Red is such a wonderful color because it demands that you take notice. That is what makes it a great accent color in your home and for your clothing. One of my favorite winter coats is a red coat. So imagine my pleasure when we found this cute little red coat for my granddaughter. Taking time off at the holidays has provided a great opportunity to spend quality time with my family. Spending time outdoors is good for my soul and I thought a little nature walk would be fun and a great way to burn off some of the never ending energy of my granddaughter. We donned our red coats, grabbed a collection bag, and of course I brought my camera.
I thought the pictures were beautiful. The red coat stood out just like the red cardinals that frequent my yard. You can always take little tips from nature when it comes to color.
We stopped to look at and touch the beautiful green moss that was velvety soft. Natures carpet is what I call it. I did a little research and found this cool website Moss Acres where I could learn and then share almost anything about moss with her.
Close to the moss was the running cedar. I can remember a few Christmases when I was young that we used some for decorations. It is now endangered and I shared that with her. I thought this might need some additional explanation but she began to tell me it was like the animals who are endangered. My little first grader, she is so smart. She soaks up learning like a sponge and I am so thankful she is willing to share what she is learning with me.
We walked a little further along the pines my father planted years ago and I decided to tell her about evergreens and pine needles. I was explaining how evergreens are different from the trees that have leaves that turn colors and fall off when she informed me that they were called deciduous trees. Yea teachers, great job!
These pictures are from one of the more humorous parts of our adventure. Here we were at the bottom of a small hill and across from a small mountain range. It was the perfect place for us to hear an echo. So we did what good southerners do and we began hollering. She got so tickled with this little game. The laughter just bubbled up. When we rounded the corner, however, we found out that Paw Paw didn't think it was too funny. He had heard us and thought something was wrong and had come running. We apologized for scaring him but we could feel the love.
Our walk did not stop there. We circled back toward the house and then had to explore what was in my back yard. We ended up collecting quiet a few things. Along the journey my granddaughter told me about animal habitats, her suggestions for how we could use all the twigs that had fallen in the yard (Paw Paw could draw a reindeer and we could add antlers to it), and how we could share our ideas on Facebook (what a wonderful quality, wanting to share with others).
Once inside she laid everything out for Paw Paw to see. Our stash included pinecones, twigs, pine needles, rosemary, some thorny stemmed berries, a few rocks from the driveway and some really cool looking lichens. I did a little research and found this little video which was very informative. Simple but I think she will like it.
When she picked this walnut shell up she said it looked like a pigs snout which made me laugh. I love seeing the world through the eyes of a child. And you know she is right. It does look like a pigs snout.
Check out some of the links I found for crafting with nature.
Walnut shell crafts at The Crafty Crow.
For you pinterest fans check out this board: Acorns, Nuts & Pinecones.
Love these dragonflies made os twigs and seed pods at Twig and Toadstool.