Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... ice castles

There's just nothing quite like the simple, beautiful and amazing transformation that water goes through when it turns into ice...

... so why not celebrate that and the last bits of remaining winter by building an ice castle! Sweet and simple our castle came together in no time at all with about 6 trays worth of ice cubes left outside overnight and 3 or 4 large yogurt containers for the towers (depending on how many towers you would like). A little snow for mortar (the trick is to wet the snow a bit with a spray bottle before and after each ice brick is added to make it a little slushy), a simple twig flag and...

...

... voila! ...

... a pretty ice castle perfect for a little Rose Hip Fairy King!


Happy Building!


*Last time in Crafts and Activities: An Afternoon in the Park

... tell me a story: unpluged play

Everyone runs out of ideas sometimes, and that's exactly why a book like Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner is a great thing to have on the shelf.

For those days when your go-to activities just don't seem to cut it...

... it's the perfect tool...

... to transform what you already have on hand...

... into hours and hours of smiles... giggles... and unstoppable, powerful, fantastic... play. Packed with ingenuity, problem solving and a lot of fun this book will encourage the whole family to imagine, create and engage with one another.


And the best part?... ... batteries, plugs and glowing screens are not included...


*Last time in Book Reviews: Green Fingers & Muddy Boots

... barn stories: gray day birds

We just had a run of gray days, it snowed softly day and night.  A very gentle storm.

In the mist of the soft gray, brown with a hint of red brought cheer! Bare branches with red berries, filled with brown finches with bright red chests.

But that was just the start, nature gave another gift... sound.  Their song filled your ears with joy, you could not be down on this gray day.

The third gift from nature was a visit from a red tail hawk who shares the land with us. Hawks love a gray day.  It's good for hunting and I think they like the soft quiet they find in the sky closer to earth on a soft and gentle gray day.

Wishing you soft gentle gray days to come... spring...


*Last time in Barn Stories: Morning Mugs

... slowly shifting

Even though the trees are still bare...

... creatures large and small are beginning to get out a bit more...

... and even though snow will still fall...

... they know that...

... the bright green of early spring is on its way. Looking for and listening to the subtle signs of change can be a great way to guide and enjoy an impromptu nature walk.  The signs may be loud or ever so quiet... maybe just the twitter of a new bird in the morning... but they are there to be found.


Have you noticed anything changing where you are?


And if you have a few moments to spare this talk given by Richard Louv (the conversation begins about 5 min. into the video) is a great reminder of how important these simple things can be.


*Last time in Nature: Sun After the Storm

... nature walk: portland, oregon

This week’s lovely nature walk comes to us from Portland, Oregon.  There Alanna and her family enjoyed exploring the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge where they found interesting wood specimens and beautiful reflective ponds. Thank you so much Alanna for sharing this fun adventure!

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our new Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

Thanks again Alanna for sharing!


*Last time in Nature Walks: Southeastern Pennsylvania