Children today spend about half as much time outdoors as their parents did. It's believed children who play outside have improved creativity and concentration and may show less aggression.
Join Fredericksburg Parks & Recreation Nature Educator Mimi Dempsey for a parents-only evening to learn about incorporating outdoor nature play into your family activities. Please meet in Room 2 at Headquarters Library on Tuesday, September 27 at 6:30. A “river walk” along the Rappahannock will follow the informational session (weather permitting), so dress accordingly.
Don't miss the Gifts for Furry Friends classes this fall, part of our Fabulous Fridays classes for students in grades K-6. Working with natural and easy-to-find materials, kids can create thoughtful gifts for animals to enjoy during the harsh winter months.
This hands-on activity, with lots of opportunity for creativity, can help satisfy kids' curiosity about what animals do in the winter. Throughout the season, they can delight in having helped their furry friends as they learn more about the natural world.
The best craft store may be right outside your door. This summer, take time in the cool mornings to gather together pieces of nature to work into craft projects in the afternoons. That way you’ll have a remembrance of summer to keep all year long. Rocks can become patterned pictures. Leaves can make delicate prints. Everything in nature can inspire your arts and crafts.
One fine morning, the old wooden dam went up in clouds of smoke and broken timber. It was a huge thing—ancient and strong, built to tame the Rappahannock River. Once the power of the water pushing against it had provided electricity for the town. But that was years ago. The dam was falling apart, but so slowly that it was becoming dangerous. So the Army Corps of Engineers blew it up one morning.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to help astronomers learn about the Universe. You don't need a degree in biology to help track bird populations. Interested in what whale songs mean? You guessed it—you don't need to be an oceanographer to help scientists figure it out. All it takes is an interest and computer access and you can join the growing ranks of Citizen Scientists. Most projects provide tutorials or clear instructions on their websites. You don't even have to be an adult!
Beginning-to-be-eleven-year-old Portia and her little brother Foster are excited to be visiting their relatives in the countryside for the summer in Elizabeth Enright’s Gone-Away Lake. Besides seeing their favorite aunt and uncle, there is Katy the boxer dog who has just had a litter of puppies “with flat faces like pansies, and ears that felt like pieces of silk, and claws like the tips of knitting needles”—but best of all for Portia is having time to hang out with her cousin Julian, he of the hundred-thousand freckles. Closer than a friend and nicer than a brother is how she thinks of him. Julian is interesting and interested in everything that goes on around him.
Camping, fishing, hiking, history, grand vistas, and horseback riding--there are so many possibilities in our national parks.