Ms. pollack enlightening us about Laurel Trees

Last week we had a Chipper Adventure with Ms. Janet Pollack from the Neil Cummins Elementary School in Corte Madera, CA. Ms. Pollack teaches 3rd Grade and was the science specialist at her school for 12 years. This is her third year using JASON, a non-profit organization that connects students to real science and exploration to inspire and motivate them to study and pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. She often incorporates nature in the classroom and taught her current 3rd grade class all about the Miwoks, Native Americans who once lived along the coast that is now Marin, last week.

Ms. Pollack teaching the kids about the uses of reeds!

The kids had a ton of fun learning about the local flora and fauna while walking along the Miwok Trail.  Chipper made sure to teach everyone this phrase before they headed outside: Tail on the Trail and Leave No Trace! The class explored all their senses as they familiarized themselves with the Laurel trees and how Bay nuts smell and taste just like pepper! While studying the Miwok’s environment, the children searched for acorns and learned to track and hunt deer just like the first indigenous peoples did. During hands-on workshop, everyone sang some Miwok Songs and learned one can make rope–or small boats–using reeds! They also created hand made pump drills, designed the same way it’s been used for hundreds of years, and practiced how to use them.

Acorns!

Taking the classroom outside makes learning so much fun! Nature is so important to a child’s mental, physical and spiritual development and “pushing our kids out the door may be the best way to save the planet.”- David Suzuki

Watch our video of the days events and get inspired:

Let’s Go Chipper and take the class outside!

According to one study, the average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day, and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen! Our kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed out, because they’re missing something essential to their health and development: connection to the natural world. That’s why Chipper encourages parents and their kids to get outdoors and improve the well-being of their mind, body, and spirit!

“Outdoor Play, Incorporating Animistic and Magical Thinking Is Important Because It: Fosters the healthy, creative and emotional growth of a child; Forms the best foundation for later intellectual growth; Provides a way in which children get to know the world and creates possibilities for different ways of responding to it;  Fosters empathy and wonder.”

 - Rachel Carson, “A Sense of Wonder”

One way to connect your kids with the natural world and get them exploring outside is a Nature Scavenger Hunt! Now there are many ways to do this and we encourage you to get creative depending on your environment, whether it’s your backyard or thh schoolyard! One fun way to run a nature scavenger hunt is to hand out a recycled egg carton and a list of 12 items to collect. For example, natural items which are: soft, spiky, blue, strong, beautiful, old, fragile, yummy, sharp, smooth, closed, open, wet, dry, from an animal, etc. Since it’s fall, you could have a list of colors and have the children find a leaf for each!

Not only will this outdoor activity make your little ones really take a close look around, they will have a ton of fun and notice things about their natural environment that they never noticed before. A scavenger hunt is a wonderful way to spark their interests outside and encourage them to be more observant. Don’t forget to bring along your camera and enter your best Fall photo in Chipper’s Photo Contest!

What kinds of activities or games do you like to play outside? Let’s Go Chipper into the Great Outdoors this Fall!

                                                                                                 -John Muir

Yosemite Valley

We are definitely Chipper for Parks! Parks are places for us to clear our minds and enjoy our surrounding. They are places for our kids to free their imaginations and explore nature! Stretching over 1,200 square miles (761,268 acres) of central California, Yosemite National Park is one the largest and oldest parks in America. With almost 4 million visitors each year, it is also one of the most frequented parks in the country. It’s no wonder why so many people travel from far and wide to visit if you have ever been lucky enough to visit before. The park’s forests of Redwoods and Sequoias and it’s huge valley’s filled with waterfalls and gigantic rock formations are awe-inspiring indeed.

When famous conservationist, John Muir, arrived to Yosemite in 1868 from his beautiful home land of Scotland, he was changed for life and inspired others to visit this magical place, leading the area’s way towards being a National Park. He also spurred scientific interest and was one of the first to theorize that the major landforms in Yosemite Valley were created by large alpine glaciers. After President Theodore Roosevelt visited Yosemite in 1903 to visit John Muir, he said, “”It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man.”

Mirror Lake

Visit here for more information on this national treasure.

Are you Chipper For Parks? If so, join us in raising awareness and necessary funds to support programs – from local playgrounds

Chipper’s interactive work book!

to our national park systems. Due to continued government cutbacks funds are being diverted and parks and playgrounds are being closed. Chipper and friends are on a mission to connect and celebrate with families and communities across the country.

