November 11, 2009
The San Diego Zoo polar bears are having fun. The polar bear trio, whose names are Kalluk (The Athlete), Tatqiq (The Princess), and Chinook (The Stalker), take turns in the Polar Bear Plunge. Here is the video cam. Learn some Polar Bear facts here. Here’s the Polar Bear Blogsite.
More info on the San Diego Zoo is here.
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: child, children, Chinook, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Kalluk, kids, nature, Places to Go, polar bear, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Tatqiq, zoo |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
November 10, 2009
This last weekend Grandpa Ron and I saw two falling stars! Seeing one is special so we were really surprised to see two. Then I did a little research and it seems we are in the midst of two meteor shower time spans – the Taurids and the Leonids. November 10th is the start of the Leonid Meteor Shower with the peak on November 17th. Gee, we could probably see many more if we sat outside and waited for them! Here’s lots of info from universetoday.com. Becky Ramotowski in San Antonio records: ‘Shooting stars’ come out to play in her blog today. Also check out Meteor Mark.
Meteorshowersonline has a scientific page on both Taurids and Leonids. Have fun!
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Backyard Activities, Nature Activities | Tagged: Becky Ramotowski, child, children, falling stars, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, kids, Leonid Meteor Shower, Leonids, meteor, meteor showers, shooting stars, star gazing, Taurid Meteor Shower, Taurids |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
November 7, 2009
Grandpa Ron (with a little bit of my help) finished installing his Davis weather station last night. It was fun to get readings on the wind gusts! Now we won’t be guessing when those cold winter winds blow down the Eastern side of the Sierras any more – we’ll have an accurate reading of just how fast they are going! We discovered we need another data-logging piece in order to become part of the on-line WeatherLink, Weather World ‘Round net, or the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather net. We do want to be a part of it though, so looks like Santa knows what to bring this year! This will be fun! It will be fun to see if the grandchildren will catch the weather-fever! It could be a fun family activity.
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Nature Activities | Tagged: child, children, Davis Instruments, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, kids, NOAA, weather, weather station |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
October 21, 2009
Just read through my Sierra Club magazine tonight. I really enjoyed the article written by Peter Frick-Wright called Winter Tracks: Seeking a guilt-free winter break, with snowboard and train ticket. I linked it to share with you, too. He went from Portland, Oregon to Glacier National Park and Whitefish, Montana. It’s quite an exhilarating story!
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Amtrak, Empire Builder, Glacier National Park, Peter Frick-Wright, portland, Sierra Club, snowboarding, train, Whitefish |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
October 13, 2009
From an email I received today , here are some good words to get our kids playing ouside:
For many of us, childhood memories are synonymous with outdoor moments like climbing trees, skipping stones, or gardening. But today’s kids spend twice as much time indoors as their parents and grandparents did, missing out on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and physical health benefits of daily outdoor time.
Studies show that children who spend time in nature are healthier, happier, and become better stewards of the environment. National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is launching
Be Out There, a national movement to return to the nation’s children a connection to the natural world around us and the joy and sustenance it brings.
– Want to play “Wild Things Bingo”? Check out our Activity Guide for Kids — adults can play too!
– Get ideas for planning your own Wild Rumpus Day.
– Start your Be Out There adventure by heading outside to watch for animals near you with help from Wildlife Watch.
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Be Out There, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, kids, National Wildlife Federation, nature, nature study, NWF, Places to Go, Wildlife Watch |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
October 11, 2009
Giant Corn Mazes are getting more and more popular as an October or Halloween family activity. Grandson Austin and the rest of the family went to the pumpkin patch and giant corn maze this weekend. I did some more research and came up with some fun Giant Corn Maze websites. So here they are below!
Visiting Corn Mazes with Kids – Photos as well
Corn Mazes and Pumpkin Patches in the State of Oregon
Portland, OR Family Fun Mazes and Patches
The Corn Maze Pumpkin Junction 10 acre maze – Train Ride & a Maze!
