will sink or float, then test them out.

SONGS/BOOKS:

Have You Ever Seen A Pumpkin? (author unknown)
(Tune: “Have you ever seen a lassie?”)
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
A round one, a tall one, a bumpy one, a squashed one.
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
(You can add your own adjectives to describe it)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin (author unknown)
(Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
How'd you get so big and round?
Planted as a seed so small
Now you’re like a great big ball!
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
How'd you get so big and round?

Pumpkins by Ken Robbins
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

There are many more wonderful learning opportunities using pumpkins. If you have any favorites to share, please do so!

Spider Craft

2011-10-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Posted by Jenny

I can't believe it's already October! The leaves are changing, scarecrows are up all over Cantigny, Halloween is coming soon, and there is a chill in the air! We are busy creating lessons and finding crafts for our fall classes. I came across this awesome spider craft that is simple to make with many items that you probably already have at home! We will be making this craft in our Sprouts class later this month and I wanted to share it with you! Happy crafting!

I found the idea for this craft on one of my favorite websites, The Crafty Crow! Thanks!

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2009/10/spooky-spider-crafts.html

What you will need:

one paper lunch bag

markers

glue
glitter
newspaper or scrap paper
small amount of yarn
8 small twigs
hot glue gun
tape

First, color the bag with markers. Be sure to color all parts of the bag including the back and the sides.

Next stuff a small amount of newspaper into the bag for the head. Gather the bag around the head shape and tie yarn around to hold in place. Continue stuffing bag to desired size and tape bottom of bag closed when finished. You spider now has two body parts, just like a real spider! The head and the abdomen.

Now it's time to decorate! Add some designs with glue on one side of the spider. The shake some glitter on to cover the glue.

The next thing to do is to hot glue the twigs on for legs. You will want to glue four twigs on each side of the body. Just use a large blob of hot glue and the twigs should stick well.

Yeah!!! Your spider is complete! There are a few optional things you can do to make your spider even more fun! I used a hole punch to make a small hole in the bottom of mine and added a piece of yarn so my spider can hang off things. You can also make an extra large spider web out of yarn on your wall for your spider to climb on!

The Quest for Pinecones!

2011-09-20T12:59:00.001-05:00

Posted by Jenny

Is it just me or did the weather go from summer to fall overnight?! This chill in the air has got me thinking about all things fall...pumpkins, scarecrows, leaves, hot chocolate, sweaters, and PINECONES! A few weeks ago I had the idea to make pinecone birdfeeders for our craft project at the upcoming Cantigny Green Fair which meant that I needed to find a few hundred pinecones. No problem, I work at Cantigny! There are beautiful trees everywhere, plenty of conifers, I would be sure to find that many pinecones! Much to my surprise, the beautiful trees here at Cantigny were not ready to drop their cones. I spoke to our forester about my predicament and he let me know that it can depend on the weather and the type of tree, but we typically see the majority on the ground in October.

I was not willing to accept defeat and decided it would be my personal mission to somehow find enough pinecones for this craft project! I took a walk around my neighborhood later that evening...no pinecones. Jill thought there was a tree with lots of pinecones near her mother's house. Turns out, that tree doesn't exist anymore! Yikes! At this point, I was pretty sure that I was in trouble.

Then, while out at Target shopping for supplies for our Sprouts and Doodlebugs classes, I decided to take a different route out of the lot and stumbled upon lots of pine trees with TONS of pinecones!!!! So, I went back with a large box, parked my car a little down the street and started collecting. I am sure that I looked a bit crazy to others driving by the busy street as I crawled around on the ground under these trees throwing pinecones into a large box. But, that's ok, I knew my effort would pay off.

At one point during my collection I did fear that I was about to be attacked by a group of geese. They were hanging out at a park across the street from me, and once I was spotted they all came to the side of the road and proceeded to honk ferociously at me until I decided to leave!

So, now I proudly have over 200 pinecones sitting in my office just waiting to be turned into beautiful bird feeders at the Green Fair. Why don't you come out and make one?

Our Green Fair is on Saturday September 24th from 10am-4pm and if free with the $5.00 parking fee. Besides these fabulous birdfeeder crafts there will be plenty more exciting and earth friendly activities! Check out our event page for all the details!

http://www.cantigny.org/Special_Events/signature_events/green_fair.aspx

My collection!

