Why you should send your kids to nature's summer school
People spending time in nature (Photo by Joe McFarlane/iStock)
Ahh, summer. A break from backpacks and lunches, homework and bedtime fights. But under the relief, there is a niggling thought about how Jack/Jane will spend their summer, and about how ready they will be for school in September. How about...
Saving wonder
One of my most treasured photos of my kids discovering a turtle when they were little (Photo by Dan Kraus/NCC staff)
“I caught a turtle!” The call rang out repeatedly over the lake near Algonquin Park, where my family has a cottage. It was early, my teenage boys were still in bed, when the turtle-catching alarm came. It was from across the lake, in a...
Naturalists notice nature - even in winter
There may be a lot more happening than meets the eye in the dead of winter (Photo by Dispatches from the Field)
For some, it is easy during cold, snowy days (when it’s supposed to be spring!) to curl up with a cozy blanket, a good book, and a hot cup of tea. But where does the wildlife go at this time of year? Sure, some animals migrate to where it is...
Dear Earth
If Earth had an email or postal address, what kind of messages would it receive? In 2013, a program was launched that assigned trees in Melbourne, Australia, with an individual email address. The program, which was originally intended for...
Good things happen when you take your class outside
Jenna Siu leading the group at Nature Days, Happy Valley Forest (Photo by HSBC Bank Canada)
In many urban areas, children and families lack access to nature and the freedom to explore local plants and animals. Anxiety levels, attention-deficit disorder (ADHD) and antisocial behaviour in children is on the rise. It's said that the average...
How to camp with a baby/toddler (relatively) stress-free?
Camping with young ones doesn't have to be stressful (Photo by Quincin Chan/NCC)
Camping is many Canadian's favourite pastime in the summer. What's better than falling asleep under the Milky Way and waking up to the sound of chirping birds and the wind in swaying trees? Once there’s a baby in the picture, however, the...
Hittin' the marsh
My one educational breakthrough was to teach them to emulate my hayseed ways by chewing on a piece of grass before touring the property (Photo by NCC)
It wasn’t even really that hot. I think that’s the thing that got me. Warm? I guess…for early June. Sunny? Mostly, but there were clouds and a bit of a breeze, so even saying it was warm is pretty generous. And forget about a...
Nature Days: Healthy children in healthy spaces
Students from Adrienne Clarkson Public School spend a day exploring NCC's Goldie Feldman Nature Reserve in Ontario (Photo by Sandy Nicholson Photography)
In recent years, a number of reports have suggested that screen time has taken a serious toll on children’s mental and physical well-being. But when kids ditch their screens to get their hands dirty in nature, amazing things can...
Blackie School Green Day
Students making ferruginous hawk nesting platforms. (Photo by Sandi Riemersma)
The first of June was an exciting day in the small community of Blackie, Alberta. “Why is that,” you ask? It was the first ever Blackie School Green Day! Close to 20 partners came together to offer their knowledge and resources to more...
Why our pedestrian trails are more important than ever
Trail building with the cubs (Photo by Bill Wilson)
I believe that pedestrian hiking trails are more important for the welfare of our communities than ever before. I’d like to elaborate on why this is so. I’d also like to express why it so very important for more volunteers to support...