Help kids earn their badge by stepping onto a new path! A path that connects and provides everyone with an opportunity to play, explore, and learn about our parks and environment.
By purchasing the Chipper For Parks badge you are helping raise funds which will directly support:

1. Educational programs for schools and communities, underserved children and all families
2. Conservation and revitalization programs – from clearing trails to planting flowers and trees, to the repair and maintenance
3. Sustainability programs – keep the parks open!

Chipper for Parks Badge! Connect • Celebrate • Conserve

Chipper For Parks Badge: $5
Includes Chipper Kit filled with play-based ideas to help educate and connect in your schools and communities.
Click Here to purchase one today and start supporting our parks!

1. Encourages responsibility without extreme losses:

Every parent wants to raise a responsible child with the skills to care for another living being. However, it isn’t always easy to assess your child’s capabilities if she has never been given such a task before. Instead of using small animals like goldfish or gerbils as “starter pets,” let your child manage a garden first. Plants require just enough care to teach important lessons about meeting the needs of another creature; but if something goes wrong, and they die, it’s not as devastating.

2. Teaches planning and organizational skills:

Maintaining a garden isn’t as easy as putting plants in the ground at random. A knowledgeable gardener considers the conditions wherein the chosen plants will thrive. Your child will have to plan his garden while thinking about which plants grow best in direct sunlight versus partial shade, how far apart each plant should be from the others, whether or not certain plants affect the health of others, and other concerns. Although he doesn’t have to get everything perfect the first time, introducing such ideas early on will encourage him to improve his garden every year. Making labels for each plant is another great activity they can do!

3. Gives your child a sense of independence this Independence Day:

Now is the best time to encourage independence with 4th of July tomorrow! Most kids love the feeling of control they get when working on something of their own–like a garden. They gets to pick out the plants, decide when to water and weed the beds, and after all the flowers have bloomed and the veggies have grown, they decide what to do with them. This means that, instead of asking us to buy gifts for your kids to give to friends and family, they have something to give them that is more meaningful since they grew it through her own hard work with her own two hands. Or, if your chooses, they may simply keep everything to herself for a tasty dinner or snack. That kind of freedom is something children don’t enjoy too often!

4. Emphasizes the importance of plants in everyday life:

Many people and their kids these days don’t know where their food comes from!Sustainable, local food sources are becoming more popular, according to this New York Time article. You’ll know for sure that your child knows what farming entails if you let him try his hand at gardening. Not only will he know that carrots grow underground and tomatoes bush up, but he’ll have a deep understanding of the life cycle plants and how a seed, if given enough love and care, can grow into something that can nourish his body. This cycle and understanding is not only educational, it is a deeper knowledge of life that will benefit your child for the rest of their life.

Put a little sunshine into your child’s day by inviting them into the garden to help plant the summer flowers, fruits, and veggies. Perfect for little hands, the tote is complete with shovel, little trowel, spritzer, and the Blossom Bright watering can allows for just enough water to feel like an expert gardener.

5. It’s a chance to get messy and have fun:

Gardening is a chance for digging in dirt, playing with worms, picking ripe veggies, and cooling down with the hose. If that doesn’t sound like an exciting day for a child, then Chipper isn’t a squirrel! Getting outdoors is vital to children’s health and

development and caring for a garden will get them out that door more often! If you are lacking space in your backyard, check out this short video on easy indoor gardens here. Need some kids sized gardening gear? Check out this Junior Gardening Set from Let’s Go Chipper!

The first has at its centre a black hole. Black holes in space are massive and mysterious phenomena, and having that at the centre of this image adds, I hope, a real element of mystery to the image and to the understanding we all have of nature.

Meanwhile the second and third pictures have human features at their heart. There is a certain feeling of terror, especially with the open mouth. I was inspired to create these images by thoughts of the tsunami which afflicted the Far East in 2004 and wanted to connect the human tragedy with the power of the nature that did the damage.

Personally, I do not play with nature – earth, water, fire or air. I think it is too powerful and has taken too much human life over the years that it is not something to be tampered or played with. I hope you as viewers enjoy the concept below and think too about the challenges that such a powerful natural background would provide.

This is currently on display at Chipping Barnet Library from Monday 20 August until Saturday 1 September.

Many parks have Junior Ranger programs for kids! Click this image to learn more!

Parks are great places for children to make important connections–with their parents, their peers, and the environment. They are also a great place to improve and maintain kid’s physical fitness with play based activities. Just by playing, they are moving and that’s good exercise! And playing outside, in the dirt and sun, has been shown by countless studies to improve and benefit every aspect of a child’s growth and development. Sadly, many parks around the country are closing down due to economic strain and lack of attendance. That’s why the folks here at Let’s Go Chipper are championing parks and open spaces all over the world to encourage visitation and inspire children everywhere to be the environmental stewards of the future! Here is a list of six reason’s why parks are so important for children’s well being!

