Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... planning the garden with seed tape shapes

Right now most of our gardens look a lot like this.  Snow and ice is slowly receding to reveal the layer of leaves and sticks that kept the ground just a little bit warmer during the long cold winter.  Once that blanket is cleared away, the garden becomes a blank slate, ready for little minds to imagine where flowers and vegetables will be planted.  Making seed tape in different shapes and laying them out can be a fun way to plan your garden.

We love homemade seed tape, but sometimes the traditional roll version can make the actual planting of the garden a little harder for young children to visualize, since everything looks the same once it is inside the tape.  With this fun take on seed tape, children can make little "presents" for the earth and get to know the shapes and feel of all the different seeds. Although seed tape is traditionally used to help with the planting of tiny seeds, this project can even be fun with larger varieties, and can help children easily differentiate their seeds once it becomes time to plant.   It reminds us a bit of the shapes we would cut out for our felt boards as children.  Now kids can use the garden to make their designs! Materials: Seeds Chemical-free tissue paper, toilet paper or black and white news paper don't use news paper if there is colored ink on it. Mix 1/4 cup of flour with just enough water to make a paste. Paint brush Scissors

1: Cut out different shapes, you will need a top and bottom. The pieces could be in the shape of the vegetables the seeds will become, or you could cut any other shape that interests you.  We cut out heart shapes for our beans because we love beans...

2: Paint the paste on 3: Place 1 to 3 seeds depending on their size. You can always thin when they come up. 4: Cover and let dry 5: Save for planting day

Gardens can be planted in lots of different ways, just make sure to leave a marker unless you know your plant shapes.  Pumpkins love to wander through the corn, the fuzzy tops of carrots can create a fairy forests by a bed of lettuce. Have fun with your design! You can plan your garden on your living room floor with your kids using these wonderful seed shapes arranging and rearranging, imagining how big everything will get.  Once it is time to put them outside, you can start the fun all over again.

If you are looking for some wonderful books about gardening with children, we love this one, and this one is great too!

... nature walk: franklin, wisconsin

This week's wonderful Nature Walk comes from Fanklin, Wisconsin, where Melanie O. and her family visited the Wehr Nature Center.  There they watched the last bits of snow melt, found a beautiful hanging nest, and even saw a goose land on the ice!  Thank you Melanie O. for sharing such a fun adventure!

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here.

Thanks again Melanie O.!

 

... taking a walk... making the leap... exploring...

Out through the skylight, there is another world.


If only you could find a spaceship to take you there...


you could explore its strange surface, and float in the air.  You could see all there was too see...


and you could bring home a treasure and share all your stories with me...


The world is full of hidden adventures.  At any given moment a pine tree could turn into a castle... a flower into a magic wand... a jungle gym into a sailboat... and a crumbled-up piece of tinfoil into a precious treasure from outer space. Imagination is the currency of childhood.  A limitless belief in the impossible allows the world to renew itself each time children encounter it.  Nothing is fixed or set in stone.  Words and objects have flexible meanings and act as tools and implements for exploration. What happens if you call a dog a cat?  That might sound like the beginning of a very mediocre joke, but if you stop and think about it, it could be a very useful and interesting activity to answer that question.  When you call a dog a cat you have to recognize, explore and reconcile all of the similarities and differences of each animal.  Do they look the same? Do they act the same? Do they eat the same things? Do they make the same sounds?  Children do this all the time.  They compare and experiment and explore.  They take cognitive leaps and build priceless critical thinking skills, all in the name of play and make believe. Every once in a while you come across a book that can change the way you look at things, that opens up the world to endless possibilities, a book that asks you to call a dog a cat.  How To Be An Explorer Of The World by Keri Smith is just that book.  Filled with activities and suggestions that encourage everyday explorations of the world around you, from paperclips to fallen leaves, to grocery stores and sidewalk cracks, this book should be part of every person, parent or caregiver's tool kit.  Not only is it a great source of inspiration for endless adventures, but in its own way, it manages to rediscover, pinpoint,  expand and celebrate the amazing and indescribable wonder that is childhood... even if you are only a kid at heart. Wishing you a weekend filled with real and imaginary adventures out in the world.

giveaway forum: musical adventures for kids

THE WINNER for last week’s giveaway (chosen by random number) is:

Laureen who wrote: “My favorites to grow are tomatoes, basil and lavender. Thanks for the chance to win!"

Many thanks to all of you for participating in last week's Giveaway and for sharing a little about your garden.  We are so inspired by your comments and can just imagine the beautiful bounty the growing season will bring for all of you!  Happy Gardening! This week we are offering two World Music compilation discs for one lucky winner! Take a trip and visit cultures from around the world with these wonderful musical adventures from the Putumayo Kids Playground series. These discs are so great you might catch yourself listening to them even after the kids have gone to school! Six different regional albums are available and the winner will have the opportunity to pick two of their favorites as their prize! Click here to take a peek at your choices! To enter the giveaway, simply respond to this week’s forum topic in the comments for this post. If you ever have a question that you would like answered in this space feel free to send us your suggestions at [email protected]. This week’s topic is: What real or imaginary adventures would you like to go on with the kids in your life? The giveaway will close next Wednesday April 1st at 11:59pm MST and the winner (picked by a random number generator) will be announced Thursday April 2nd! Good Luck!

... barn stories: little lambs

I did not lamb this year with the exception of our Christmas surprise Mistletoe.  Our dear neighbor at Bag End Farm, who raises Dorset Sheep sent us these wonderful pictures to share a little of his lambing experience.

This momma of triplets is looking at us very patiently overwhelmed!!


Here two lambs are snuggling in the sun giving mom a small break, their little faces expressing their great joy.


Lambs just a little bit older are venturing outside but staying very close to their moms.


Their biggest adventure yet is getting to know humans and that we are really not so bad.


Bag End Farm uses their wool for horse blankets, saddle pads, socks, and it is also great for felting. Thank you for sharing these great photos!

If you would like to take home a little lamb of your own, this one feels just like a real newborn lamb and is about the same size too!