Photo first published here: Sunshine, Surf and Sand
I’m away, so comments are closed. Have a lovely Sunday! – JKP
Category: Nature
How to Use Nature to Connect with Your Grandkids
Today’s post is brought to you by my guest, author Susan Day.
Spending time with your grandchildren is one of the best things you can do for them, and for you too, for that matter.
Sure, kids love gifts and candy, and they get really excited about going to a theme park or spending time with their friends. However, there is a secret world which exists right outside the window and one which has a powerful allure. I’m referring to nature.
Nature offers an endless array of beauty and wonder, and for the most part it’s free and easy to access. Taking your grandchildren outdoors is a great way to build a strong connection with them. Just spending time and ‘being’ with children is important for their wellbeing.
Some children don’t get outdoors enough, and the simple act of wandering along the street, running at the park or tramping through the beach sand is an experience they are sadly missing out on.
Ignite a Sense of Curiosity
Research tells us that curious kids are intelligent kids. The more questions they ask, the more their minds grow and develop.
Nature has a bounty of things to be curious about. You could literally spend hours outside with your grandchildren exploring, and you don’t have to live near a forest or a beach to enjoy nature either. It’s in your yard, in your neighbor’s yard, at your local park, or any place a tree is growing and the birds are singing.
Do your grandkids know where bees go, and what they are doing buzzing around those flowers? Do they know why some birds migrate, and others live in the same area all their lives?
Point Out the Beauty in Small Objects
Each time your grandchildren come to visit, make a point of taking them outside and showing them something nature is doing. It might be new buds on the tree or the color autumn leaves are turning.
How many people rush through their busy days, not noticing subtle changes happening around them? Isn’t there something magnificent about the way birds take off or the way clouds move across the sky?
“Isn’t that interesting…” you might begin to say, and then point out an aspect of nature that is happening right under their very noses.
Look at a Leaf
What shape is it? Does it have any spots or spines? Compare it to another leaf from a plant that is growing close by. What things are similar? What are different? You could also begin a leaf scrap-book and share details of trees and shrubs that live in your area.
Analyse an Ant
Who doesn’t love bugs? Well, most adults don’t find them interesting, but kids love ’em! Bugs, beetles, aphids, and ants are like miniature dinosaurs or creatures from outer space living in our backyards. Without interfering with their busy lives, make a point of sharing these remarkable creatures with your grandchild.
Marvel at Moths
Moths, butterflies and dragonflies all go about their daily lives in nearly every place on earth, living in the most amazing ways.
Your grandchildren will love to learn about them. They will enjoy the wonder nature has to offer through your eyes, and come to a deeper understanding of how remarkable the world really is.
“I’d Rather Watch TV, Grandma!”
Nature has a way of going about its business whether we are watching or not, and all the while our televisions and devices are nagging us to watch and engage.
You may find your grandchildren are not used to examining nature in so much detail. They may not understand what you are getting at, but one thing is for sure: they won’t forget the time you have spent with them and how important nature was to you. It is a privilege to be able to see what nature is doing, and stand in awe of what it will do next.
What child doesn’t deserve to be introduced to all of this wondrous world?
No doubt your grandkids will grow and mature, and will find themselves stopping to admire a flower or cloud patterns. They will turn to a friend, their partner or even their own children, and share memories they have of you and how you introduced them to one of the most magnificent things on this planet – nature.
About Susan Day
Susan Day is a passionate author, educator and, of course, a grandmother. She wants to empower all grandparents to build meaningful relationships with their grandchildren. Discover here the Top 10 Things Happy Grandparents Never Regret Doing.
Susan lives in Australia with four dogs, three bossy cats, two rescue guinea pigs, and an errant kangaroo.
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Interested in sharing one of your original articles as a guest? Feel free to submit your ideas to jennifer@jenniferkellandperry.com. Preference is given to topics relevant to my blog, such as books, writing, nature, photography, travel, children and pets. – Jennifer
Evening on Pinchard’s Island
“Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly. . . into the mystic.”
~ Van Morrison
West Coast Road Trip
Earlier this month, husband Paul announced plans for a quick business trip to Port aux Basques on our province’s west coast. It had been far too long since my last visit there, so faster than you can say “riding shotgun,” I had a bag packed and my camera ready.
Fall has got to be the most colourful time to drive across the island.
As usual, I took far too many pictures,
but managed to sift and cull them down to what you see here.
Mountains loom in the distance.
The Codroy Valley is a glacial valley in the Anguille Mountains,
a sub-range of the Long Range Mountains.
It is “a lush haven for birders, nature lovers, and adventurers alike.”
Marble Mountain Ski Resort waits for snow.
Port aux Basques:
Corner Brook:
The long drive back.
We opted to stay somewhere for the
second night to break up the trip.
The trees were just as vibrant from
Springdale to King’s Point, where we stayed.
We knew the inn was nice from our overnight there two years ago.
I hope you enjoyed these scenes from our fall road trip.
*Photos taken with Canon EOS REBEL T3 and iPhone 6
Frozen
Butterfly
This beautiful creature happened by my house for a visit this week while I was outside.
I swear it preened and spread its wings wider for me as I captured it on my phone.
Do you see what I see: a black cat’s face with orange eyes?
Perhaps it’s a Halloween butterfly.
Have a terrific week, everyone!
Comments are closed as I am away, spending Thanksgiving with family.
Autumn Walk on the East Coast
I shared this post exactly five years ago this week. I thought its photos deserved another look. Have a great weekend, everyone! ❤
Due to time constraints, comments are closed.
Come along as we take a stroll through Newtown on this beautiful October day.
partridgeberries – a.k.a. lingonberries
The tide is high this afternoon.
Much of my next door neighbour’s garden is still summer lovely.
I stopped to admire another neighbour’s potato harvest. Of course, he insisted I take a bagful.
Dogberries, a true harbinger of Fall
Lobster traps
Mr. Blue Sky and me
Still wearing his shorts in October, and loving it
The Tickle
Our other neighbour is drying salt fish.
Freshly painted grapnels for next year’s fishing season
Kitties, you should have come with us.
Concerned: Part Two
Welcome back for the Big Reveal.
On Sunday, I asked “What has gotten Vivian so concerned?”
Scroll down to find out!
On an especially gorgeous Saturday last month, Paul and I decided to go out for a row in the Serendipity, a lovely little punt built by our late neighbour, Ben Perry.
We came up with the ‘brilliant’ idea
to try to take Vivian along.
We did everything we could to coax her aboard,
but she was having no part of it.
In fact, she almost lost her mind that we were going,
with or without her.
She cried to break her heart as we left.
Bon voyage!
Your loss, Viv.
Rounding Perry’s Point…
…and down through the Tickle
Part of a wedding photo shoot.
You never know what you’ll see
when you’re out for a row.
Leaving the Tickle,
we set out for Bennett Island.
In case you were wondering why there are no lifejackets,
the water is very shallow here.
Vivian missed out,
but thank you for coming along!
For more Barbour Tickle photos, click here.
Whitecoat
This baby seal visited us here on Perry’s Point in 2011, during our first winter in Newtown. She stayed around for a couple of days before she swam away.
“The Flower that Smiles Today”
The flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow dies;
All that we wish to stay
Tempts and then flies.
What is this world’s delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
Brief even as bright.*
*This is the first stanza of The Flower that Smiles Today by Percy Shelley, one of my favourite poems. Read the entire poem and a brief analysis here.
And a favourite quote:
“Man’s life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever.”
― Rory Stewart, The Places in Between
Flowers of primary colours: travel theme by wheresmybackpack.com
Photos: jenniferkellandperry.com
Jennifer's Journal 