Exploring and finding little critters can occupy your child for hours and expand their mind in wonderful ways!

• Parks are safe places for kids to go. Whether it is reality or just the perception of reality, many parents are fearful of letting their kids play unsupervised outdoors except in very controlled circumstances. Stranger-danger, fear of poisonous plants, fear of stinging and clinging insects—all of these are reasons why nature for some is a place to be feared not embraced. Parks are one of the few places that are generally very safe for kids to go. They are specially designated places for the public to enjoy nature, free from most hazards, and watched over by staff and the public. Park visitors promptly report unsafe conditions or hazards. Many eyes on the park make for a safer place for kids to play.

• Parks are one of the best places for discovery and play. Think back on your own childhood. The life of your imagination was a fertile place. Playing king-of-the-hill on a pile of dirt, building a fort or a clubhouse in the woods, flipping rocks over in a stream, exploring in uncharted territory—all were hugely enriching experiences. Natural parks are places for kids to discover the eggs of a frog in the water collected in a tire track and to see squirrels (Like Chipper!) running through the tops of trees, jumping from tree to tree. Kids will load up their pockets with objects collected on a hike to later marvel at how interesting the things found in nature really are. Parks are places for kids to discover nature and exercise their imagination!

• Parks are places for families to connect – Parks connect kids and adults with nature and to each other. Perhaps more than ever, families need places to connect with each other. Parks are all-purpose places for kids to connect with nature and with families to connect with peers. They are one of the few places that families can go where there are no barriers to communication—no amplified loudspeakers, no big screen TVs, nothing other than the sounds and sights of nature. Parks enable connections between families, between generations, and to nature!

• Parks are close-to-home nature places. As open space is rapidly disappearing from our communities, designated public open space and places for nature are becoming all the more important for all ages. The power of local parks, even small neighborhood spaces, to connect kids with nature is not to be underestimated. Joe Elton, Virginia state park director, recently reiterated a long-standing observation about parks: “You visit your local parks daily, your state parks a few times a year, and your national parks perhaps but once in a lifetime.” Kids can find nature in almost every park, and there are parks and public lands close to where almost everyone lives. If there are not, become an advocate for them. They should be everyone’s backyard!

• Parks provide a sense of adventure for kids. Parks have the unique ability to provide kids with a sense of adventure. Every hike in the woods brings new things to see, and around every turn there is something new to discover. Kids gain a sense of accomplishment from challenges met outdoors, which leads to greater self-confidence and self-worth. Parks are a great place for kids to take risks, within acceptable limits, and to discover that the fears they have about the unknown are conquerable. Every successful adventure in the park that kids have contributes to their maturity and to their developing a sense of stewardship for wildlife, natural resources, and open spaces.

• Parks are a place to remember. Some of our earliest and most special memories were formed in parks—lifetime experiences that we remember the rest of our lives with great satisfaction. Parks were special places where we forged friendships, had adventures, and learned new things about life and ourselves. Parks still provide these kinds of experiences to kids, and they produce powerful positive memories, affecting kids in ways we cannot always easily perceive. These park experiences influence kids’ ethics, their career choices, and even how they will be as parents.

Parks connect kids to nature in all the right ways. Discover where your close-to-home local parks are and get to know the park personnel who supervise them. Enable your kids to play there—they will be grateful to you for the rest of their lives. One simple way to support a parks is to purchase your very own Chipper for Parks Badge. We will donate a portion of the cost to any park of your choice, in your name. Support your local parks and noble Park Rangers–Get Chipper and Get Outdoors!!!

Marsh Center

Volunteers are also needed to help keep these public areas maintained as popular destinations for both local and worldwide visitors to use and enjoy. Projects include winter beach clean-ups, weeding, vegetation pruning, sand removal, and trail maintenance. Project locations are at Crissy Field and along the coastal regions of the Presidio, including East Beach, Crissy Airfield, Crissy Promenade, Baker Beach, and China Beach. Walk in volunteers are welcome or register here. Groups of 5 or more volunteers must register in advance and a special project can be arranged just for you!

• Volunteers ages 10 and up are welcome. With young volunteers, adult chaperones are required.
• No experience necessary. Training and tools will be provided. Ability to do manual physical labor, lift and move objects, repeatedly kneel and bend at the waist, and learn to use a variety of hand tools. Fulfills community service requirements.
• Bring the appropriate waiver forms (go to link at bottom).
• Please wear clothes that can get dirty, long pants, close-toed shoes, layers for changing weather, and rain gear if necessary. Also, bring a personal water bottle and sunscreen.

