Tag: Nature-Smart

The Nature-Smart Kid

This is the first post in a series I will be doing on the Multiple Intelligences or 8 Great Smarts.

For an overview of ALL the multiple intelligences, make sure to check out this post: Multiple Intelligences: Discovering the Way Your Child is Smart.

Also, it’s important to remember that the multiple intelligences are not meant to box people in. One can grow in any of them, though some will come much more naturally.

I’m starting with Nature-Smart.  Nature Intelligence is easy for me to write about as I’m nature smart, and two of my children are as well.

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

In fact, one of my kids has been talking about the weather since he began using words.  Nurturing his nature-intelligence and passion for weather has had a profoundly positive impact on his life.

Nature-Smart Kid

What A Nature-Smart Kid Looks Like:

  • Thinks in patterns.
  • Invigorated from spending time outside (and may get crabby if they don’t get outside enough.)
  • Aware of their surroundings and seek to understand nature better (For example, do the shape and color of those clouds tell us anything about the weather…?)
  • Might love animals, or gardening.
  • Enjoys things like camping, and going on nature hikes.

Possible Careers for a Nature-Smart Kid:

  • Veterinarian
  • Pet-sitter
  • Landscaper
  • Park Ranger
  • Meteorologist

How you can nurture Nature-Smart Kids:

  • Connect what they’re studying to nature.   Examples: History – Research how people built things and how they grew their food at different points in history.  Math – Make a chart of all the different geysers at Yellowstone National Park and compare how high they can get or how frequently they erupt.
  • Let them study outside if possible.
  • Go on nature hikes or drives.
  • When it comes to chores, consider giving them chores such as weeding, pruning, mowing the lawn, watering plants, taking care of pets
  • Grow something, whether a small plant inside or bigger garden outside.
  • Get a bird feeder to attract different birds to your backyard.  Have binoculars nearby.

Games/ Activities/Books for Nature-Smart Kids:

Nature Smart Kid Moose in the House Card Game
Nature Smart Kid Science Wiz Rocks Kit
Nature Smart Kid Spot it! Camping

 

 

 

 

Nature Smart Kid Nature Patterns for Perler Beads
Nature Smart Kid Butterfly Garden
Nature Smart Kid Julia Rothman Collection

 

 

 

 


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Why You Should Camp With Your Kids

Bugs, Spiders, TICKS, oh my!  OK, so ticks are a pretty big “oh my!”

But…

Campfires.

Being outside ALL DAY.

Scrumptious Smores.

SCREEN-FREE days that take us back in time.

Memories being made…

Obviously, you can see where my bias lies. 😉  
This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through these links will result in a small commission for me (at no cost to you!) 
I grew up camping so it has never seemed extreme to me.

Though I get it when people say they could never camp.  I’ve heard the comments countless times.

“I don’t do bugs.”

“I’ll sleep in my own bed, thank you very much.”

“I’m a beach person.”

“That’s a lot of work just for a few days.”

And it’s true.

Sleeping in a tent or camper ISN’T quite as luxurious as your warm, free from dirt and bugs, comfy bed.

Camp showers are NOT the same as a nice hot (not to mention high water pressure) shower at home.

Spending hours to prepare to (temporarily) live in an environment where a just a canvas or nylon cloth separates you from the often BRUTAL elements DOES seem a little HUGELY insane.

It IS a lot of work to go camping.

It IS a little uncomfortable to live away from home and the niceties that come with it.

The bugs and ticks ARE a real nuisance.

So WHY do we do it?

Well, the list above says it all.

Family time.  Memories.  And hello…. CAMP FOOD!

I believe the pros outweigh the cons.
Here’s WHY:

Once camp is set up, there is nothing else to do besides enjoy each other and make a camp meal or two.  You can’t be working on household stuff because your house IS the great outdoors. 

Kids are forced into boredom and finding ways to pass the time outside.  When I was a kid we spent a lot of unstructured time outside.  But these days it’s less and less common and kids are in danger of NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder).

Time slows down if only for a few days.  We live in an immediate gratification culture.  Everything is at our fingertips.  We are losing what it means to slow down and be patient.  Camping isn’t the solution, and neither is getting rid of all technology.  However, camping offers a much-needed break from the hectic busy nature of life. 

And let’s be honest, what can compete with the glowing rectangle?!

Camping is a great way to get to know your family better.  When we see each other in different surroundings we learn new things about each other.  For instance, I see my nature-smart kid come alive when we’re camping. Normally quick to get tired, he has a renewed energy being out in the elements.

