In a recent post, I wrote about how I am trying to instill a love of reading in my children.  I also want my children to have love and respect for nature and the world around them. 

Growing up in Wisconsin, I spent a lot of my time outside.  I could be found riding my bike around the neighborhood, building forts out of snow, helping my parents in the garden, playing with one of our many pets or lying in the grass and reading a book.  My memories are full of camping trips with my family, the time my brother woke me up in the middle of the night so I could see the northern lights from our backyard (one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen) and the numerous caterpillars I held in my hands.  When I was deciding whether or not to move out to the east coast, it was my proximity to the ocean that convinced me to stay.  The first time I saw the ocean, I was ten years old.  The second time I saw the ocean was the day I stood on the beach and decided I would not move back to my birth state.

So here are a few things my husband and I have been doing to instill a love of nature in our children. [Read more...]