Kackleberry Farm in Louisville, GA
Depner Farms in Caseville, Michigan – Haunted Dino Maze and Maze-O’-Saurus
Cows-n-Corn 9 acre maze, Washington, DC
Kelley Farms in Lexington, KY – giant corn maze & pumpkins
Past Mazes at Pendleton’s Country Market in Lawrence, KS – Pumpkin Patch this weekend
Corn Mazes in the US
Corn Mazes in Canada
Corn Mazes in the UK
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Canada, child, children, England, family, Family Fun, fun, Giant Corn Maze, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Green Hour, Halloween, Hay Rides, kids, nature, October Activities, Oregon, Places to Go, Pumpkin Patch, United Kingdom, Washington DC |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
October 10, 2009
I love AUTUMN! I love the swirl of color of reds, golds, yellows and greens! I remember raking the leaves into a pile and then jumping into them! It’s a great time to do some family hiking in National Forests or National Parks or reserves or city parks or along the river or …..! The mixes of color are different at every curve in the path.
I found some really fun sites of additional information for you – For my niece Michele here is The Chemistry of Autumn Colors. Google images of fall colors are totally beautiful! The Wikipedia cornucopia of knowledge is bountiful. Here are color cams of colorful foliage. This New England Travel site has several webcams to cyber-watch the New England fall colors. Here is the Mono County, CA fall foliage guide. The Eastern US fall color guide is full of info, too! Any arboretum or park will be gorgeous, but here is a beautiful site from Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Iowa fall colors are described in USA Today. Mount Rushmore is also awesome! The Smokie Mountains are also changing color. In Alaska, Denali National Park is awesome in autumn, according to Margaret Bauman. The Western Michigan Tourist Association offers 26 different scenic driving tours for enjoying the autumn colors. Also a very decent website on autumn color is Total Escape on California off the beaten path.
Here is a science project for kids on Autumn Leaves.
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Alaska, Autumn, Autumn Colors, Autumn Foliage, Autumn Leaves, Autumn Photographs, Autumn Photos, California, chemistry, child, children, Denali National Park, Eastern US, Fall, Fall Colors, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Green Hour, hiking, kids, Longwood Gardens, Michigan, Mono County, Mount Rushmore, nature, New England, Pennsylvania, Places to Go, Science Project |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
September 28, 2009
The San Diego Zoo’s now 8-week-old panda cub is starting to open his eyes. From the zoo website: “Meg Sutherland-Smith, D.V.M. said the cub’s left eye is beginning to open, and he squinted when she used a small flashlight to test his vision. The 4th veterinary exam also revealed that the cub’s right ear is opening, although Dr. Sutherland-Smith says the 5.7-pound (2.73-kilogram) cub is likely not hearing sounds yet, only feeling vibrations.”
baby panda video of his fourth exam at San Diego Zoo. His other visits are available on the same site below the video. Here is the live video cam from the panda enclosure. Fun posts and pictures are on the Panda Blog!
October 1-31 is Free Kids Days at the zoo! During the month of October, children (ages 3–11) enjoy FREE admission to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park!
San Diego Zoo
Current Hours (through October 4):
9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Fall Hours (October 5–December 10):
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Book Fair – October 9–12; Huge selection of books and new titles during the Fall Book Fair at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
All About Enrichment Weekend – October 10 and 11; Keeper talks and fun activities for our animal residents will be held throughout each day.
Wild Animal Park
Current Hours (through November 20):
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Book Fair – October 9–12 Huge selection of books and new titles during the Fall Book Fair at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
Pumpkins at the Park – October 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31; November 1 The Park is transformed into a safe, family friendly Halloween adventure!
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Baby Panda, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, kids, nature, panda baby, Places to Go, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, zoo |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
September 25, 2009
Birdwatchingnow.com is a great site to learn all about birdwatching. They blogged a great article about birdwatching as a family hobby. From birdwatchingnow.com: Bird watching is growing in popularity as a hobby that gets people outdoors and increases appreciation of nature, as well as being a great stress reliever. This blog will help you to be equiped with all you need to enjoy this great recreational pastime. Also, here is an article explaining the ten steps to identify a bird from the Duncraft.com Wild Bird Blog.
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Backyard Activities, Nature Activities | Tagged: bird watching, birding, birds, birdwatching, Duncraft, family actvities, family hobbies, Identifying Birds, Wild Bird Blog |
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Posted by mygrandmasue
September 18, 2009
Lots of parks and reserves are listed at the Orange County website. The Orange County Register has a link with outdoor actities and events that has great ideas for family fun! Enjoy!
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: biking, child, children, family, fishing, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, Green Hour, hiking, hiking trails, horseback riding, kids, nature, Orange County, outdoor activities, Places to Go |
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Posted by mygrandmasue