Now that the weather has turned nicer we spend most of our days outside. With 4 boys in the house it is nice to be able to get outside again!
One of our local parks puts out something called Park Packs. These are nature-themed back packs to help families, scout troops, homeschoolers and other groups learn and explore nature. Some of the themes include Wild Flowers and Plants, Birds, and Life in a Pond. Each pack comes with a variety of activities, books and learning sheets. These packs are free and you can check them out for 2 weeks. If you live around the Des Moines area you can get more information about these packs here.
Our favorite was defiantly Life in a Pond. We learned about different frogs and toads (there was even a cassette tape included to hear the different croaks). We scooped up pond water and then looked at it with a magnifying glass so we could see what itty bitty creatures lived in the water. The pack was so popular after we returned it we had to go out and buy our own little fishing nets so the kids could go back to the pond and try and catch frogs.
Going on nature hikes, playing at the park and just being outside is what my family loves to do the most. This is probably when we have the best family time and best of all, it's free!
For more frugal family fun head over to Cents to Get Debt Free.
And to see what others are doing for Frugal Friday, check out Life as Mom.
Very Cool! My son would love something like this!
ReplyDeleteThe joys of boys! I know my son would love that, but my daughter would be horrified at the idea of holding a frog. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas ! Just blog hopping check mine out
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oh - love the little toads! Found you through the party... and also through Cents to be Debt Free :)
ReplyDeleteOur State Conservation Center does something similiar to that. We just discovered it a few months back--so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing and linking up to Finding Freedom! :)
which pond did you visit?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love the idea of "park packs" and it would be so easy to create your own. I did something similar with my daughter last year and I bet she would get even more out of it this year, so I'm hoping to try again. Fun!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteWe went to Thomas Mitchell
Hello! Poppin’ in from The Ultimate Blog Party…all the way from Queensland, Australia! G’Day! I hope you have time to visit my party soon.
ReplyDeleteTa!
I want to invite you to the Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower that I am hosting May 15 to June 8. This is an international even and there are prizes! Stop by my blog for all the details.