Toilet paper tube owls

Whooo wants to make a craft? Whooo has toilet paper tubes? Well then lets get started with these adorable toilet paper tube owls!

What you will need:

Toilet paper tube
2 muffin liners
White paper
Orange paper
Tape
Glue
Marker

First you need to get your muffin liners cut for later use. Start by folding the first liner in half, and then in half again so it looks like the triangle shape in the photos on the right. Now cute off the tip of the triangle and cut along the creased areas so that you end up with four pieces like in the photo


One the second liner, simply fold in half. Cut off the top portion to make a flat edge. Next cut along the creased are to form the wings.

To make the owl, start by pushing the two sides of the tube inward and tape to create the owl's ears. To make the owl's tummy area, glue and layer the four cut pieces from the first step as show in the photo on the left. Take your wings and glue them on the back of the tube. Now cut out eyes and a beak from your construction paper and attach above the tummy area. Use the marker to create the eyes and you have a beautiful toilet paper tube owl! These little guys are a wonderful nature craft or a great decoration for Halloween.

"Mom, can I bring it home?"

Children are notorious for wanting things, candy, toys, and in my son's case....bugs. He is always bring new "friends" home an asking if they can stay. I usually don't mind as long as their stay is only overnight.

On a day out a few weeks ago he found a catapillar he wanted to bring home. We placed it in a fast food cup for the hour drive home. Upon arrive we set the catapiller up in a "home" with leaves and such. The container was placed on a shelf and he forgot about it. I admit, I too had forgotten about it till one day our cat took great interest in the container. Our catpiller had turned into a butterfly!

 

I quickly placed a Q-tip soaked in sugar water in the container so our little friend could get something to eat. That afternoon when my son came home from school he was thrilled! We poured through our bug books trying to identify the little guy (or girl) and we learned it was a Buckeye butterfly. Again, as with most bugs, my son asked if it could stay. The weather was in his favor as it had turned very cold and the rain was intense for a few days.

 

When the rain finally broke and the sun peeked out, we decided it was a good time for the butterfly to go back to nature. We had an amazing time watching him before he left. We even got to see his tounge a few times! The joy and amazement my son showed for this winged friend reminded my why it is so very important to let children "bring it home" every once in a while!

 

 

Magical Migration, CraneFest Oct. 13 and 14

We live in a very small town (pop 1400) in Michigan. It is the type of place where neighbors know each other and kids can still be kids. At times it becomes a magical place to live as every spring and fall the Sand Hill Cranes migrate through out little piece of nature. It is not uncommon if you are outside to be over powered by the sound, in the early morning or near dusk, of thousands of these large birds calling. It is an amazing thing to see such a migration and I feel blessed our children witness this year after year.

Near the end of September each year, the tell tale call of these birds begins to appear. First only a few, often far off. But by mid October, when the weather begins to turn, the large Vs fill the sky and the echos of there calls are everywhere. These birds can be up to four foot tall and have a wing span up to seven feet!!! The fields around town become packed with majestic birds. It really is something to see.

And luckily for many avid bird watches they can see it, at the annual CraneFest held just outside of town at the Kiwanis Youth Area on 15 mile rd. But CraneFest isn't just for birders. They have all sorts of wonderful activities. Some of the attractions include artists with wears for sale, live birds of prey and other exotic critters, nature walks, hey rides and of course activities for the kids.






Admission if free however there is a cost of just $3 to park. So why not load up your car and check out what has become an annual event for our family.

 

 

National Public Lands Day (Sept 29 and more)

Do you enjoy getting out into nature? Do you love our National Parks and Public Lands? Here is your chance to give back a little. National Public Lands Day is an opportunity for people across the country to volunteer in special projects to help keep these great natural spaces wonderful. To find out how you can help Click Here!

Some of the projects I found in my state include picking up debris, removing invasive species, collecting native species seeds, and trail maintenance. I was even suprised to see an event where you can help build bat boxes! Think of the impact you will not only have on nature but on your children by volunteering as a family. The only way to teach children to care for something is by doing. Hope to "see" you out there on

Outdoor fun, try something new!

Recently we attended a free Outdoor Family Fun Day put on by local conservation groups. Now let me just say, I personally do not hunt, but I have family members who have and do enjoy the sport of hunting. Being as our son is only six, his exposure to the whole hunting scene is limited. This was basically his first chance to get hands on with and learn about hunting and he had a blast! (even if you are not into hunting, activities like this can offer your children lots of fun and life skills too!)

Upon arriving our son made a beeline for the archery area. One of the gentlemen saw how excited he was and took his time to show our son how to properly hold and shoot a bow. It was great to see how much fun he was having and how proud of himself he was for learning a new skill.