Can’t make it out on Saturdays? Give back in another way by purchasing a Chipper for Parks badge. A portion of what you pay goes to a park of your choice in your name! Also, check out our book “Let’s Stroll with Crissy Fields” to learn more about the beautiful diversity in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Meet Elroy, the Great Egret and take his tour learning about the history of Crissy Field, plants and animals, and the tides and marshes!

Schedule
Meeting Location varies. We will meet on site for the workday.
Call (415) 447-9376 to hear the updated schedule.

Location: Crissy Field

Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Fee Information: Free

Contact Name: Laura Elze

Contact Email: Laura_Elze@nps.gov

Contact Phone Number: (415) 447-9743

For additional info, click here.

1) Bean Bag Toss! Draw different throw lines for children of different ages! (You might even let toddlers walk up to the target and drop their bean bag into the hole!) Don’t have bean bags and a target? The kids can do an exciting craft and make a Bean Bag set themselves! It’s a whole lot of fun and better than having toys thrown around the house or at each other!

2) Water Play! With supplies as simple as a wide plastic bowl (or water table) and a collection of cups, older children can experiment and learn about volume and cause-and-effect, while younger kids develop fine motor skills and enjoy a cooling splash! Getting a small pool is always great for the little ones and a home-made slip and slide is a ton of fun for the bigger kids! Learn how to make one here.

3) Hopscotch! Older children can play according to traditional directions (toss a marker into the number squares in order, hopping to pick it up each time without stepping out); younger children can take a turn tossing a marker anywhere on the game, or just hopping from square to square.

4) Sand Play! No matter their skill level, children of all ages can play in the sand together! If your demo-minded toddler and architect big kid have different ideas about how to treat a sandcastle, try introducing play figures instead of building tools for a dino dig, moon landing or other imaginative play. Here are some fun sand molds Chipper like to use. And don’t forget to wear some sun screen! Buy your All-Natural, Paraben-Free Chipper sun stick here!

5)“I Spy” Nature Game! Each player uses a pair of binoculars (real or crafted out of toilet-paper rolls) to find something in the yard. With older children, you can play a guessing game or challenge them to spot smaller objects such as a bird’s nest. Younger children will enjoy just playing along or counting items in broader categories, such as trees or flowers. Scavenger hunt activity:Make a list of things for your child to look for through his binoculars. These can be simple things like a bird or a tree, or more specific things for older children, such as certain types of plants or leaves and specific colors of animals. Check off the things as they are discovered!

Save the Date and Save our Parks by purchasing your very own Chipper for Parks Badge and you can chose which park to donate to in your own name. Chipper encourages young Americans to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges and other public lands and waters this GO Day!

Click here for a fun activity to Explore the Senses in Nature! (by Stacy Teet)

Exploring nature is good or the body and the soul! Playing outside creates meaningful connections with peers, siblings and family while also providing necessary exercise. We can learn so much about our planet and ourselves by just stepping into the forest. Enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t have to be limited to hiking, camping or heading to the mountains for a weekend getaway (although those are all fine ideas). Connecting with nature is as simple as heading out the back door! Why not try one of these ideas in your very own yard this Summer?

1. Go cloud watching
2. Build a fort
3. climb a tree
4. Roar at the moon
5. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
6. Plant a garden
7. Create a backyard beach
8. Explore a flower
9. Run barefoot through the grass (especially wet grass)
10. Dig in the dirt
11. Watch ants
12. Camp out in your backyard
13. Tour your neighbor’s front gardens
14. Take a color walk and name all the colors you see
15. Jump in puddles
16. Birdwatching expedition
17. Bake mud cakes
18. Raise a caterpillar; release a butterfly
19. Build a fairy house with twigs and leaves
20. Make leaf, rock or bark rubbings (get creative and make an outside art project out of it)
21. Start a back yard field guide (complete with a drawn  map and descriptions)
22. Create rock art (trying to balance as many rocks on each other can be fun too–Rock Jinga!
23. Gaze at the stars and find shapes
24. Plant a tree from seed or some flowers
25. Play with sticks (sword fights are always fun but be careful!)
26. Build snow animals during the Winter
27. Watch a sunset or a sunrise from your yard; look at it each day and see how the sun moves!
28. Go butterfly watching (and maybe catch a few!)
29. Host a back yard garden tour or throw a planting party!
30. Make a moon journal
31. Run through a pile of leaves
32. Start a seed collection..or a rock collection!
33. Paint with mud
34. Take a flower walk (collect some, place in a thick book, for a fun, beautiful dried-flower craft!)
35. Create a fairy garden
36. Go on a backyard photo shoot and make a album of your findings later!
37. Search for spider webs
38. Go on a back yard safari
39. Explore a tree
40. Design a backyard hiking trail
41. Create a treasure map
42. Enjoy a backyard campfire
43. Go on a bird scavenger hunt
44. Make a bird-feeder
45. Start a nature journal
46. Paint rocks
47. Create land art
48. Take a compass walk
49. Make sand angels (or a nice snow angel in Winter)
50. Go on a backyard bug hunt
    

    Dig and plant!

