Hello everyone!  Today was packed with outdoor fun for the 30-Day Outdoor Challenge!  We (actually I) spent several hours weeding the gardens due to a sudden influx of all types of little green invaders. The kiddies, who were supposed to help, ended up playing in the yard because, of course, weeding is totally boring!  So, while I slaved in the garden, they did the the following activities in the yard. 

Backyard Activities

1) Racing cars down the driveway
2) Watering the flowers
3) Climbing trees and shrubs
4) Playing hide-and-go-seek
5) Feeding the birds

Free play like this is so important to developing minds.  It helps develop imagination, independence and creativity.  Now that they are older, I feel more comfortable letting them both play on their own in the yard and they are benefiting from the new-found freedom.

Followed by a Paddle in the Canoe
This was the first venture in the canoe for our son and he hopped in without hesitation.  It was an enjoyable way to spend the late afternoon. Our daughter and I sat in the bow and she paddled.  My son and hubby sat in the stern.  It was a great opportunity to teach Beaner (my daughter) about how a canoe works, how the wind affects padding and how both paddlers work together to make the canoe go in the direction you want to go.

We saw lots of wildlife as we paddled along including painted turtles, kingfishers, green herons, a snowy egret, minnows, barn swallows and an unidentified frog as it leaped into the pond.  My Budder (my son) watched and listened with fascination as a pointed to and identified each creature.