I'm camping with my family and some friends in Glacier National Park this week. Instead of new posts (or no posts) I've decided to bring back a few of my favorites that you may not have read since they are a little older. This is one of the first posts I wrote when I started this site a couple years ago.

This post is the first in a series about using nature journals to enhance outdoor experiences. All other posts in the series are listed at the bottom.

To Thoreau’s eye a meadow was more then just undifferentiated green space, more than the green blur my college plant taxonomy Professor tried to clear up for us. It was specific plants and creatures whose forms, colors and habits he knew well.

Almost all great naturalists, writers and artists were most certainly journal keepers. Journals develop an observant eye and acute senses. Journals help deepen perception and focus attention. Journaling reminds us that we all lead lives worthy of observation.

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I'm camping with my family and some friends in Glacier National Park this week. Instead of new posts (or no posts) I've decided to bring back a few of my favorites that you may not have read since they are a little older. This guest post about the Junior Ranger program at National Parks seems especially appropriate.

Is your family planning on taking a trip to a National Park, Monument or Historic Site soon? Enhance your child’s experience by having them take part in the Junior Ranger program. Children receive an activity booklet at the visitor center (free of charge) with the instructions inside. They will complete some of the pages in their booklet that are based on the unique characteristics and problems facing the park today.

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It’s no secret that I love trees. They make their own food, they can create microclimates, they are habitat and food source for many critters and they are pleasing to the eye. Trees can be jungle gyms to climb or provide shade to sit under and read a book.

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I guess it is time for me to admit that spring is here. Or at least almost here. I hate to say goodbye to winter, but the time has come.

So now we turn our thoughts from playing in the snow to playing in water.

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Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein

I went to college in northern California at a little school called Humboldt State University. It was nestled in the redwoods between the Pacific Ocean and the coast range. It was wet and foggy (except in the summer and early fall when it had the best weather in the world). Mold grew on everything — trees, plants, rocks, shower curtains, slow-moving people. It was a great place to find rotting logs.

Let’s look deep today.

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When you look at the earth beneath your feet, what do you see? Ask your kids that question and you'll probably hear, "dirt", "grass", "nothing". (That last response is from a teenager...).

But on closer inspection, there is so much more.

Today's activity is digging in the dirt. It comes naturally to some, but other kids might need a little persuasion. There's a whole world down there and it's worth a look.

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I was reading Pass the Torch yesterday when I discovered Letterboxing. I had never heard of it before, but after checking out the website found out that there are at least 3 letterboxes right in my little town.

What is Letterboxing?
All around the US, and the world, people have hidden little boxes in public places. These boxes contain a journal and a stamp (usually custom made). Clues are distributed online and passed by word of mouth. Follow these clues and you can find the letterbox. Once you find it, you leave your personal stamp in the box's journal and stamp your journal with the box's stamp. You can get a much more in-depth description of letterboxing here or here.

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