Middle Years (6 to 9 years)
Monarch Marathon
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
On Sunday we got up early and attended the launch of the Monarch Ultra in downtown Peterborough. It was fun to celebrate the monarch butterfly migration and cheer on the runners as they began their 21-day relay.
The Nature Nuts – Sept 19, 2021
Adventure Island
Landmark 27 (Wilderness Trip)
As a family we planned a back-country camping trip on an Island in North Bay. We traveled to the Island by canoe. Before enduring this trip we sat down as a family to discuss what things we would need to bring. We knew that in order to get to the Island we would need to use a canoe which meant that we would have to travel light and minimize the amount of gear we would bring. We purchased some sleep mates that only require a few breaths to blow up and a compact tent. We also purchased some self-inflatable pillows. Next, we had to come up with meals that could be cooked on the fire. While camping we enjoyed swimming and jumping off the large rock in which we made a home for 5 days, building shelters out of fallen down branches, canoeing and portaging into 2 other lakes, fishing, catching frogs, relaxing in the hammock, and all the normal camping activities such as roasting marshmallows on the fire and making smores. We were also fortunate enough to see a moose and black bear from a distance. We loved it so much we are already planning our next adventure!
Crazyfornature – August 23, 2021
Fabulous Forts
Landmark 1 (Explore Together Weekly)
While visiting the park the girls found some dead branches that had fallen from the trees in the woods behind the park. The girls collected the branches and carried them up to the play structure where strategically placed them to create a fort under the play structure. They then collected some goldenrod to decorate their new home.
Crazyfornature – Sept 18, 2021
Warm Forest Walks
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X/Month)
After what seemed like an eternity of rain we finally got a sunny Saturday in which we embraced with a lovely walk in the Northumberland forest leading us to this beautiful lookout.
Crazyfornature – May 1, 2021
Mysterious Birds
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
With so many birds now back for the spring, have been bringing our binoculars on all of our hikes. For the past few weeks, every time we go on a particular walk down to the river, we have noticed a pair of beautiful birds always swimming together in the same area. On this day we had our binoculars and also brought a bird book with us to help identify them. After much observation, we believe they are buffleheads.
The Nature Nuts – April 26, 2021
Close-up View
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Over the spring break, we went on an early morning hike to a nearby conservation area. When we walked through a meadow trail, we were really excited to see little spider webs all over the plants, covered in dew. We spent some time looking at them with our magnifying glasses. When we looped back along the same trail a little while later, the sun had already dried up the dew and the spider webs seemed to be invisible again. We felt really lucky to have seen them so clearly earlier in the morning.
The Nature Nuts – April 15, 2021
Salamander Spotted
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
This weekend was perfect for hiking. On our Sunday hike, the ground was still wet from an early morning rain so we decided to turn a few logs over to see what we could find. After observing a few that housed ants, worms, and centipedes, we turned over one final log near a pond and got a huge surprise- a yellowed-spotted salamander! No one in our family had ever seen one before so we were all very excited.
The Nature Nuts – April 25, 2021
Wood Walks
Landmark 13 (Travel a Familiar Route)
Went exploring in the woods with the kids and dogs. Found a Geocache along the way.
TheSuperNinjas – April 14, 2021
Up Close and Personal
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
While exploring at Jackson’s Park tonight we were fortunate to get up close and personal with a beaver in the pond. When we first noticed the beaver it was swimming around in the pond. It then came over to where we were standing and started to chew on a big tree limb on the shore of the water. It was such a rare and fascinating experience. We have seen lots of evidence in the past that there had been a beaver around but never actually had seen the beaver until now.
Crazyfornature – April 18, 2021
Monarch Migration
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today while outside we discovered a butterfly flying in the air. My daughter has been tracking the migration of the monarch butterflies at school so she was very excited when she discovered this butterfly. We watched and waited for the butterfly to land so we could get a closer look. My daughter discovered that it was not a monarch and is in the midst of trying to discover what kind it is.