Next up he wanted to try his hand at pheasant hunting. They explained hunter safety to the kids before they went on their "hunt." It was so cute to watch the children try to keep a shoulder to shoulder formation as they crossed the field. They would toss different colored Frisbees to represent male and female birds and the kids had to call out "hen" (no shoot) and "rooster" (shoot.) When a rooster was throw, four little wooden guns would go up!

 

He and I worked together to do some waterfowl identification and he got a duck call. Imagine 30 plus kids with duck calls....yes it was loud! They had a duck calling contest and again my son amazed me. He had NEVER used a duck call before and was up against kids with lots of experience. With five minutes to warm up he bravely stepped in front of a crowd of strangers and gave it his all! To top it all off, he won a pair of duck decoys!

 

Of course now that he has a duck call and some duck decoys he is trying to convince us he needs a duck dog (aka lab or retriever) too! Ummm, sorry son, no. I am so glad I spotted this free event in our local paper and took the time to check it out. Not only did we have a wonderful day in the great outdoors, but our son learned some new skills and gained confidence in himself.

 

What can you learn from our fun day? Try something new! You never know how much fun you will have if you don't. Try new things, learn new skills and along the way have fun with your family.

 

 

 

**This article can also be found on**

 

Fun with Fairies, a little childhood magic

A Fairy Hosue

Childhood should be a magical time of life. When imaginations blossom and anything is possible. So few kids today have that magic in their lives. Even my oldest is beginning to get jaded and ask question. So today I asked him if he thought fairies were real. I was answered with a simple but firm "NO." How sad is it that at just six, he didn't even think maybe.

 

Something had to be done and fast! If the possibility of fairy existence is in question, you know Santa is next! So I quickly grabbed a bag and we head out for a walk in our yard. I told him to put nature things in the bag like flowers and berries. He asked why, but I just told him to wait and see.

 

When we returned to the house I told him we were going to invite fairies to live at our house. We would make a nature potion, build a house and sprinkle the house with the potion and watch! So we made up our potion, collected items and built a house, made a big ceremony out of sprinkling it and he spent the rest of the day checking for fairies! This morning they did not exist, but tonight, maybe, just maybe, they might.......

"Fairy Potion"

What You’ll Need:

• Glass jar
• Water
• Food coloring
• Flower petals and other items from nature

Gather your items from nature to put in the fairy potion.  After you’ve gathered your nature items for your potion, you’ll then add water and food coloring to your jar. Next add the nature items to the jars. You could mix them up with a "magic stick," but my son being a boy decided to shake it up.


 "Fairy House"

 

For our house we gathered sticks and bark and used a tree's root area to build. Let your child do this on their own as there is no wrong or right way to build one. I did however tell my son, no glue or nails, that the fairies would notice and be on to us. After my son finished his house he covered it with grass to make it look even more natural.

 

You can also make a mythical creature playset with this idea and let your little one's imagination go wild.

 

 

Unplug and go outside

I am sure we all have heard that kids today spend way to much time plugged in and not enough time playing outside. I honestly hate our television. If I would let him (which I will not) my oldest would sit for ours watching mind numbing cartoons. But as I said, I don't let him. I make him go out and enjoy the day, hunt bugs, and dig in the dirt. And when he really doesn't want to, I set an example by going out with him, even if I have other things I need to do

If your child is like most, they just want to sit. So what can a parent do. Well I have one friend who literally send her kids out and then LOCKS the door so they have to stay outside. While it makes me laugh, I can't see doing that to my son. The last thing I need is the neighbors calling to tell me my sound is in the yard "watering" the tree.

I saw this image posted online, and for the life of me I can't remember where, but I clicked on it and read it. It had some very interesting information..... go on, click on it and read it..... I'll wait.....

I know, your sitting there going, yup, those darn children need to get outside, but how do I get them outside. I may not have the best answer to how to get your kids outside but I do have a fun one from the Children and Nature Initiative by Nation Environmental Education Foundation. Write them an Rx like a doctor would with these handy script forms.

 

 

Be creative with this...tell them they have to go find 5 ants and write what they were doing, spot three different species of birds and draw pictures of them, or collect 5 types of leaves and ID them. If you have a pool, tell them to do laps. Do they have a bike? Tell them to ride around the block so many times. You never know, they might just enjoy what you prescribed!

 

If you need a few more ideas, check out our post of outdoor activities for people who don't like camping.