For the Love of Trees

2011-09-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

Posted by Jill

I’m officially a blogger. Yikes! I will face my fear of writer’s block head on! Blank screen...you’ve got nothing on me! I have loads of material to share with my readers...or at least that’s what I’ll tell myself! So as I look out the window, contemplating ideas for a riveting post, there it is staring right back at me...TREES! I shall blog about trees! Perfect timing because our theme this month for our Wiggleworms and Sprout classes is trees. That said, I’ve been brainstorming and researching all things trees! It’s amazing...I see trees everyday, but certainly don’t appreciate their existence on a daily basis. Not only are trees a beautiful sight in every season, but think about how much we rely on them for our own existence!

You likely have a childhood memory of climbing a backyard tree--finding a way to get to the top, swinging from a tire swing, picking apples, or jumping in a pile of leaves on a crisp fall day. Why not nurture your child’s appreciation and love of trees with some fun ideas the whole family can enjoy? So without further adieu, here’s a list of some fun, yet simple, activities that you and your children can do for the love of trees!

-Hug a tree. Is the tree trunk too big?...Hold hands and see how many family members or friends it takes to wrap around the tree!

-Go on a treasure hunt and collect items that have fallen from the trees such as acorns, leaves, and pinecones. Make a collage, sort, or compare your findings!

-Tie colorful ribbons or streamers on the tree branches to catch the wind.

-Looks for nests in trees and other animals, besides birds, that live in trees.

-Take a hike and notice the different kinds of trees you see along the way. (Cantigny Park has a 2.5 mile hiking trail around the perimeter of the park. You can even pick up a free children's Tree Identification Activity Booklet at the Visitors Center Kiosk desk to use along the way!)

-Find some shade under a tree, relax, and read a book!

-Hang a birdfeeder from a tree branch and watch the birds munch!

-Make a stylish leaf crown! (This idea is from the book Nature's Playground by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield. We've done this activity in some of our children's programs and they just love it! Parents also get a kick out of their child's very vogue creation!) Materials needed: Thick cardboard (cereal boxes work great) cut into strips about 2.5 inches by 20 inches with double-sided sticky tape attached along one side of each strip, and a stapler to secure any heavier (or drooping) items. Have fun and remember to take lots of pictures! Hail to the King and Queen of the Forest!

This list can go on and on, so don’t waste anymore time...make a playdate with nature and enjoy the beauty of trees!

We're Back! Did You Miss Us? :)

2011-08-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been a L-O-N-G time since we updated this blog! There have been some cha-cha-cha-changes here at Cantigny that we need to catch you up on. The original blogger, Jennifer, has moved on to a new teaching position and while we miss her, we are excited for her new opportunity! The Education Department of Cantigny now consists of the dynamic duo of Jill and Jenny! Together we teach and coordinate children and adult classes, programs, and special events.

Jill has been with Cantigny for three years and is the Education and Volunteer Coordinator. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Miami University (Ohio). When she's not teaching, Jill is busy training for the triathlons that she regularly participates in. She also likes cooking and makes a famous chocolate chip banana bread! Yum!

Jenny just started at Cantigny in June and is the Education Program Assistant. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University (go Huskies! ). When she's not teaching, Jenny loves to knit and is always working on a project! She learned how to knit in a class at Cantigny- sign up today! :)

We both enjoy getting to know the wonderful families that we meet in our classes. We enjoy teaching classes that peak curiosity and appreciation of the natural world, and what better place to hold class then on the beautiful grounds of Cantigny! We are lucky to come here everyday!

So, now that you know us a little better we hope that you will follow us and tell your friends about us! We promise to update frequently!

Build a Snowman- Indoors!

2011-02-07T10:16:00.011-06:00

With feet of snow on the ground, it's hard not to think about all things snow--- sledding, skiing, snow-shoeing, snow angels and snowballs....and of course SNOWMEN!

Prior to Snowapalooza, my neighborhood had a few of these friendly Frostys standing proud in various front yards. It's always such fun to see how creative children can get with their snow-people. Most donned the tried and true hat and scarf combo and a few had mittens or gloves on the ends of their skinny stick arms. I remember a winter growing up when my sister and I dressed our snowman in a Hawaiian shirt and our snow lady in a nightgown- what a well dressed couple they were, waving to the passersby!

I'm not too sure our odd couple would have been as easy to make this past week. While the four foot drifts made for excellent snow forts and climbing hills, the heavy snowfall made actual snowman building a challenge. BUT, that doesn't mean you and your children can't build a snowman...just do it inside!

