Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover

Category Archives: Nature


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Every Day Birds ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Beautiful, nonfiction book about birds we see each day.

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Every Day Birds

By Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Cut Paper Illustrations by Dylan Metrano

(Orchard Books, 2016)

Birds you see each day are the stars of this book, Every Day Birds.

Simple text, colorful fonts, beautiful cut paper illustrations, and one characteristic or behavior of each featured bird make this book a keeper. Twenty common North American birds are pictured in Every Day Birds. A picture identification and additional information section is included at the end of the book.

Young readers and budding bird lovers will treasure reading Every Day Birds. Reading will be followed up by time outdoors searching for the birds who live among the book pages.

Check out this brand new book. Every Day Birds.

KID KANDY:

Bird Watching

Materials: Every Day Birds, binoculars, hat

1. Read and study the birds found in Every Day Birds.

2. Put on your hat and head outside to look for birds.

3. Use the binoculars to see details of different birds without having to get too close.

4. Compare the birds you found to the ones in the book. How many did you find? Which was your favorite?

5. Some bird enthusiasts keep a lifetime list of the birds they see. You could make your own list by using a notebook for a bird journal. Draw or list the birds you observe.

Are you having fun yet? I’d love to hear which birds you saw on your bird hunt.

Tweet, tweet!


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National Pet Day

Baby pictures – Monet and Mabel

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Today is National Pet Day.

Here are our two highly energetic and trouble-seeking felines, Mabel and Monet.

The sisters are camera shy and any attempt to take photos results in instant movement, waltzing away from the scene, aloof attitudes, or disdainful staring away from the camera. Loving eye shots are not allowed. No. Not at all.

Mabel of the gorgeous eyes

Our cats love to:

– climb the walls (literally)

– chase, capture, and bring in wildlife (birds, worms, mice, rats)

– pretend they live at the home of neighbors (your choice; we see them regularly lazing in the yards or coming home from 5 different yards – none of which are ours)

– leave hair everywhere

– recline on the kitchen table

– claim any unfurred piece of furniture until it is redecorated in white, gray, and tan fur

– play catch the lazer (or string, or cord, or feathers, or toes…)

– steal rubberbands

– eat daddy-long-legs

– try and potty in the garden beds

– tease the neighborhood bully cat with friendship, and then turn about squawling as if ripped limb from limb (this also results in the male boy spraying regularly on several key locations, house included)

– race loudly and wildly through the house

– be wherever we are

– sleep on fuzzy blankets

Monet with the striped tail

Oh, there is more. They are cats. You get the idea. We are not allowed cat fur free clothing, bird feeders, or litter free carpets.

But we love them. Entertainment, affection, company, lap warmers, snugglers. I guess we’ll keep them.

Monet depositing hair and cat litter

Do you need some great ideas of things to do on National Pet Day? I found a Web site that shared several suggestions. Just click this link. National Pet Day

What kind of pets do you have? I’d love to see and hear about them.

Mabel claiming the center of the bed

Happy National Pet Day!


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My Martha/HGTV Moment

Happy tulips hanging out in an old beat up red wagon.

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Normally, this floral objet d’art would not occur in my yard. Once the bulbs are nestled in, that’s where they stay.

But due to the removal of giant, old, space and light-hogging arborvitae, the tulips had to be moved to save their pretty little lives.

Zoomin’ in on brilliant color.

Aha! (Insert light bulb hanging over my head.) I will put them in a wagon, just until after they bloom. And then we shall find a new bed for them.

Success! Even with my careful removal, accidents happened. But those sturdy beauties just hung in there and are now blooming like crazy!

I love spring. Tulip season is my favorite season in the yard.

I think I will plant kale next in the wagon. Do you think the aphids will find it there? At least the slugs/snails will have to work harder.

 

No bumping up and down in my little red wagon for these pretty spring tulips.

What kind of container gardens do you have in your yard?


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Poetic Pink

Photo by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Pink puffs perfectly poised to produce

pretty pearls of poetry.

 

warmed by sun’s long days

life-giving nectar drawn up

to the sky; beauty

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Pink’s all the rage. What’s on stage in your area? Let’s have a picture show celebration!