 

 



So you don't like camping.....try these

So you are not a camping kind of person. Bugs bother you. You prefer a hotel. Guess what? In the words of Dr. Phil (who I don't really like but hey) It's not all about YOU. What about your children?

Children today sit in front of T.V.s and computers. We all know it is not healthy. When I was a child we went outside to play ALL day in the summer. Outside is a place children don't go anymore. Some times as parents we have to suck it up and do things we don't necessarily care for, like go outside, go camping, and look at bugs, so our children will start to do those things too.

Here are some simple ways to ease into the outdoors for you and your children. Try to push yourself AND your children past your comfort zone. You might just find out you do enjoy the outdoors more then you thought! And if you still don't like camping, it's okay! At least your child will have experienced life beyond the walls of your house. And who knows, you might spark a love of nature in them in the process.

Take a hike/walk. A nice walk can be a chance to connect with your child.

Throw rocks. In land or on water. It’s almost therapeutic.

Read books. But not necessarily on your couch. Pack a backpack full of books and find a nice natural area to hang out for awhile.

Play in a river. Kids love splash around and you might too.

Go for a picnic. Grab some food or pack a lunch and find a shady spot.

Ride bikes.

Spend time in the backyard just playing.

Take pictures. Take pictures of things you see and find, it will get your child really looking at nature.

Catch frogs. Or other other critters. I know I am pushing some of you bug haters on this one

Go on a expedition You can collect rock, flowers, leaves, sticks, etc.

So now that you have some simple ideas, get out there!

To see the stars....

Did any of you make it out for the Perseids meteor shower last night? When I went to bed we had heavy cloud cover. But thanks to my sweet little six months old waking me at 2 am I was lucky enough to see it! As he sipped his bottle I wandered into the backyard and saw 5 or 6 meteors streak across the sky. The last actually made me gasp out loud to no one but the night. It was so bright and went right over our house.

I toyed with the idea of waking our six year old but then thought better of it. I mean really do I want him awake at 2 am? And would he go back to sleep? Or would he fall asleep on a blanket in the yard and I would be unable to carry him back in!

The meteor shower will continue tonight and if he can stay up and the clouds stay away, we will try again to see the stars and maybe a few meteors!

The Perseids (Meteor Shower) is here!

ATTN: MAKE your children take a nap this afternoon so they can stay up late for one of natures great shows. The best meteor shower of the year is in full swing!

Grab a blanket and head out into then night for the Perseid meteor shower. When I said to grab a blanket and head out to watch the shower, I didn't say that just as a cool cuddly way to share this with your children. If you stand with your neck tilted up, you will have neck issues in the morning.

The "shooting stars" you will be looking for are actually pieces of debris left over from the comet Swift-Tuttle, hurtling through space at 37 miles per second! This year's peak comes the evening and late night of Saturday into the wee hours of Sunday. The meteors tend to streak across the sky, but you will want to look toward the Perseus constellation, which is in the northeast part of the sky and forms an inverted "Y" shape.

Experts say we can expect about 25 to 60 meteors per hour during the peak, but don't expect to see the meteors evenly spread out over time. You may see nothing for five minutes and then four or more in a row a minute later. See just how many shooting stars you can count!

Here is a great video from NASA to tell you all about this event.......

Reptile Weekend at Binder Park Zoo 8/4-5

The Michigan Society of Herpetologists and Binder Park Zoo Are Proud to Present Reptile Weekend August 4 and 5, 2012!

This is a great chance to get out and meet (touch) some very interesting reptile friends. It is included in your zoo addmisiion which is

Adults: $12.95
Seniors: $11.95
Children (2-10): $10.95
Children (under 2) FREE

We love going to this event year after year! Check out some of our past fun:

Alaska bear cam

Who doesn't love watching bears? I remember as a small child my grandparents took us "down south" to visit relatives and going to the open air dump in the evening to watch black bears from the car. It was a local attraction you could say. Those days (thankfully) are long gone with better waste disposal.

But who doesn't love seeing beautiful majestic bears? What if you could do it from the safety of your home? The Explore site is amazing! It has a live bear cam and you can watch the bears fishing! It is located at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The best viewing is from 6:30am - 11:30pm (they are on Alaska Standard Time)

Right now I am watching three bears at the falls fishing! I could watch these guys for hours. I know I can't, just saying I could! They have a variety of other cams and I am now off to watch belugas! I love cams.

World Tiger Day

Today is world tiger day! Head on over and check out the Tiger WWF facebook page. And check out this amazing information from the WWF on tigers!