Here are a few simple steps- with simple supplies- to make your own melt-free, mess-free snowman!

What you need:
liquid white glue (like Elmer's), non-menthol shaving cream (inexpensive works best!), mixing bowl, spoons, construction paper or cardstock and scissors

What you do:

Cut out a few small snowman accessories from the construction paper or cardstock- a hat, scarf, little black circles for coal, a carrot nose etc- be creative, maybe your snowman will have hair or wear a necklace! Also, consider looking for a few small sticks for arms- or cut them out of paper. Set these aside.

In a bowl, mix equal parts liquid white glue and shaving cream. Mix until soft peaks form and all the glue (be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl) is well mixed in.

With a spoon, make the first -and largest- ball of the snowman's body by scooping up a generous heap of the mixture and "plopping" it onto the construction paper or cardstock- dark colored paper works best. Use the spoon to push the mixture into a round circle- add more as needed. Do this twice more to add the other circles- completing the snowman's body.

While the mixture is still wet, gently add the accessories by setting them in place and gently pushing them onto the mixture. No glue is needed because the glue is IN the mix!

Embellish your picture by adding snow on the "ground", or using your fingertip to add snowflakes.

When finished, lay your picture flat somewhere where it won't be bothered for a few hours- preferably overnight. When your picture is dry there will be no dark wetness marks on the back of the paper and if you gently touch the "snow" it will spring back when you lift your finger. AND- the best part is, when your picture is dry, it will still be PUFFY! Your snowman will be 3D! How cool is that?
Enjoy making a family of these fluffy, puffy snowmen. (pssst...also makes great sheep and ghosts...)

Snow Cool!

2010-12-13T10:45:00.003-06:00

Who said snow has to be white?? (ok, ok... please hold your yellow snow comments...)

Snow can be a rainbow of colors! Fill up a few squirt bottles with water dyed with food coloring or liquid watercolor paint (be sure it is non-toxic!) and send your children out to liven up your yard!

Squirters can write their names in the snow, make a painting on snowplow mounds or add colorful details to a snowman. What fun!

Makin' a Stink!

2010-10-27T12:33:00.007-05:00

During a recent "nature treasure hunt" with preschoolers here at Cantigny, the youngsters scampered around the prairie and trees surrounding our beautiful new Education Center, happily picking up leaves, bark, nuts and petals to fill their bags. They ran up and down the paths around the building- darting in to the grass when something caught their eye. They covered most of the ground around the building, all the while giving a wide berth to the row of ginkgo trees.

While intrigued by the cool fan shaped leaves and the height of these great trees, they all acknowledged the same fact..."These trees STINK!", and avoided them like the plague.

"It smells like puke over here!", "Peeew!" and "UGH! What is THAT smell?" were shouted as the treasure hunters passed the ginkgoes.

The short, 4 year old friendly, answer is "The smell comes from the seeds of the ginkgo tree. They have a strong smell don't they? (smile)"

These seeds, affectionately called "stink balls" or "puke balls", are not only scattered outside the Education Center, put also across a staff parking lot in the park. I have to laugh as I look out my window and see that NO cars are parked in the three spots nearest the ginkgo tree. It only takes driving over the seeds once, and getting them stuck in your tire treads- or heaven forbid, stepping on them- and driving home with the smell of vomit in your car to realize you shouldn't park near the tree in October!

BUT, each fall, I also observe park visitors gathering up these horridly stinky seeds! WHY??!! I couldn't image why anyone would want a bag full of stink, so I did some investigation. Knowledge is power.

Ginkgo seeds contain butanoic acid (also known as butyric acid) which is also found in butter, Parmesan cheese and well...puke. Who's hungry! :} The smell really lets loose once the seeds have fallen...and especially when they have been run over by novice parkers.

Okay...so now we know why they smell. WHY do people want them??

The seeds are actually a traditional Chinese food. (Ginkgo is the national tree of China!) Ginkgo nuts (the hard part inside the stinky seed coat) are used in many dishes, and are often served at special occasions. In Chinese culture, they are believed to have health benefits, and even aphrodisiac qualities. (ugh.) The fleshly seed coat is not recommended for eating due to ginkgotoxins which can cause seizures. Yikes!

I know I had heard of ginkgo being used as a memory enhancer- you've seen those ginkgo biloba pills in health food stores etc right? Well, those attributes mainly come from extracts from the LEAVES- not the seeds. There is a LOT of info out there about ginkgoes being used for medicinal purposes, so I have included this fact sheet from the Department of Health to give you the basics.