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Catitude Haiku

Monet expressing her cat-ness

yes, I am Gray Queen

royal bed and rest doth call

stop bothering me

by Angie Quantrell


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Homemade Lavender DIY Soap

This time I decided to make 3 different lavender soaps at the moment. The recipes are veeery easy but the result of our work turns to be very cute 🙂 Lavender Soap smells fantastic + it is really u…

Source: Homemade Lavender DIY Soap

Cool soap! Just in case I want to make some of my own…


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Sunflower House ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Sunflower House

By Eve Bunting

Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt

(Voyager Books, 1996)

I have been reading tons of picture books lately. At least my back considers the weight of them to be tons as I haul them back and forth to the library.

Sunflower House is a colorful story about a child who plants a sunflower house with his parents. I suppose that is where the name for the book comes from, right?

Father and child first removed grass to make a large circle, leaving the middle of the circle grassy. Seeds were then planted in the soil and the waiting began.

Once the sunflowers began to grow tall, the child invited friends to play in the sunflower house. Eventually, the sunflowers grew so large and wide that the parents no longer fit inside and the flower house became a kids-only place to enjoy nature.

I love the idea of creating a fun space for children by planting sunflowers. I am considering it for this summer…if I can find a place that my husband won’t mind too much if the grass is removed and seeds upon seeds will eventually fall and resprout next spring!

KID KANDY:

Plant a Sunflower House

Materials: sunflower seeds, large area to plant, yard tools

1. Read Sunflower House. Once you see the pictures you will know how to plant one.

2. Choose a sunny location for your sunflower house. They love the sun. Remove grass to form a ring of dirt around a circle of grass. Make your ring at least 4 feet in diameter. Sunflowers get HUGE!

3. Plant seeds in the dirt. Water them and wait.

4. Once the seeds have sprouted, watch them grow. You can pull weeds but only after you make sure you are not pulling up sunflowers.

5. After the sunflowers are as tall as you, the house is ready for play. Of course, it will keep growing, especially if you have planted JUMBO sunflowers.

6. What to do inside a sunflower house?

– rest on your back and look at the sky

– watch birds that flock to eat the seeds

– listen to the bees buzzing as they pollinate the flowers

– have a picnic in the sunflower house

– invite friends over to play

– campout overnight in the sunflower house

– look for insects that live in and around the flowers

– draw your sunflowers or the sunflower house

– use a magnifying glass to look really close at the plants and animals

– take photos of your house

 

Isn’t that a fun project? What will you grow next summer?

Thanks for reading!


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Collective Nouns for Animal Groups Infographic…

In case you ever need to know 😀 Source: WriteAtHome.com

Source: Collective Nouns for Animal Groups Infographic…

This is a great list! Fascinating.


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The Curious Nature Guide

The Curious Nature Guide, Explore the Natural Wonders All Around You

Written and illustrated by Clare Walker Leslie

(Storey Publishing, 2015)

I first noticed the cover of this book while on vacation with some girlfriends in Coupeville, Washington. Hidden amidst a crowded display of books, toys, and souvenirs, the cover popped out and caught my attention. I wanted that book. But I resisted.

Fast forward to post-Christmas gift card shopping. As I perused my local Indie bookstore, Inklings, guess which book again popped out and grabbed my attention? Yes. The same book. And it was on a display of favs and book suggestions by staff.

I did not resist.

The Curious Nature Guide is a beautifully illustrated guide book written for children, teens, families, and others who love exploring the outdoors. I fell in love with this colorful edition.

I enjoyed this book so much, I used it as a reward. At the end of the day I would carefully read each page and inhale every photo, drawing, and illustration. Reading this book was almost as good as being outside.

While vocabulary will be difficult for young readers, they will love hearing it read aloud. The Curious Nature Guide contains nature information, suggestions of things to look for and do, maps, charts, plant labels, and more.

NO. It is not overwhelmingly encyclopedic.

The Curious Nature Guide is a nature journal filled with inspiration of both the exploring type and the creative sort. I want to go out and investigate the outdoors AND sit down with my art supplies and recreate what I find AND grab the camera to capture my nature.

Two thumbs up for The Curious Nature Guide, Explore the Nature Wonders All Around You.

Happy exploring!

I’d love to hear what nature exploring you like to do.


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Plant these to help bees! Thank you.