The Quest for Pinecones!

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

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? :)

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!

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...)