So, stinky story short....yep, it DOES smell like puke by this tree. But, stand upwind and just appreciate the tree for it's natural beauty. And, if you are so inclined, pull on some gloves (please), pick up a few seeds and explore them yourself.

September 22

2010-09-22T14:04:00.001-05:00

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Float Your Boat

2010-08-27T14:29:00.007-05:00

All the rain we've had this summer left plenty of puddles.....which I find are good for a handful of things.

A. Stomping in. Obviously.

B. Stomping in hard enough to splash your brother, sister, mom, or dad.

C. Heroically saving a drowning worms life. You'll feel good about yourself all day if you fish those guys out and drop them safely in the grass- I guarantee it.

D. Floating handmade boats.

This summer I somewhat mastered the art of paper boat making during Cantigny's Wild Wednesday program. And when I say mastered, I mean I can make three basic kinds of boats, I am not an origami guru by any means. Please don't ask to see an intricate flower, or crane, or gorilla.

But these three boats, look out- I've got them down!

My favorite- the canoe- is illustrated step by step below. By the time you scroll to the last picture you too will be a nautically themed origami wizard....at least when it comes to little paper canoes. And with a little patience (on your part) and a little practice (on their part) your children will be folding and sailing boats by bath time!

So, grab a square of colored paper- the bigger the better for your first try ( I recommend using actual origami paper that is colored on one side) and start to scroll...

Start with your paper colored side up.

Fold it in half.

Fold it in half again, to create a square.

Unfold the entire paper so that you have a windowpane of creases.

Fold in one side to meet the center line. Repeat on the other side.

Fold up each corner to meet the middle line.

Fold each edge up to the middle line to form shallow a triangle. It is okay if they overlap in the middle.

Fold the top and bottom points in to the middle line.

Pinch the boat in half so that you see the colored paper through the center line.

Carefully turn the boat inside out so that the color is on the outside. Slowly shape the folds into the general boat shape.

To make the folds crisper and to help your boat stand up, refold the colored edges back down and press the boat flat. At this point, your children can also add some details- crayons work best as they will not run when wet.

Pop your boat back up, shape it and take it sailing! (I advise adding a tow line in case your little boat sails out of arms reach.) Don't leave your canoe in the water too long or the water will soak through the paper and capsize your vessel.

It's also fun to craft little boats out of natural materials. Collect nutshells, pinecones, sticks, leaves and flowers with your children then piece together a fleet of rafts, sailboats and cruisers. Half the fun is the sink or float test when you first set them in the water!

As Mark Twain put it, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

So go, grab your kids and set sail.

Confession

2010-08-12T10:25:00.002-05:00

Not sure how to start this one....but I've been reminded that blogging is about sharing real life events, and being honest about what happens during those events.

So, I'll just lay it out there (gulp)...I killed Phil.

I feel awful and am so ashamed! It was a total accident! He was temporarily left in my car....on a 90+ degree day...and well, was steamed.

It was quite a traumatic discovery once I had the "oh no!" moment of realizing he was still in my car.

So, I'm off "class pets" for now. (by the way, if Phil's death wasn't enough- before he passed, the three harvester ants I fed him from the ant farm, attacked him. Yep- full blown attack. His weekend babysitter was kind enough to intervene, but not before Phil lost a portion of his tail. Poor, poor Phil.)

So, I will definitely not be having any more live creatures in my office.

We've Got Ourselves a Stowaway!

2010-08-06T15:47:00.006-05:00

A few days ago I prepared a fish bowl with a few rocks, some mud, a couple of plants and water for the pair of frogs I was planning to catch to show to the preschool aged children for this week's pond themed storytime program- Sprouts.

The idea was to walk along one of Cantigny's creek beds and scoop up a few hoppers into my handy dandy coffee can turned frog net. I would just keep the frogs for a day or two, to show the Sprouts.

Well, out with the frogs and in with the baby lizard! Yep- a lizard! And not one that I caught along Cantigny's creek beds. This tiny one rode to Cantigny in a philodendron plant and was delivered to our greenhouse. Luckily, he was spotted and after a game of chase, was captured in a jelly jar.

Knowing that I was preparing for frogs, the horticulture department called me up and offered me their stowaway.