If you have a nature-smart kid, this book is a great book all about camping, packed with TONS of ideas for meals, activities and more.

Camping helps foster independence in kids.  Children can have some freedom to roam when camping, while still being under your watch.  They can fetch some water or maybe walk to the bathrooms themselves, or bike around a loop.  Possibly even make a new friend.

Now…  about those ticks.

I’ll be honest, I loathe bugs.  Like “scream your head off when they fly near your face” loathing.  Yes, I’m one of those people.   And we’ve been on a few trips where the bugs were BAD.  Usually, that’s when I layer up and spray myself with DEET (not ideal for this semi-crunchy mama).

Ticks are the WORST and I really do understand why some people would avoid camping for this reason alone.  Although I should point out, you can get ticks anywhere…  We had some in your yard when we lived in the suburbs of Chicago!

We’ve learned a few “TICK TRICKS” over time.
  1. Homemade tick spray (recipe here), or OFF for the really wooded areas.
  2. Lint Roller to roll over everybody after a day of playing outside.
  3. Tick Twister (For $5, these are AMAZING!)  We used them to get two TINY deer ticks off my son last summer.  If you are a camping family, this is a MUST HAVE.

Don’t let the ticks deter you from camping!  Use these tricks to deter THEM!

Any great reasons for camping I missed?  Please add them to the comments below!


 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Hey Mom?”: Musings from an introverted mom of a chatterbox

Recently I was driving my 8-year-old son to his vision therapy appointment.

Being that the therapy center is 35 minutes from our house, I usually make use of that car time by playing an audiobook.

It was just him and me in the car that day, and so I asked him, “What book do you want to listen to?”.  He responded with, “Can we just talk?”

I SIGHED QUIETLY to myself. 

“Sure, honey”.  I knew well what “talking” meant – bring on the questions!  The rest of the car ride was a Q&A session.  Normally me giving the answer, “Hmmm… I don’t know…”,  OR “We’ll have to get some books to look that up.”  I am now on the hunt for good books about the Titanic, because that is where this conversation Q&A marathon went….

I’m convinced my son’s brain is directly connected to his mouth…

And I’m thankful for how verbal he is.  See, he did not start to really talk until around the age of 3 1/2, and we were pretty concerned, so truly I am thankful that he talks… even if it overwhelms me at times.

Since I’m introverted and am recharged by time alone and in QUIET, his endless questions can feel like an ASSAULT to my (already suffering) “mom brain”.  And don’t get me wrong, I love this kid to PIECES!  He is one of a kind! But it doesn’t change the fact that the non-stop chatter feels like OVERLOAD.

Every time I hear “Hey Mom?”, my neck gets tense and I take a deep breath. Usually once “Hey Mom?” starts, it continues to a string of questioning for the next “X” amount of minutes.

His questions are a combination of genuine curiosity about the world around him (he’s my nature-smart kid) AND the fact that his brain is not totally organized (related to visual processing and auditory processing issues which we’re working on in occupational and vision therapy).  He processes almost EVERYTHING verbally.

When asked to “be patient” and hold his questions until I am done talking to someone else, he has a difficult time.  He is afraid he will forget his thought… and the fact of the matter is – he will!  So naturally, I give this kiddo some grace, even though I’m sure onlookers don’t always understand.

Tips For Other Moms of Chatterboxes

I don’t have it all figured out but here are some strategies that help me with my incessant talker:

  • When busy or just not in a position to be on the receiving end of a barrage of questions, give your kiddo an ear for a few minutes.  But let them know you will need to move on (to whatever you need to do) in a certain amount of time.
  • If the “Hey Mom?” is in regards to them wanting to SHOW you something they’ve made or they need you to DO something for them, and you’re currently in the middle of something, it’s ok to have them wait.
  •  If it’s information they seek, do whatever you can to get them reading!  Once he learned to read (at age 7), our son’s non-stop talking did ease up.  It got much better because he was no longer relying on me only for information intake(whether that was through conversation OR me reading to him).
  •  To help them learn how to work on their communication skills, try the communication game, which I described in this post under ‘Bravewriter’.  This game challenges them to use their words EFFECTIVELY.  They have to be selective and choosy about the words they use in order to do well in this game.

And now signing off as I enjoy some quiet moments by the fire… AKA “Brain re-charge” time. 🙂

 

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