Crazyfornature – April 17, 2021
Bike Down the River
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
We enjoyed the beautiful warm weekend with a bike ride down to the river. While there, we took some time to watch a flock of geese stopping for a rest on the water before they continued on their journey.
The Nature Nuts – March 21, 2021
Bikes and Puddles
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
Thursday’s warm-up was magical to the kids. The melted snow was streaming down our street, making huge puddles at the end. The kids begged to get their bikes out and excitedly got soaking wet splashing and riding through the puddles over and over again.
The Nature Nuts – March 11, 2021
Kites in the Park
Landmark 14 (Five New Outdoor Activities)
This weekend’s wind had us pulling out our kite to try in the park. We excitedly took turns making it fly and only got it caught in a tree once- haha! The kids loved it so much that we took it to a bigger field the next day. I have a feeling this kite will see many big adventures this spring.
The Nature Nuts – March 13, 2021
Magical Winter
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X/Month)
Our special place as a family is part of the Trent trails that you enter from behind the Environment Centre. There is a spot off the trail where these huge tall trees stand above a big flat spot. In the summer, it is dry and you can walk around under them. In the spring, it is filled with water. Winter is the most magical. If the right things happen with the weather, really smooth ice can form and it is the most amazing forest skating EVER! 2 of the pictures we are sending are from last year. It was the best ice in all the years we have been going there. The other 2 pictures are from this year, still neat, but not skate worthy. It’s a surprise as to what its going to be like each time we visit.
natureninja – Dec 31, 2020
SO MANY birds!
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
When I was building a snow tunnel in my backyard after school I all of a sudden heard SO MANY birds. They had all flew together and landed in our big tree. I got my mom to take a video. They would fly between our tree and the neighbours, back and forth like a wave. Then all of a sudden they all just left!
natureninja – Feb 15, 2021
Hike in the Woods!
Landmark 13 (Travel a Familiar Route)
On this beautiful sunny Sunday we took a nice quite stroll in the woods at the Ganaraska forest! On our walk today we were very fortunate to spot a Red Headed Woodpecker.
Crazyfornature – Feb 21, 2021
Down the Hill
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
Enjoying the fresh snow fall by sledding down a local hill.
TheSuperNinjas – Feb 14, 2021
Sliding in Fresh Snow
Landmark 11 (Celebrate Each Season)
Sliding down the hill in the fresh snow.
TheSuperNinjas – Feb 13, 2021
Volcanos in the Snow
Landmark 14 (Five New Outdoor Activities)
Today was too beautiful of a day to stay inside. Yes it was a bit chilly but the sun was shining so we gathered some items and headed outside. We started by piling a heap of snow around a small glass jar, making the top of the snow level with the jar. We then added baking soda to the jar. Once we filled the jar half way with the baking soda we then began adding the coloured vinegar that we prefilled into squirt bottles in the house before coming outside. Once the vinegar mixed with the baking soda the eruption began! We had so much fun with this activity we repeated over and over again!
Crazyfornature – Feb 6, 2021
Speedy Experiments
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
Today’s big snowfall had the whole family excited. As soon as we got home from our day we spilled out of the car and started playing in the fresh snow. The kids soon made a challenge to see how far they could travel down our small front yard hill and across the snow covered driveway on an inflatable sled. They took great delight in experimenting with different strategies to slide down the hill- pushing each other, running across the yard and jumping onto the sled, going down together for more weight…etc. Each try got them travelling faster down the hill and farther across the driveway. The Nature Nuts – Jan 26, 2021
Snow Castles
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
We enjoyed working together to make our first ‘snow castle’ of the season. We used shovels and our hands to pile up snow into a circular shape, then used sand pails as molds to add decorative details to the top. We have been having lots of fun all week playing in our castle!