My frog habitat is now home to the only and only, Phil. Named after the plant he got a free ride to Illinois on. And thanks to a bit of Internet sleuthing, I believe he (err..I guess, he could be a she?)is a Brown Anole. He is about two inches long from nose to tail and is a tanny brown color, although I think his skin is able to change colors a bit as it has been varied shades of brown.

Brown Anole's are common in Florida and, pretty much unheard of in Illinois. They eat mainly insects and can grow to be about 5-8 inches long.

For the time being, I have him in our fish bowl and am trying to tempt him with whatver little insects I can find, and catch. But, so far he has turned his nose up at the millipedes and worms I've offered.

So, I hate to admit it, but today I dropped the three remaining ants from my ant farm (see June's posts) in with Phil.

I expected a feeding frenzy, but actually, I think poor little Phil is actually scared of the ants! He runs away from them when they come near him and hides behind the plants. I hope to catch a few smaller ants and maybe a roly poly or two to get him through the weekend.

I'll post an update next week!

Feelin Hot, Hot, Hot

2010-07-13T14:02:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I picked the coolest day this week to write this...so maybe stop reading now and come back tomorrow when it is supposed to be 93 degrees and uber humid...it will be much more inspirational then.

I mean it...seriously, stop reading and go play outside in this 80-something degree cool wave. I'll meetcha back here tomorrow.

Hello again old friend. (pretend it's tomorrow) Phew! It is steamy out there isn't it? What a change from yesterday. But- good thing you came by today- prepare yourself, after you read through this short list of fun things to do outside on a hot day you won't be able to stop yourself from grabbing all the kids you know, slathering them with SPF and dragging them out of the air conditioning.

So, without further ado...

Top 20 Things to Do Outside on a Hot Day

20. Go swimming- be it pool, pond, creek or ocean or in my case- the plastic baby pool in my backyard, if I can get my son to scootch over
19. Fly a kite.
18. Play shadow tag by stepping on eachother's shadows.
17. Eat a popsicle. Save packing materials and make your own pops by inserting a craft stick into a cup of juice and leaving it in the freezer for a few hours.
16. Go creek walking.
15. Make sun tea by putting a few tea bags into a large glass jar of water and leaving the jar out in the sun for a few hours. Enjoy over ice with honey or sugar added or a fruit or mint garnish. Ooo la la!
14. Make sunprints. Sign your children up for our Sunpainted T's class on August 3rd and they can make an awesome back to school t-shirt with the sun's help! To register,click here.
13. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest or play "Greased Watermelon"- rub margarine, butter or shortening all over a watermelon then toss it in the pool or lake and let everyone try to catch it- and hold onto it!
12. Blow bubbles. Make your own bubble juice with dishsoap and water...some say add a little sugar, corn syrup or glycerin (avaiable at pharmacies) to make longer lasting strong bubbles.
11. Chase bugs.
10. Tie-dye with berry juice. Blend up fresh or frozen berries to a watery smoothie consistency then dip white or light colored clothing in! Allow to dry flat in the sun then machine wash on own in cold water.
9. Build a fort.
8. Paint yourself...with washable paints, mud, or even pudding- then hose off!
7. Go on a picnic.
6. Watch the clouds.
5. Play a classic outdoor game like Hide and Seek, Sardines or Ghosts in the Graveyard.
4. Read outside. I suggest doing so in a hammock if you have one.
3. Build boat out of natural items and launch it in a nearby puddle, pond or creek. Try this for free during Wild Wednesday- July 14 and August 11- from 1-3 pm at Cantigny!
2. Hug a tree and enjoy it's cool shade.
1. Go to Cantigny!

Eat Dirt

2010-07-01T15:00:00.004-05:00

"To dig and delve in nice clean dirt can do a mortal little hurt."
- John Kendrick Bangs

Finally, proof that playing in the dirt is good for you. Apparently some of the bacteria found in dirt has antidepressent qualities and can increase learning! Mud pies anyone?

To read just a snippet about these findings, click this Link

To read some solid research, click this Link and download Health Benefits to Children From Contact With the Outdoors and Nature.

Easy-Peasy DIY Ant Crafts

2010-06-28T15:07:00.011-05:00

I almost went with the standard, and admittedly cute, egg carton ant with pipecleaner legs and antennae craft for our crawling insect theme story time, but I decide to take inspiration from my awesome ant farm and have the children create simple paper ant mazes, and while we were at it, stamp some ants on their pants!

Anthill Maze

Supplies: paper (copy paper works best, but construction paper is fine), two markers of the same size, tape, a paper clip, a magnet, a craft stick (or a fridge magnet in lieu of a small magnet and craft stick) glue, and a picture of an ant (clip art or hand-drawn)

1. Tape the markers together

2. Pressing down with both markers, draw a "maze" on the paper- squiggles, straight lines, loop-de-loops...it's up to you!

3. Glue the small magnet to one end of a craft stick- or just use a fridge magnet. Tape a paper clip to the back of your ant picture. Thread the tape through one loop of the paperclip so the other loop of metal is left uncovered.

4. Have a buddy hold the paper at the edges with both hands. Lay the ant picture at the "start" of your maze and hold the magnet under the paper directly underneath the ant- then slowly move the magnet and slide your ant through the maze!

Change the picture and you have a whole new adventure- a mouse looking for cheese, a race car on a track, a groundhog or prairie dog tunneling....the possibilities are endless!

Ants in My Pants
Supplies: paper, scissors, cotton swabs, tape, and an ink pad

1. Cut your paper to resemble a pair of pants. Tape three cotton swabs together so the tips line up- and create the three body parts of an ant (head, thorax, abdomen) . To get the most use out of this you can then cut the sticks in half so you have two "ants" from each grouping.

2. Dab the cotton swab bundle onto the ink pad, then stamp onto the paper pants. You may need to practice a bit to get a solid ant form- sometimes kind of tilting the swabs from side to side while on the paper helps to round out the shape. Keep stamping until you think you have enough ants in your pants!

I Heart Ants

2010-06-28T10:52:00.004-05:00

I can't help it- I am totally obsessed with these insects! I even stopped myself from doing the ant stomp when I found an anthill in my yard this weekend.

The ant farm is going swimmingly- the ants haven't stopped tunneling and now they cruise through their labyrinth with ease. I am sad to say that we have lost a few along the way. (moment of silence please) The deceased have all been carried out of the tunnels and laid on the surface. When I am 100% sure they are dead and not just in a reeeaaaalllly deep sleep, I will respectfully remove them and lay them to rest outside. Welcome to the food chain...lunch is served birdies!

The whole purpose of buying and...what is the right word?...raising?...hosting?...creating?, this ant farm...hmm. Well,the whole reason I got this ant farm was to have a real-life example to show young children during Cantigny's Sprouts program- a nature based story time we offer each month.

This month's theme was Gone Buggy! The first week we talked about bug bodies and what separates bugs from insects (true insects must have two antennae, six legs, three body parts, and an exoskeleton- wings are optional), the second week we explored insects that fly and this past week we discussed insects that crawl and hop- including the wonderful, amazing, ever-popular ANT.

The children (ages 3-5) were captivated by the ant farm and loved watching the ants crawl through the tunnels! They were quite curious and inquisitive. The most popular question was, "Can they get out?"

Observing the ants provided a great opportunity for music and movement- we hopped like grasshoppers, flapped our wings like butterflies and crawled on all fours- much like our six legged friends. Then, after marching with maracas to the classic "Ants Go Marching" tune, we worked on two simple ant crafts that you can try at home! I will explain them- with pics- in the next post.

I'll leave you with something else to try at home- my favorite insect song! It's to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

Two antennae, six legs and sometimes wings,

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

There are optional movements-
-Point to head, chest and tummy- repeat
-Make antennae by holding up one pointer finger on each side of your head (sort of like bull horns)
-Hold up three fingers on each side of your body and put your hands at hip level to show your "six legs"
-Do the standard thumb in the armpit chicken wing OR arms out to the side airplane style
-Point to head, chest and tummy- repeat

Sing and move faster and faster and faster until you are all giggling and out of breath and dancing like- well, what else? Like you've got ants in your pants!

I've Got Ants in My Pants!

2010-06-23T15:41:00.006-05:00

Okay, so not really in my pants, that seems quite uncomfortable, but they are in my office. No worries- not a pest control issue- they are happily enclosed in an ant farm. And let me just tell you- they are the COOLEST little insects!

I ordered my six-legged friends a few weeks ago- a vial of hearty Harvester Ants- flown in from the wilds of St. Charles, Missouri- shipped with a cold pack and best wishes. To my utter dismay (and later, my morbid curiosity- paired with a magnifying glass) ALL the ants arrived DOA! Good old Illinois summer heat got to my ants before they got to me.

So, I filled out the replacement ant order form (I guess DOA ants are apparently a pretty common occurrence in the insect livestock industry- poor things) and a few days later, a second vial was delivered -to my home address this time, to be sure I got them unpacked ASAP. This time half lived! Woo hoo!

So, I poured my 18 living pets- and the bits and pieces of their deceased friends (ugh) into my shiny new Antworks ant farm. And watched. And waited. And watched. And waited. And then real life took over and I gave my son a bath and put him to bed. When I checked back in on my roommates, the industrious lil' critters had been quite busy. The first task was to move all the dead ants to one side- just pile em up. An ant can move up to 50 times their own weight, so they just tossed the unlucky ones on their backs and stacked them up.

Once the cemetery was established they got right to work digging tunnels. Have you ever seen an ant dig a tunnel?? SOOOO COOL. First off- I should clarify, these ants are not in your run of the mill sandy ant farm- oh no- these ants are tunneling through special blue gel created by NASA for in orbit ant habitat studies.

The gel contains nutrients, so as the ants tunnel, they are ingesting the "juice" from the gel. Ant fact: Ants do not "eat" food, or at least they don't really chew and swallow food. They squeeze their food and ingest just the liquid. Ant fact 2: Their jaws go sideways like scissors, not up and down like ours. I'm on a roll....Ant fact 3: Ants have two tummies- one for themselves and one to bring food to other ants. (How that food exchange works, I'm not sure, and I'd rather not ponder it too deeply.)

So back to the farm....the ants use their crazy scissor-style mandibles to tunnel and as they break off pieces of the gel to create the tunnel, they carry them up and out of the tunnel, and start to create piles. That is why you always see anthills made of little bits of dirt along sidewalks and driveways- that all came out of the tunnels.

By the time I woke up the next morning and checked on my worker bees...er....ants, they had created quite the little homestead for themselves. Oh did I mention, all the ants are FEMALE? (Ant fact 4) All the ants in this farm, and actually almost all the ants you find outside, are female! Male ants are created as needed for reproduction, and die shortly there after. Not sure how all the social dynamics and hierarchies work in the world of ants, but this all girl band of ants sure can tunnel...check it out...

A Perfect Summer Day

2010-06-16T11:26:00.003-05:00

I was greeted this morning by a very large dragonfly tapping on my office window. It hovered there just long enough for me to get a close look at it's blue face and watch it's helicopter wings vibrate.

Ahhh...to be a dragonfly! What a perfect summer day to flit and float and fly around!

After so many days of that weather that shall not be named, it is a treat to see BLUE sky!

Come to Cantigny this afternoon and enjoy it with me! Today at 1:00 we are hosting the first Wild Wednesday of the summer. Stop the presses, we are making paper!

We will use shredded newspaper and bits of plant material to craft circles of handmade paper. This is a hands-on experience geared towards children ages 3-10. And yahoo!- it's free to all park visitors- once you've paid the $5 parking fee, that is.

We'll be outside the new Outdoor Education Center...see you there! Just follow the dragonflies!

In case you don't trust insects to give you accurate directions...Cantigny is located at 1 S 151 Winfield Road, in Wheaton, Illinois.

Are you ready?

2010-06-15T11:53:00.005-05:00

Are you ready?
Are you ready?
OK!
OK!

Did I forget to mention this was a repeat after me song?

I still have the tune of "Goin' on a Bug Hunt" in my head from our preschool storytime last week, and the chorus ends with asking if the children are ready. But the question is, are YOU ready? Ready for a playdate with nature?

This blog is your personal invitation from nature to COME OUT AND PLAY!

As an educator at Cantigny I get to go out and play just about every day. I can take a hike through the wooded nooks of the park, stroll in the prairie, or literally stop and smell the roses in our beautiful Rose Garden.

There are logs to balance across, ponds to search for fish, turtles and frogs, gardens to explore and plenty of big green lawns to run across or just lay down on.

When was the last time you- and your children- just laid down in the grass and watched the clouds roll past you? Or simply closed your eyes and listened?

Can't remember? Well, how about starting this weekend. Go outside and play. At Cantigny, at the park, or just in your own backyard.

Get back to the basics. Watch the clouds, follow an ant, smell a flower. Play tag, play catch...just play.

This blog will be your spot to get some inspiration and motivation to accept each day's invitation to a playdate with nature. No RSVPs required.

Are you ready?