Amur (Siberian) Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris altaica

IUCN Listing: Endangered

Habitat: Coniferous, scrub oak and birch woodlands

Location: Primarily eastern Russia, with a few found in northeastern China

Interesting Fact: In the 1940s the Amur tiger was on the brink of extinction, with no more than 40 tigers remaining in the wild. Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts by the Russians with support from many partners, including WWF, the Amur tiger population recovered and has remained stable throughout the last decade.

 

Bengal (Indian) Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris

IUCN Listing: Endangered

Habitat: Dry and wet deciduous forests, grassland and temperate forests, mangrove forests

Location: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. India is home to the largest population.

Interesting Fact: Some Bengal tigers are cream or white in color instead of orange, due to a recessive gene for this coloration. These "white" tigers are rarely found in the wild.

Indochinese Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris corbetti

IUCN Listing: Endangered

Habitat: Remote forests in hilly to mountainous terrain, much of which lies along the borders between countries

Location: Widely dispersed throughout six countries: Thailand, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Interesting Fact: Access to the areas where Indochinese tigers live is often restricted, and biologists have only recently been granted limited permits for field surveys. As a result, relatively little is known about the status of these tigers in the wild.

Malayan Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris jacksoni

IUCN Listing: Endangered

Habitat: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Location: Southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia

Interesting Fact: The Malayan tiger was only identified as being a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is very similar to the Indochinese tiger, but is smaller in size.

South China Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris amoyensis

IUCN Listing: Critically Endangered

Habitat: Montane sub-tropical evergreen forest

Location: Central and eastern China

Interesting Fact: It is estimated that the South China tiger is functionally extinct. Currently 47 South China tigers live in 18 zoos, all in China. If there are any South China tigers in the wild, these few individuals would be found in southeast China, close to provincial borders.

Sumatran Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris sumatrae

IUCN Listing: Critically Endangered

Habitat: Montane forests, the remaining blocks of the island's lowland forest, peat swamps, and freshwater swamp forests

Location: Exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra

Interesting Fact: Sumatran tigers are protected by law in Indonesia, with tough provisions for jail time and steep fines. Despite increased efforts in tiger conservation, including law enforcement and anti-poaching capacity, a substantial market remains in Sumatra for tiger parts and products.

So you wanna be a zoo keeper when you grow up!

In honor of National Zoo Keeper Week, we thought you might want to know what it takes to be a zoo keeper. Let me tell you there is A LOT. A WHOLE LOT! But, thanks to the St. Louis Zoo we can tell you that if you're in Elementary School here are a few things you should do to get started on the right path. And the best part of this info, is that all this stuff is FUN! Okay maybe not the work hard in school part but hey, anything CAN be fun.

Go on nature hikes

Take trips to zoos, parks, and natural history museums.

Read books and magazines on wildlife and related topics.

Watch nature shows on TV.

Keep a pet. Taking care of a pets will teach you a lot about responsible animal care.

Join science clubs and volunteer to help with fieldwork projects in your community.

Observe wildlife and bring along field guides to help you better appreciate what you're seeing.

Keep a nature journal.

Take a class on animals or nature at your local zoo, animal sanctuary, or park.

Work hard in school, not just in classes on science and nature but in all subjects.

Plaster Tracks

Have you ever found an animal track? You might be surprised if you look closes just how many you can find! Here is a fun project that not only will get you out in nature looking for tracks, but will allow you to bring those tracks home! All you need is:

• a soda bottle (cut into rings)
• plaster of Paris mix
• water
• plastic spoon
• something to mix in 

Look for tracks on damp ground and soft mud. The best place to look is where animals go to get water. Check out the bank of a creek or lake. If you are walking in a field or wood keep your eyes on paths as animals like to use the easiest way to get around too! Once you have found a good track that you want to keep, clear away any leaves, small stones or twigs without disturbing the track.

Now it is time to make a plaster cast of your print. Place one soda bottle ring around the track so that the track is centered, and press it about 1/2 inch into the ground. This wall that will keep the plaster from running out. Follow the directions that came with the plaster and mix up enough to make a cast of the track..



Now you are ready to pour the plaster into the circle you made earlier. Do NOT pour the plaster directly on the track. It might ruin it. Instead, pour to the side of the track and let it run into the track. Fill the circle to the top. Now you have to wait. No kid enjoys waiting so you can look or other tracks, have a pic-nic, or just go for a walk.

After about 30 minutes the cast should be set enough to remove (Parents use your judgement if you think it needs more time.) Do NOT try to pry the track out, instead dig around and under it and lift it out. You can clean the extra dirt off after it is finished setting. Plaster is warm as it sets, so once it is cool you can clean it off with a brush.

So what did you find? Need some help identifing your tracks? Check out these examples from the USGS website: