Those With Nature Programs

[Countrygal]

Here, we eat breakfast and head out by 830 - 845.

I have totes set up for each day, and set them out on the deck ahead of time...one is an art tote, one is a writing tote, one filled with dramatic play, one for blocks, etc. We love to bring the indoors out, but I won't leave it out there because of our weather. So i just lug them in and out everyday, and rotate the contents when needed.

Be sure to stock a nature box full of bug catchers, tweezers, magnifying glasses, clipboards and paper, pencils, field guides, and maybe even some old digital cameras.

I love the idea of the totes. BBO and I are getting together to discuss ideas and this is one we will definitely discuss!

I just picked up a bunch of the bug stuff and magnifying glasses at the dollar tree! They're pretty chinzy, but the nets had bamboo handles and seemed rather sturdy! The magnifying glass had a hollow handle with a tweezers inside so you could catch a bug and put it in the handle to carry it!

[countrymom]

we play alot outside, I don't do programing because everyday we find things to do. We go for walks to or we go to the park. Yesterday we walked to the hardware store (small town and very country so you need a hardware store) for some cat litter. We watched a house being torn down, stopped by the post office, went to the park, came back to the house played outside, and lunch at 12 30. We usually go outside around 1030 or 11am. My yard is still muddy so we do porch only, but my porch wrapps around the house (my neighbours all envie my porch) and its so big that we have alot of stuff to do.

now I do have some projects I want to do outside, I want to build a house out of sticks and have have bean plats grow on it. Dh says I need to stop getting ideas from pintrest, otherwise the farmer is going to have to sell me some property to house my ideas.

[BigMama]

Add bird houses, feeders, and a bird bath.

I've done some serious bird watching with the kids and would love to have a bird bath but was told they weren't allowed under Alysa's law. Do you have a bird bath? I am wondering if there is a type that is ok with regs.

[melskids]

I've done some serious bird watching with the kids and would love to have a bird bath but was told they weren't allowed under Alysa's law. Do you have a bird bath? I am wondering if there is a type that is ok with regs.

I don't see the difference between a birdbath and a water table, and we can have those...so I don't know. My licensor is here all the time, and has never said anything about it...or maybe she hasn't noticed it.

Maybe I'll give her a call to find out.

[Heidi]

I've done some serious bird watching with the kids and would love to have a bird bath but was told they weren't allowed under Alysa's law. Do you have a bird bath? I am wondering if there is a type that is ok with regs.

What is Alysa's law? The only thing I can find is about a teenager being killed in a car accident with an unlicensed friend....:confused:

[BigMama]

What is Alysa's law? The only thing I can find is about a teenager being killed in a car accident with an unlicensed friend....:confused:

Alysa's law (in NY) has to do with the requirements regarding water safety (such as barriers around pools and other "water features", alarms on doors, etc.) on family child care property. A 2 year old girl, Alysa Orzolick, passed away in 2000 when she got out of her providers house and drowned in water that had collected on her provider's pool cover. So sad and totally preventable with proper supervision and precautions.

[melskids]

I called my licensor and she said they were allowed, as long as we dumped them every night just like the water table.

I don't know what county youre in, so I would check with your licensor as well to be sure....if you wanted one.

[BigMama]

I called my licensor and she said they were allowed, as long as we dumped them every night just like the water table.

I don't know what county youre in, so I would check with your licensor as well to be sure....if you wanted one.

Oh, wow cool. I definitely want one. Today we saw mourning doves, cardinals, robins, and a woodpecker...all in the backyard. I think a bird bath would totally invite more feathered friends! I'm going to call my licensor to be sure but I am sitting here with the Audubon catalog

[Heidi]

I don't think it's a law here, then, although we can't have pools accessible at all.

I have a bird bath, but it is outside the children's play-yard, which is fenced in, in my front flower-garden (which has a little garden fence around it). The kids can see it, but really have no access to it. Well, nothing is really ever kid-proof, we all know that, but I'd be more worried about them being crushed by it (it's metal) than drowing in it, IF they got "out" on me. But then I'd be more worried about the street and the neighbors huge dogs (that run loose) than the bird bath. Let's hope they just never get out...