Weekend Adventures

For years, my excuse for not getting out into the wilderness a little more often was "I'm too busy." Then one day I had the brilliant revelation that I will always be too busy. Always.

I had to find a plan, some way of prioritizing and making time for the things that were really important to me. That's when I discovered the concept of weekend adventures. OK, it's not rocket science, but I think this can be almost as great, and it's certainly a lot simpler.

Here's the idea: plan 2-6 weeks in advance, and put your weekend adventure on the calendar. For every few weeks it's a good idea to have a foul-weather-alternative handy, but with a little creativity you can spend a part of almost every weekend outdoors, and not just in your own backyard. I personally type up a chore schedule for my week anyway, dividing my responsibilities between days. Though I'm not the typical "type A," I inherited an irrational delight in crossing things off of to do lists (thanks a lot, Mom!), and this is my way to satisfy that urge. So in planning my weekend adventures, I simply add an adventure for every Sunday (my day off). If I know in advance that my schedule will be busy, I'll put a small one on there, and if I'll have extra time I'll make it a big one, sometimes even an overnighter.

It's almost idiotically simple, but when I've planned ahead we look forward to these outings. This anticipation motivates us off of the couch and into the fresh air every time. Not only do I enjoy just "getting out," but planning has helped me to get to know my area like I never would have before. I still have my favorite hikes, but now I do new ones on a regular basis because I look for them before the last minute.

One great help in planning has been a local tourism guide that I picked up at the bookstore. It has a great listing of free things, outdoor things, indoor things... really all of the things I could have wanted, and all nearby. Other good resources are The Best In Tent Camping guides, Hiking Missouri, or whichever state you prefer.

My husband has vouched for this approach because he lived in Missouri his whole life and had never heard of some of the great places we'd been. My only regret is that I never did this in the other areas I've lived in. We've got 34 weekends left in 2008: let's enjoy them! Read more!

A field guide to field guides

One great way to get involved with the nature around you is to invest in a few field guides. They come in a variety of sizes, ranging from pocket pamphlets to hefty bookshelf adornments. Whatever you opt for, most are easy to use, and its amazing how quickly they change the way you walk in the woods.

Once I got a few guides, I didn't just glance over the flowers, trees, and birds. I stopped, payed attention to detail, and looked them up. Several years ago I moved halfway across the country, and while much of the flora and fauna stayed the same, there were plenty of new things that I didn't recognize. I grew up in the Northeast, and was pretty familiar with that area, but here in the Midwest I am continually discovering new and exciting things to look up. Just the other day I was out for a walk and noticed some beautiful spring flowers that grew close to the ground. The top half of each flower was white, and the bottom half light blue. I hadn't brought my wildflower book with me, so when I got home I raced to the bookshelf and identified them as Blue-eyed Marys (in photo at top). That was a new one for me: I knew Black-eyed Susans, but I'd never even heard of these!

Silly? Maybe, but how fun to know just one more thing about the world around me. Just imagine what that kind of enthusiasm can do for kids! Instead of having to answer every question with, "I don't know..." when your child asks you to identify something, with a field guide you can say, "Let's look it up!"

My favorite broad regional field guides are put out by the National Audubon Society, but they are available at most major bookstores. I find them informative without being overwhelming, and they have great pictures with intuitive organization that makes it easy to find what you're looking for.

If you really want to get into things, though, I recommend both the Audubon Society guides and more localized guides as well. Most states have local field guides: I especially like those of Stan Tekiela. They are an excellent size to take hiking, and help narrow things down to the specimens that you are most likely to find in your area. His photographs are excellent, and his personal notes are quite helpful. Read more!

Nature & Science II

OK, this one's easy. But it's fun, and the learning involved can be adjusted to any age level. Get yourself a piece of celery, some Queen Anne's Lace, or a white Carnation. Put it in a glass of water tinted with food coloring. Wait and see what happens...

Need directions? Check out "How to Stem Dye Celery" at eHow.com. Celery is probably your best choice for really studying the plant's cells, as they are large enough to be visible to the naked eye, but the flowers show more dramatic color changes. (C'mon, you didn't really think those green Carnations for St. Patty's were naturally that color, did you?)

While waiting for your results, talk to your children about how the xylem and phloem work in plants, or Google it to refresh the process for yourself. Doing an adult project? Don't worry, plant cells can be complicated enough to keep anyone interested. Have fun! Read more!

Nature & Science

One reason that I think people aren't always excited about getting into the world around us is that they just don't know how much it has to offer. I'd like to dedicate the next several blogs to a few fun ways for kids and adults to learn a little bit more about the world around them.

When I think of outdoor "science projects," the first one that comes to mind is building a scale solar system. One of my favorite memories as a child is of constructing a solar system to scale in my (very large) backyard. My mother made me do all of the calculations myself, but if you want to build a solar system model and you're not trying to practice your math skills, check out this website. All you have to do is enter the size that you want your "sun" to be, and go to it.

Maybe it's just that I'm a big nerd, but this project still holds a lot of appeal to me as an adult. It's a great way to get back that sense of wonder, if only for a few hours.

Cautionary note: after you enter the size of your "sun," be sure to check just how much space you'll be needing for this solar system... you may need to do this at a park! Read more!