Gardening Day

World Naked Gardening Day - May 2nd

ENJOY!

(p.s. use sunscreen!)

Fishtank Sculpture

The art of Mariele Neudecker

Road Trip ~ Eagle Days

Yes, Colorado can be quite brown in the winter - especially on the plains

The Great Outdoors beckoned to us the past few weekends. The weather has been too nice to stay home. So into the trusty roadtrip car [who just got a new set of 'shoes'] we went and headed south to attend Pueblo Eagle Days in a town south of us.

The event was held at the reservoir outside of town where a large group of Bald Eagles nest for the winter. The Eagles roost in the cottonwoods below the dam and hunt the local plains and fish in the reservoir.

Eagle & Owl

Male Golden Eagle - smaller than the female Golden Eagle

Female Golden Eagle - 25+ years old

Even though the only Bald Eagle we saw was a bit 'larger than life', we did get to see many raptors from the local Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo. These birds had all been injured in some way and their injuries did not allow them to be re-released into the wild. Now they are ambassadors for the facility. 

Oberon the Barred Owl

Great Horned Owl

Barn Owl

The Falcons from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs were also there. Two of the Falcons were tame enough that people could gently pet their breast.

And we did get to see a couple other ambassadors - Talon, the Red-tailed Hawk and Elbert, the Bighorn Sheep who are mascots for the Colorado Dept. of Parks and Wildlife.

Looking forward to the Owl Festival in March!

The Diatomist

Punks and Roses

The art of Fran Liscio

The Faces of Trees

The art of Elido Turco

Mor-Bee-d Art

The art of Aganetha Dyck 

{{thanx Debra! for the tip. I used a play on words for the title 'cause these are just a tad mor-beed!}}

3-B Art

The Art of Tomas Libertiny

and a host of Bees

Babes In the Woods

A new type of daycare has opened in the heart of London - an outdoor nursery located within Highgate Wood. At Into the Woods Outdoor Nursery, the children spend most days outside enjoying fresh air, imagination and a unique education. 

The benefits of outdoor play have a positive impact on children's lives - 

1. There is a certain freedom in outdoor areas. Children playing and learning in an outdoor environment are more active, more motivated, and have a more motivated attitude towards learning. 

2. Children are less inhibited outside. They are more willing to join in discussions and play and come out of their shells.

3. The Out-of-doors is the perfect learning environment. It lets children utilize all four of the means by which they learn - movement, play, talk and sensory exploration.

4. The outdoors allows children to receive the physical exercise which is so crucial to healthy bodies and minds!

The daycare is for children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 5. They spend the majority of their time outside, even in inclement weather! The only time the children will be inside is if there is high wind or extreme cold. 

I saw first-hand how outdoor classrooms assist children in learning. When we lived in Arkansas, we lived next door to a small country school. The school owned 10 acres which they utilized as an outdoor teaching aid. All teachers - math, history, science, english - would bring their students outside to experience Nature. The teachers all said how the kids retained the knowledge learned while outdoors and the lessons taught indoors would sometimes go in one ear and out the other side.

I wish more schools would follow the lead of the Into the Woods School.

Trees ~ An Eclectic Mix

Honey Locust - eastern North America

Giant Buttress Tree - Costa Rica

Toborochi Tree - Bolivia

Greek Olive Tree

Baobab Tree in Madagascar

Eucalyptus Tree

Dragon's Blood Tree - Yemen