Happy New Year! Well, winter is in full swing with the meadows covered with frost in the morning, gray skies, and the occasional rainstorm. The tree my son chose for our “tree book” (see September’s Nature Activity idea: http://naturetots.com/2008/09) has lost all of its leaves by now and the fantastic spider web we discovered in October is long gone too. If you haven’t made a tree book with your child, January is a great time to start, so you can chart the whole year through, January through December.

Another new Nature Tots class I will be offering next year will be called Pebbles and Plants. Every child loves collecting rocks and stopping to smell the flowers. In this session, covering both rocks and various vegetation, children will be encouraged to stop and look at different types of rocks and plants species, while learning about how rocks are formed, and how to identify different types of plant life. If you have any other ideas based on what interests your child(ren), please feel free to pass on any ideas!

Also, as some of you may already be aware of, I am in the process of establishing Nature Tots as a non-profit, in hopes of one day being able to offer these classes for free! I will keep you informed of my progress…

Hope you have a very happy New Year and hope to see you outdoors!

Stephanie Derammelaere