There’s so much to do with out going very far! For more ideas and inspiration to get you and your family outside and connecting with nature, visit: http://goexplorenature.blogspot.com. Get outdoors and get Chipper today!

It’s not always easy to remember everything to bring when your head to your local park or to a faraway wilderness. Like the scouts teach us, it’s very important to BE PREPARED! You never know what situation you’ll face and you can never be too careful.

Here’s a simple list of your basic camping necessities to help you plan your next camping adventure! Our original story and activity book, “Let’s Go Chipper: Into the Great Outdoors,” is a marvelous resource for your young adventurers to be apart of getting ready and learning some basic guidelines of exploring nature while staying safe. Click the link above to check it out!

• WALKS WITH NO ROCKS! Good, comfortable shoes and warm, absorbent socks are a must for any trip, especially for you avid hikers! Bring a pair of slippers is a good idea as well for making those late night bathroom trips.
•  LEAVE NO TRACE! Be sure to bring some sort of trash and recycle bags! Keeping our campsites clean and picking up the messes we make help keep our environment healthy and clean for the next campers and future generations!
• LAYER CLOTHES! Make sure to bring some long pants for hiking through non-trail areas where you could get poison oak (or poison ivy). No body likes to get itchy scratches or bites while enjoying the beauties of nature. A First Aid kit with anti-itch cream is a MUST!
• SNACK ATTACK! Having healthy snacks, like trail mix or fruit, is key for any trip. Without some good nutrition, the kids (and you!) will start getting cranky and dampen the fun. Always have water near by as well and don’t forget to hydrate!
• PLAY BUT DON’T STRAY! When your kids are old enough to explore a bit on their own, make sure they ALWAYS hike with a partner and have a whistle, compass (that they can use!) or a piece of mirror with them in case they get lost. For the little ones, a good rule is, “Keep you Tail on the Trail!”
• FROM YOUR HEAD TO YOUR TOES, AND DON’T FORGET YOUR NOSE!  Having adequate sun protection is even more necessary now that the sun is in its most active stage (the sun shifts its intensity level every 11 years)! Bring your hats and your visors when having fun in the sun. Make sure the sunscreen you choose is from 30 to 50 SPF and Paraben-free (Parabens are harmful preservatives in many skin and beauty products). Here is a great resource of what to avoid while making the important purchase of your next sunscreen: http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/                                              Your next camping trip shouldn’t stress you out. Nature is a de-stressor! Just be prepared and GET CHIPPER!!!

Taking a few moments to literally smell those flowers outside the office building or by stopping with the kids to take a walk in the park greatly improves our physical and mental well-being. Humans cannot stay healthy while burning the candle from both ends, as they say. We need rest, relaxation, and recreation and there’s no better place to find these necessities than in nature.  Spending time with your child to think about think about things, to clear the mind, to have fun is far more important than we realize.

This baby two-toed Sloth is having a good old time slowly creeping through the trees.

Looking at the leaves or rocks and finding little critters like Chipper the Squirrel are priceless connections with your children that they will remember forever. You will appreciate each other and your time together more. Slowing down our conversations and interactions with our children heals and builds on relationships and allows them to learn and grow at their own pace. It’s not always easy to slow down when everything around us pushes us towards speed. Here’s an app about Bruce the Banana slug to learn about his slow but important adventures: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bruce-the-slug/id417401777?mt=8.

Slowing down gradually is the best strategy for you hard-core rush–aholics. Prioritizing “play time” or scheduling in breaks is another way for those of us love structure. Calling is “exercise time” may help with people who feel guilty about what most of think as “wasting time.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. Teaching yourself and your kids to take some time out in order to eat a meal together or just stare at the clouds will lower the family stress, bring you all closer together, and enrich life overall. Need more strategies to slow down? Check out this great article How to Slow Down & Simply Enjoy Your Children:  www.iecounseling.com/uploads/Tools_of_Trade_W05.pdf.  Also, check out our fun Nature Walk activity and craft to try out on your next outdoor break: http://www.letsgochipper.com/nature_walk.php