The Nature Nuts – Jan 17, 2021
Fresh Air and Exercise
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
Getting used to working and schooling from home has had us inside much more than usual. This weekend was all about getting fresh air and exercise through a favourite family activity: sledding! The weather was perfect both days to get lots of rides down the hill. Afterwards, we all enjoyed delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows 🙂
The Nature Nuts – Jan 9, 2021
Flying Friends
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Working and schooling from home this month has allowed us to have constant watch over bird seed that we sprinkle on our back deck each day. We have had so much fun identifying the animals that have been making regular visits to our house including chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, northern cardinals, blue jays, squirrels, nuthatches, and what we believe to be a group of sparrows, common redpolls and goldfinches. Many virtual meetings have been interrupted by the excitement over our daily visit from a small flock of cardinals (3 males, 2 females) or a blue jay’s noisy visit.
The Nature Nuts – Jan 14, 2021
Winter bird watch
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Our family has been really interested in discovering the birds that have stayed in our neighbourhood over the winter. While playing in the backyard today, we noticed how many birds were flying around and calling from the trees. We quickly packed up a backpack with binoculars and a notebook and took a walk around the neighbourhood to record how many birds we could find. My daughter kept a tally of the different kinds of birds we saw and heard- including a number of chickadees, bluejays and crows.
The Nature Nuts – Jan 2, 2021
Forest Drive
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X/Month)
Going for a drive – in the forest. This old car was on a friends property – it brought lots of joy to the driver and his sidekick.
The Walmsley Five – Dec 20, 2020
Downhill Fun
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X/Month)
Tobogganing! Lots of snow means lots of fun – going up the hills was tricky for the youngest but he just followed the older ones up, and up and up.
The Walmsley Five – Dec 27, 2020
Circle of Life
Landmark 12 (Meet Neighbourhood Friends)
The Circle of Life – getting to know animals is important at all stages of life. This possum was found at the end of its life and the boys were very interested in examining it.
The Walmsley Five – Dec 26, 2020
Silly Snowman
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
We’ve been watching the weather all week waiting for the perfect conditions to make a snowman and today was the day! We got a new snowman decorating kit for Christmas and were really excited to try it out. We worked together to take all the snow in our yard in order to make the biggest snowballs that we could. We think the end result is pretty silly 🙂
The Nature Nuts – Dec 30, 2020
Animal Tracks
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
The new snow that fell overnight made the perfect excuse to look for animal prints! This morning we headed out to a nearby nature area in search of who (or what) had been making tracks before we got there. It didn’t take long before we found signs of fox, mouse, dog, bird and squirrel prints through the snow. Our favourite part was following the prints as far as we could to see where the animal had been heading.
The Nature Nuts – Dec 29, 2020
Look out!
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today we headed to a favourite hiking spot with a lookout tower to try out a recent gift- binoculars! We used them to watch the friendly chickadees flying by and to see the different plants that were growing around the large creek.
The Nature Nuts – Dec 22, 2020
Trail Tracks
Landmark 11 (Celebrate Each Season)
Today we celebrated the fresh new snowfall by exploring the nature areas around our neighbourhood by sled. Everything around us was so peaceful and quiet as we made new tracks along the trail and followed ones we found along the way. We also made sure to stop many times to climb the big ‘mountains’ of snow that the plows had made.
The Nature Nuts – Dec 26, 2020
Edible Garlands
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
To celebrate the winter season and decorate outdoors, we made garland out of edible items for our wintering friends in the woods. Items used:
Cheerios, raisins, raisins, peanuts, air popped popcorn, orange and pomegranate peel (shaped with cookie cutters)
The Chickadees – Dec 16, 2020
Muddy Puddles
Landmark 11 (Celebrate Each Season)
Our weekend hike was all about mud! The kids had a blast squishing in huge mud puddles along our route. The recent warm and wet weather meant there were lots of muddy parts to choose from!
The Nature Nuts – Nov 29, 2020
Climbable Cedar
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X)
We have been regularly visiting a conservation area close to our house for a full year now. We have explored all the trails and noticed the changes throughout all four seasons. During each hike, the big highlight is always the many climbable cedar trees along the route. The kids eagerly run down the path to search out some of their favourites (which they have named!). No hike is complete without visiting the ‘horse tree’, ‘the sloth tree’ and a group of trees lovingly referred to as ‘the playhouse’.
