Crafts from Family Nature Night

For weeks, my daughters have been looking forward to their first Family Nature Night.   This evening event was sponsored by the area Natural Resources Department and hosted in the gym of our elementary school.

The kids got make:

1. Beeswax candles

2. Fish with backbones

3. Shell and sand bracelets

4. TP roll binoculars

5. Butterfly wings

6. Soybean necklaces  (not pictured since it was our last craft of the night)

My children were jazzed about all the craft and live animal demonstration stations.  There was also a "fossil" dig and a hissing cockroach tractor pull.  Here's one of the racers in action:

Overall the evening was a smashing success.  I only wish they had more hands-on interaction with nature at school on a regular basis.  The focus on achievement tests basically sidelines such pursuits--at least for first and second graders in our local public schools.   Reading, writing, and arithmetic take up most of their school days, with only a few spare minutes for science and social studies.

Bad educational policy notwithstanding, my husband and I still have many opportunities to encourage our children to explore nature on their own, whether we're foraging for berries or interacting with insects in our own backyard.  It's up to us, the parents, to make sure their education is well-rounded and help keep their love of learning alive.

Find other adventurers this week over at Try New Adventures Thursday.