The Orange Crested Gecko

Nature re-excites kid’s imaginations and ignites their appreciation for all the amazing aspects of our planet. By creating a simple scavenger hunt for certain rocks, plants, or animals, our children learn about the environment and all the important flora and fauna apart of it. The great outdoors engage all the senses: looking at the clouds, smelling the flowers, making daisy chains! The activities are endless. For ideas, check out Chipper’s Nature Activities page here: http://letsgochipper.com/natural_crafts.php. Many of the important lessons kids learn in nature directly connect with lessons for social life. For example, hunting for our quick little lizard friends requires patience, thoughtfulness, and respect. One must slowly, quietly search for their hiding spots and then gently capture them in our hands, holding them carefully. You can talk about all the insects this lizard may eat: grasshoppers, ants, or beetles. Have your child name the colors of the lizard and notice their shinny, colorful stomachs. Laugh at their funny bobbing mating dance and take note of other quirky lizard behavior, such as how lizard’s tails fall off but then grow back!  The great outdoors, whether in a park or the back yard, is the perfect place to excite all of their senses, spark their creativity and playfulness, while also learning so much! What other critters do you and your kids have fun looking for???

A lovely day for lizard catching!

The Super-Moon in 2011, taken by Tim McCord of Entiat, Washington

This Saturday, May 5 (a.k.a Cinco de Mayo!) not only is there an annual meteor shower epic proportions, created by the leftovers from Halley’s comet, but the biggest moon of the year will be lighting up the night! It will be a wonderful opportunity to talk a night-hike with the family to watch the mammoth rock rise around 11:30pm EST after a long night of eating delicious Mexican food.  At the same time, the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will be hitting its peak, NASA scientists say. A super-moon, swinging in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, occurs when the moon hits its full phase at the same time it makes closest approach to Earth for the month, a lunar milestone known as perigee. Scientists also refer to the event as a “perigee moon,” according to a NASA video on the 2012 supermoon.

Full-moon-walks are a wonderful way to see nature in a new light and check out all the nocturnal flora and fauna! They are also a great opportunity to spend time with the family and connect in a meaningful way with each other, by holding hands, counting shooting stars and sharing hopes and dreams. Seeing the stars and the moon in the night sky make us remember how insignificant and small we are in comparison to the universe, especially on a night with the super-moon shining. This feeling of just being a part of a huge whole was what John Muir wrote about feeling when he first saw the huge stretch of wild forrest ahead of him amidst snow-capped mountains and ocean-like lakes:

“When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.”

                 -John Muir, 1915

Additionally, kids burn the most calories outdoors and get much needed exercise. Many studies show that obesity, which causes an increased chance of heart disease, has doubled in the past ten years. As many as half of American children are not getting enough exercise, thus increasing this risk as well as other risk factors, such as hypertension and arteriosclerosis, that have been showing up as early as age 5.

Physical well-being isn’t the only benefit of outdoor play. Kids are more likely to invent games outdoors, which allows them to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way. They feel safe and in control, which produces autonomy, decision-making, and organizational skills. Inventing rules for a game promotes an understanding of why rules are necessary. Not only is playing outside fun, they are improving communication skills, vocabulary, and learn social customs by making friends.

Lastly, we cannot underestimate the aesthetic development promoted by being outside. The natural world is filled with beautiful sites, sounds and smell which increases a child’s awareness to appreciate the world around them. Being inside for too long and playing video games can deter kids from developing their senses and take away from the crucial inspiration and joy that nature brings us all. We all have fond memories of our tree house or favorite hiding spot in the back yard as kids. We need to make sure our own children can make these memories–while expending all the boisterous, messy energy that can make your house look like a tornado passed through! Here are a few ideas to get the kids started:

• Take a nature walk! Asking them what they are seeing, hearing, and smelling will increase their appreciation for the nature all around them and encourages discovery of a funny looking rock or some pretty flowers. For very young kids, these are science experiences.
• Set up a obstacle course with whatever you have: old tires, boxes, tree stumps, etc. Moving through it will be a fun challenge and great exercise while also learning important concepts like over, under, through, and around.
• Take a “listening” walk and try to name all the things you hear. See what your kids can identify on their own and help them with sounds they don’t recognize yet. You can even bring a tape recorder to listen to later and make a guessing game of it!
• Play the parachute game! Bring  parachute or old sheet outside and shake it out, make waves, or bounce a ball on it.
• Bring a portable boom box outside and let the kids experience the joy of dancing in a natural environment
• Try “water painting,” where children paint the side of a building or a wall with a paint brush and a bucket of water. It exercises the arms and upper torso while also teaching about wet and dry, light and dark,  ad evaporation.
• Blowing and chasing bubbles is always a fun outdoor past-time and also gives kids a chance to run around!

