Inauguration and other Fevers

As some of you may be able to tell from my posts, I live very close to the District of Columbia. Very close. Very, very close. Work has been canceled for the 20th, the bridges out of Virginia and Maryland are getting ready to close, and Metro officials, I'm sure, are having a few sleepless nights. Think rush hour...times 20? What am I doing? Since school and work is closed, I will be watching the festivities from the Virginia side with Pip and Sprout. Not sure where yet, but it seems to me that it should be a rather festive occasion. Anyone want to come over?

I am reading a number of books all for work. Poor me. I've had to laugh over Frindle, sit engrossed over A View from Saturday, and I am currently suffering through (NOT!) my first Artemis Fowl. Poor me. :)

As for the nature side of things, I must confess that I have turned my family into a bunch of slug-a-bugs. Sidelined by minor, but couch and fever-ridden, illnesses and the weather have severely affected our time outdoors. Now that we're on the mend I think some heartier clothing might be just what the doctor ordered. You there. You, in the really cold climate, how do you bundle up your little ones and what do you do outdoors in the cold?

Anon! Five Green Outings With Kids in Northern Virginia

Anon, anon, hey nonny, nonny.

It has been a while since I've done a top ten (or in this case, top five) list and Anonymous suggested a nice topic in the comments section of my last post: green kid-friendly excursions for those of us in Northern Virginia. So let's take a break from the clothesline chit-chat and talk about...

Five Green Kid-Friendly Excursions in Northern Virginia

1) When you say lock, I think key. When you say high, I think low. When your say goodbye, I say...oh, nevermind. But when you say green, I think outdoors. If you are truly in the North of Virginia (I'm thinking you...Arlingtonians) than you must check out these Arlington Walkabouts. This one is even wheelchair-accessible and includes stops for food to give those little ones a boost. So get walking before the weather gets to muggy to do so.

2) Last year I wrote about the spray parks in Arlington and I waxed poetic about how eco-friendly they are because they recirculate the water they use. Now I'm not so certain about that. Is it cheating if I list our two favorite spots with a "to be continued" caveat? And let me also warn you..."One of these parks doesn't have a restroom...tell me...can you guess which one? Before my song is done."

3) The Claude Moore Colonial Farm should be paying me a commission based on the number of folks I've sent their way. I wrote about it way back when I was still blogging for DC Metro Moms, and it remains one of our most favorite summer destinations. Think you're having problems with the clothesline challenge? Try a washing machine challenge...or toilet challenge...or central heating challenge for that matter.

4) Rosebud! Rosebud! Er...wait! I meant Greenspring!, Greenspring! Doris Frances Gurney wrote "The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth." The same could be said for nearer a child's heart and Greenspring will give you ample opportunity to let them run free over the great lawn, the wooded paths and the children's garden (currently being renovated but picnic-friendly nonetheless).

5) Okay...I'm cheating again here because I've never done this before but it just looks so frickin' fun! Letterboxing! In Virginia! Learn it, live it, love it (I'm guessing)...but also kind of be safe and if some of these instructions are a bit dated there may be a tad bit of disappointment involved. Nonetheless nothing can be better than finding treasures hidden among the roots and shoots.

What's your favorite NOVA eco-friendly activity with kids?

On a side note, I must be getting old because quotes like these are starting to make me tear up... "The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

Nature Hour of Power

Okay you greenies. Hold on to your beanies.

I'm a bit late in joining, but The Heart of Harmony is having a fabulous Green Hour weekly challenge based on the National Wildlife Federation and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's campaign slogans. Head over to Ann Kroeker's blog for a quick overview to get you up to speed, then grab a bunch of great bloggy buttons...





You will also need "The Handbook of Nature-Study" by Anna Botsford Comstock.

The Green Hour Challenge is actually on Week 4: "It's Coming Into Focus", but I'm hoping that it won't be too confusing to jump right in. What a fabulous resource The Heart of Harmony has created for us just in time for Spring!

Hug a Tree Today

It's me. And Jennifer at Tree Hugging Family, which is so chock full o' ideas every day that it makes my head spin, is literally hugging trees.

So, even in winter, in an attempt to avoid The Television, the Wanna-Greenies are going to hug some trees too. Stay tuned for pictures - although identifying trees may be a bit harder in winter without those tell-tale leaves to give their identity away.

Oh, and I'll be back. I have a give away. I can't very well take a break from give aways, can I?

A New England State of Mind

In the random flotsam and jetsam of donations that pass through my library, there is an occasional gem. This week's gem was the July/August issue of Yankee Magazine, which I have not see in oodles of time and sports a new, breezy format. The editor, in his "Letter to Our Readers" column quotes Henry Beston, the author of The Outermost House. I reprint it here:

The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of the outer ocean on a beach.

I think that about says it all. What nature-writing have you read, if at all? I confess that I have not read much, but if Gift from the Sea counts, I certainly recommend it. Any suggestions for starters?

With the number of Kids and Nature posts, and the yet to be read "Last Child in the Woods" I hereby declare the upcoming month of August Month of the Outdoor Child in the Wannie-Greenie household. This is going to be pretty freakin' tricky considering that the month of August in my neck of the woods is about as hazy, hot, and humid as you can get...but soon September will be right around the corner and you know what that means...shudder. Fortunately, my kids love the outdoors, but I would like to read some new and clever ideas. Today we spent the morning at a park nestled in the woods, shaded and cool. It was a short walk from one of our areas fabulous nature centers, so we stopped there briefly but decided the small turtle pond was more interesting. Living up to its name, the turtle pond revealed a turtle taking a dip, covered in some clover-leafed-looking algae (can anyone tell me what type of algae it was? Perhaps it wasn't algae after all? It looked like little clovers floating on the surface of the water). Sprout, Pip and I watched the turtle emerge from the pond and amble off back into the woods. Turtles are surprisingly fast, wouldn't you know. I'm sure two loud toddlers hand nothing to do with that.

Won't you stop by EnviroMom's site and leave your suggestions for their new Outdoor Child segment of their website?