The Nature Nuts – Nov 8/20
Meadows and Milkweed
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today we went to a nearby conservation area and had so much fun exploring the different trails. While the forest trails are always fun, by far the favourite route to go this time of year is along the meadow trails for one simple reason: milkweed! Today we found the milkweed pods had all burst open and the seeds were spilling out. We spent a long time gathering handfuls of milkweed seeds to blow into the wind!
The Nature Nuts – Nov 7/20
Chickadee Neighbours
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
We have made friends with our Chickadee neighbours. Rasi has sat patiently and quietly out on the porch each day with a handful of seeds to share with her new friends!
The Chickadees – Oct 29/20
Natural Patterns
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Each Season)
Took a fall walk and with fallen leaves, new trails gave way to explore! Fall leaves also assisted with math homework displaying patterns. After our fall harvest, we collected seeds either for eating, or to save for next years planting. We also went on an adventure somewhere we’ve never been before, to see the fall colours.
The Chickadees – Oct 29/20
Corn Husk and Harvests!
Landmark #6 (Play In Nature 2x A Week)
We went to a corn maze, learning all about corn and harvesting, walking through the maze, listening for birds and the wind.
The Nature Ninjas – Oct 12/20
Special Places
Landmark #9 (Special Outdoor Place)
Found a new favourite place to explore… WHEN SAFE, during our screen breaks. Secret place right in town. We love taking walks along the water between our online classes!
Chickadees – Sept 17/20
Dress to impress
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Each Season)
In celebration of summer blooms we designed nature clothes from our flowers!
Chickadees – August 31/20
From Above
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Each Season)
When you’re a drone pilot, you get to see the kids playing from a whole new angle, enjoying these last days of summer.
Super Ninjas – Aug 30/20
Kiwi Caterpiller
Landmark #15 (Garden, birdfeeder, insects, etc)
We found a really big grasshopper at the beach, so we named it Kiwi and made a little “cottage” for him to hang out at!
The Chickadees – Aug 27/20
Paddling Fun
Landmark #13 (Travel a Familiar Route)
Got together with some friends for social distancing paddling fun!! Higher water levels allowed us to expore more areas!!!
We found a lot of cool things and cleaned out some litter in the water as we went also!
The Chickadees – Aug 26/20
Milkweed and Caterpillers!
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
We were on our nature walk, with our dogs, to get more milkweed for a Caterpillar. Our poor pup, Chef, had a run in with a porcupine!!! Too many quills for us to take out ourselves. We had to bring her to the Emergency Vet Clinic. He’s ok!
The Chickadees – Aug 27/20
Smoosh for Art!
Landmark #8 (Nature Art)
I collected some flowers, dirt and leaves put them in bowls and added a little bit of water then with a spoon I mixed and mushed. The one that worked the best was yellow flowers and the dirt and light purple flowers. To make the rest of the flowers work I kind of had to smoosh them on the paper. The art turned out to be water colours! Everything I used except the paper and the bowls and spoons were from the outside world! I used one tsp of warm water each bowls of colours but for the dirt I added water and mixed it until it looked like real brown paint.
Nature Ninjas – July 29/20
River route
Landmark #13 (Travel a familiar route)
We decided to take a closer look at the stream that we walk by all the time. The boys saw small fish and lots of water insects.
The Super Ninjas – Aug 28/20
Yum!
Landmark #10 (Plant, tend and harvest something you can eat)
Helped plant, grow and harvest the community garden as well as our own for vegetables and sunflowers to share with our family, friends and community.
The Chickadees – Aug 29/20
Sssssssnakes!
Landmark #15 (Garden, birdfeeder, insects etc.)
I was in the Kawartha Highlands walking when I saw the leaves moving. I looked down and saw a Garter snake. I followed the snake for 3 minutes and it slithered in a bush and climbed up a branch. I caught it. I knew they didn’t bite. I liked that it curled its tail around my thumb. I showed my sister and convinced my mom to touch it.
NatureNinjas – August 19/20