Green Rainforest

Did you know that rainforests are home to 50% of the world’s species but it only covers 2% of the Earth’s surface?! Rainforests are chalked full of life and are found around the world, on every continent but Antarctica. Not only do rainforests provide homes for tons of plants and animals, they are also an important source of fresh water. One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is found in the Amazon Basin.

Trees are absolutely vital to life here on Earth, but they are also being destroyed at an alarming rate. So many of the choices we make throughout the day when we’re shopping, eating, or even driving, are powered by deforestation. Trees are cut and burned down for a number of reasons. Forests are logged to supply timber for wood and paper products, and to clear land for crops, cattle, and housing. Other causes of deforestation include mining and oil exploitation, urbanization, acid rain and wildfires. And according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the 33 million acres of forestland that are lost annually around the globe are responsible for 20% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions! Deforestation also contributes to air and water pollution, a loss of biodiversity, erosion, and climatic disruption.

So what can you DO about deforestation?

One easy way to combat deforestation is to PLANT A TREE. Not only is it fun for you and the kids, something they can watch grow with them through the years, it’s a great way to add some beauty to the back yard. And what day is more perfect to do that than Earth Day (April 22)? You can also take it one step further by making sure the choices you make at home, at the store, at work, and on the menu don’t contribute to the problem. Here’s what you can do:

1. Plant a tree.
2. Go paperless.
3. Recycle and buy recycled products.
4. Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on wood and wood products.
5. Eat vegetarian meals as often as possible.

It’s that easy and if we all pitch in, we can make sure our planet is green and healthy for many generations to come! Let’s Go Chipper and Save the Planet!

Go green today and start recycling! You'll be surprised by how little trash you have once you start!

View from one of the many beautiful campgrounds in the park

Park Ranger’s inspire us to reconnect with nature. Many of us get caught up in our busy lives and feel like there’s never enough time to get to the park or take the family camping. But being in touch with our planet gives us all a much-needed respite. The Earth is not only our home; it provides us with everything we need, physically and spiritually. Nature was mankind’s first church and our National and State park rangers are our current environmental-clergymen! No matter what you believe, no one can deny the extreme importance of every facet of our planet. That’s why it’s so much fun to learn more about it!

Like Chipper, Lloyd Luketin is one Ranger who very dedicated to encouraging future generations to appreciate the outdoors and get inspired by the environments many fascinating aspects. He was very grateful for the opportunity to answer some of our questions about how awesome it is to be a Park Ranger at the famous Great Mountains National Park, home of “Smoky the Bear”-America’s fire watch mascot.

1. What inspired you to become a Park Ranger?

As a child I always liked to play outside, exploring the natural environments around me, and I still do. I like the feel of snowflakes melting on my face and mud squishing between my toes. I used to take long walks in the woods behind my house and examine all the birds, trees, flowers, and butterflies. There are two reasons I wanted to become a Park Ranger. First, I want to get today’s youth outside and in touch with the natural world around them. In sharing my love of nature I hope I will have a small part in developing the next generation of stewards who will be protecting the world’s wild places for future generations. The second reason I became a Park Ranger is that I get to be outside everyday. The mountains, valleys, forests, and streams that make up the Great Smoky Mountains are both my office and my playground.

2. What is the best part about being a Park Ranger? Describe a day on the job.

I work in the Resource Education Division. I teach outdoor, curriculum based, environmental education programs with children from kindergarten to high school. Every morning I will meet a school bus of children that are here on a school field trip. We may hike to a waterfall and study animals groups and habitats along the way or we may climb into a mountain stream and study aquatic invertebrates. We may even hike to the top of the highest peak to study weather and air pollution. Every day is different. The one thing that doesn’t change is that every day the student, teachers, and Rangers all have fun outside learning about the natural world.

Rainbow Falls with a Spring Rain

3. What’s a fun fact about your park that you like to share with visitors?

The Great Smoky Mountains is famous for its natural history, cultural history and scenic vistas. We are located in Tennessee and Half in North Carolina. Scientists think we may have 100,000 different species of life in the park. One of those species is the American Black Bear. We have more than two Black Bears per square mile in the park. This may be the highest density of Black Bears in the world. We like to say that the Black Bear is a charismatic mega fauna. That means that it is a big (mega) animal (fauna) that everyone likes (charismatic).

4. What advice would you gives kids and their parent’s visiting your park?

There are so many things to do in the park that you should plan your favorite activities first before you even arrive. A great way to research what to do is on our website, www.nps.gov/grsm. When you get to the park, stop at one of our visitor centers and pick up a free Smokies Guide and a map. There is a lot of information available in our visitor centers along with rangers to answer any questions. Don’t forget to visit “Clingmans Dome”, the highest mountain in the park!

5. What is the most important thing about parks in your opinion?

There are two important things about National Parks. All the plants, animals and history are protected for all time and National Parks are here for us to enjoy. Please come visit us here at the Great Smoky Mountains. You will be glad you did!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few places remaining in the eastern U.S. where black bears can live in the wild, natural surroundings. For many, this famous Smokies' resident is a symbol of wildness.

Most of the park is a magnificent wilderness. The Cherokee described its foggy, serene mountains as shaconage, meaning “blue, like smoke.” Artifacts and log-home ruins from the Native peoples, who were very much in touch with their environments, can be seen all over the park. A visit here will surely motivate your kids to get out and play while also learning so much about nature. The Junior Park Ranger program (available at most National and State Parks) is an excellent place to start the process of improving our home we call Earth for your kids and all the generations after them. Let’s get outside and get Chipper today!

Springtime means rain showers in the Inland Northwest, and boy has it been pouring here! With the arrival of spring, the snow melts, the ground thaws, and the rain falls. On a typical spring day, we can experience rain or hail showers one minute and clear, sunny skies the next!

Sometimes spring showers may be troublesome – like when they cause your weekend picnic to be cancelled or soak your clothes on your way home. But spring showers are wonderful – they help plants grow and replenish our water reserves!

Did you know that even lightning can help plants grow? A flash of lighting gives off enough electric energy and heat to make oxygen and nitrogen combine into nitrates that help plants grow. The nitrogen mixes with the rain to fertilize the plants. So that’s why, after thunderstorms, the garden seems so refreshed and green. The flowers will definitely be perky here tomorrow!

The phrase “April Showers Bring May Flowers” goes all the way back to the mid 16th century. A poet and farmer named Thomas Tusser wrote the book A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry and in the April Section, the following poem was written:

          “Sweet April showers do Spring May flowers.”

Patience through the most unpleasant times, like April showers, will eventually lead to beauty, like May flowers, is what he meant. As our language changed, so did how we said this old proverb, but the meaning never changed. So just remember this on these rainy Spring days and enjoy the beautiful blooms next month!

Here’s a little song to teach the kids when they get bored being stuck inside all day. Also, check out the Muffin Flower Craft as another fun, indoor Spring activity here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mmuffin.html

 http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/april_song.htm

In a bit of natural alchemy called photosynthesis, for example, trees turn one of the seemingly most insubstantial things of all — sunlight — into food for insects, wildlife and people, and use it to create shade, beauty and wood for fuel, furniture and homes.  It may not be obvious, but hey are essential to all life on this planet we call home!

Decades ago, Katsuhiko Matsunaga, a marine chemist at Hokkaido University in Japan, discovered that when tree leaves decompose, they leach acids into the ocean that help fertilize plankton. When plankton thrive, so does the rest of the food chain. In a campaign called Forests Are Lovers of the Sea, fishermen have replanted forests along coasts and rivers to bring back fish and oyster stocks. And they have returned!

Other researchers in Japan have long studied what they call “forest bathing.” A walk in the woods, they say, reduces the level of stress chemicals in the body and increases natural killer cells in the immune system, which fight tumors and viruses. Studies in inner cities show that anxiety, depression and even crime are lower in a landscaped environment!

Trees also release vast clouds of beneficial chemicals. On a large scale, some of these aerosols appear to help regulate the climate; others are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. We need to learn much more about the role these chemicals play in nature. One of these substances, taxane, from the Pacific yew tree, has become a powerful treatment for breast and other cancers. Aspirin’s active ingredient comes from willows!

Trees also absorb much of the heat created by green house gasses and asphalt in urban areas, yet thousands of them are cut down every day and they are few and in between in our cities. This Earth Day, please do your self and the planet a favor by planting a tree. Whether in your back yard or somewhere else in your community, every tree counts!

Elderly from the Day Center “Sunrise” have planted 7 trees in the courtyard of the headquarters of Neoumanist Association. There were planted maple and ash trees. All the trees were donated by the State Ecological Service from Straseni. At this green event participated both beneficiaries and employees of the Association who planted the trees from all their soul.

see more pictures

 http://neohumanist.shutterfly.com/activities/947

Author’s Article: Dilan Andriana, PR Manager, Association for Education “Neoumanist”, tel. (0237) 28003,

www.neohumanist.org,

www.neoumanist.wordpress.com