22Jan 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
Bird Watching Hike

Bird Watching Hike

Hike Ideas, Learning, Nature Journaling, Valentine's Day, Winter
February is the perfect time to go bird watching! It's much easier to spot birds before the trees have all leafed out, and many birds are super active this time of year. There is long held folkloric belief that February is when birds begin to pair up and make nests, which likely plays into the modern themes of Valentine's Day. They do begin to make nests this time of year as many types of birds time the hatch of their young for early spring when insects start emerging. February is also the month of the Great Backyard Bird Count– a great opportunity to participate in a citizen science project and have fun outdoors. Log the bird friends you spot to help scientists track bird’s patterns and migration. Recording bird sightings in…
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01Nov 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Hot Chocolate Hike

Hot Chocolate Hike

Hibernation Celebration, Hike Ideas, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
There is nothing more exciting them packig up a thermos of hot chocolate and going on a winter hike. I like to choose routes that I know will have a place to sit down partway through, because while we usually have no problems sitting on the ground, in winter that can be too cold. We always bring these handy collapsible cups to make serving easier. (And they are infinately entertaining on their own.
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29Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Take a Winter Walk

Take a Winter Walk

Hike Ideas, Winter, Winter Solstice
Hiking in the winter is often more fun than the summer in my opinion. There is no poison ivy, you don't need to worry about snakes and there is a quietness that you don't get in the spring or summer. Look for birds and lichen in the bare branches, they'll be much easier to spot. Cracking ice is always a good time, and we love searching for tracks in the snow or mud. See if you can find buds on the trees, that is nature's way of telling you that while it's cold and dark, spring is coming. birds are easier to spot in bare branches tracks! racing log boats cracking ice in a shallow pond bark rubbed off trees by deer antlers foggy days find them in teh mud…
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10Oct 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Decomposer Hike

Decomposer Hike

Autumn, Hike Ideas, Learning, Samhain
One of our favorite activities any time of year, but especially Fall, is turning over logs to look for decomposers. Decomposers are an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes (breaks down) organic material. They play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers (like plants!.) Maybe that doesn't sound exciting, but decomposers are an incredibly important part of life-- without them, dead leaves, dead insects, and animals would just pile up everywhere. Imagine what the world would look like! You can do this in your backyard or on a hike in the woods, once you start looking decomposers are everywhere and it's fun to see what different types you can find and identify with…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Wild Mushroom Hike

Wild Mushroom Hike

First Harvest, Foraging, Hike Ideas, Recipes, Summer
We absolutely always enjoy searching for mushrooms while hiking, in fact I have promised my children badges for all the different types of mushrooms they've spotted on multiple occasions (and still not delivered...) but perhaps my favorite time to go is at the end of July right before First Harvest. This is when we (knock on wood) always find delicious chanterelles. I like added chanterelles to the list of things we harvest this time of year! Whether or not you want to forage mushrooms to harvest and eat, this is a fun hike to take with kids. (And I find they are often superior at spotting mushrooms!) Bring a magnifying glass, a mesh bag if you plan to collect anything and a guidebook. A nature journal is also a great…
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