Village Parkdays 12:00 pm – Sundown

Upcoming -
June 7- ?

May 31 - Cathartic Collage

May 24 - Sewing & Haiku Part II

May 17 - Haikus & Drums & Evening Potluck

May 10 - Rock Hunter Guest Speakers

May 3 - May Day Celebrations

Apr 26 - Fibonacci & Nature

Apr 19 - Thai New Year -Songkran & Potluck

April 12 - Spring Bling & Night Crawlers Planting season

April 5- Easter /Passover Crafts

Mar 29 - Ethics & Fairytales

Mar 22 - Detective Fingerprints & Crafts

Mar 15 - Prep for Joshua Tree

Mar 8 - Marbles & Physics

Mar 1 - Make Real Dream Catchers

Feb 23 - Pirates, Sea Captains &Tall Ships

Feb 16 - Wilderness Survival - guest Speaker

Feb 9 - Anatomy Guts vs Feeling Guts

Feb 2- Gravity Fun Games

Jan 26 - Cement Bridges Part Two

Jan 19 - Kids first Rock & Gem Show

Jan 12 - Global New Years Celebration

Jan 5 - Rockets-Aquarius M&B helped launch

Dec 29 - Cement Construction hand print tile

Dec 22- Kwanza, Hannukah, Bodhi Day stories & games 12/8

Dec 15 - Amy's Anatomy Obstacle Course

Dec 8 - Painting so it POPS! w/ out wind

Dec 1 - Painting so it POPS!

Nov 24 - Happy Thanksgiving - No M&B Parkday

Nov 17 - Fun with Manners & Empowering Etiquette & And 3rd Thurs Potluck (lunchtime)!

Nov 10 - History of Photography - Make Pinhole Cameras

Nov 3 - Butterfly & Bug Faire & Poems & Riddles

Oct 27 - Pumpkin Festival *Dress UP!!

Oct 20 - Empathy & Empowerment

Oct 13 - Braille & Visually Impaired

Oct 6- Atoms & Cool Molecules

Sept 29- Black Bears & Sequoias

Sept 22 - Sequoia Fires & Cones

Sept 15- Clay Creatures & Open-ended ?s

Sept 8- Beat the Heat Beach Day

Sept 1 - Lemonade Stand Commerce

Aug 25 - Back to Homeschool Play

Aug 18 - Saw Safely & make a Jacob's Ladder

Aug 11 - Biomes, Habitats & Soda Bottle Terrarium

Aug 4 - M&B 2Year Anniversary Party

July 28 - Finger Knitting & Natural Fibers

July 21 - Stone Soup Potluck & Storytime

July 14 - CrazyFun ScienceLab Experiments

July 7 - Independence Day Celebration @ Zuma Beach

June 30 - Nocturnal Creatures & Owl Pellets to dissect

June 23 - Book Exchange Circus

June 16 - Lewis & Clark, Quill pens from feathers & Potluck

June 9 ATC- Making Artists' Trading Cards

June 2 Petraglyphs, Pictoglyphs & Rafting the Grand Canyon

May 26 Historical
Figures that changed the World
all Kids Perform

May 19 Pharoahs, Pyramids & Crafts
And Potluck 5pm-sundown

May 12
Mars & Space Travel

May 5
Mother's Day
High Tea

Apr 28
Physics & Imagination=
Future Travel

Apr 21
Mask Making & Storytelling

Apr 14
Sound Waves

Apr 7
Geodesic Dome

Mar 31
Earthquakes & Tectonics

Mar 24
Show & Tell & Games

Mar 17
Family Campout Joshua Tree

Mar 10
Mardi Gras

Mar 3
Africa & Wangari Maathai

Feb 24
Brains: the Inside Story

Feb 3
Chinese New Year

Jan 27
Pioneer Parkday Part 2

Jan 20
Days of Yore

Jan 13
Fun & Safety
with Germs

Jan 6
Chess by Jahan

Dec 31
New Year's FreePlay

Dec 23
Kwanza, Hannukah
& Christmas

Dec 16
Engines & Cars
& Alternative Power

Dec 9
Microscopic World

Dec 2
Cartoon & Collage

Nov 25th
Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov 18th
Nature Crafts & Yoga

Nov 11th
Wind Turbines

Nov 4th
Indian Diwali Celebration

Oct 28th
Spooky Obstacle Course

Oct 21st
How Songs are Born

Oct 14th
Build a
Weather Station

Oct 7th
Prisms, Vision & Zoetropes

Sept 30th
Spanish CultureFest

Sept 23rd
Russian Culture & Potluck

Sept 17
Family Campout @ Sequoia Nat'l Park

Sept 9th
Chemical (molecular) Reactions

Sept 2nd
History of Flight

August 26th
Light, Refraction & Rainbows

Aug 19
Potluck

August 12
Turtles, Tortoises & YOU

August 5th
Honey, Bees & Wasps

July 29th
M&B 1 year anniversary

July 22
Inuit Culture & Games

July 15th
Bastille Day - French Independence

June 17th
Swedish MidSummerFest

June 10th
Catapults & Parachutes
Gravity & Lift

June 3rd
Our BodyGuards
Snot & Scabs

May 27th
Pollination, Fruit & Seeds

May 20th
Hawaii & Potluck Luau!

May 13
Ladybugs, Silkworms & Praying Mantis

May 6th
Knots, Pirates & Explorers

April 29
Earth Day Part 2

April 22
40th anniversary of Earth Day

April 15th
Japanese Girls' & Boy's Day

April 8th
Bridges, Cantilevers & Treehouses

April 1st
Magnetism part II: Physical Force of Nature

March 25
Magnetism part I: I'm attracted!

March 18th
Desert Life

March 11th
Global Timelines

March 4th
Spring Bling:
Worms, Dirt & Seeds

Make a Biome to Take Home 8/11

IMG_6175Take the MudPies & Butterflies Nature Pledge Today.

1. Respect All Living Things

2. Observe (Nature)

3. Protect the Earth you Play upon

In order to protect the living things in your neighborhood, backyard or park, we must find out what they are.

IMG_6159Parents manned their stations leading the kids on a nature scavenger hunt where they recorded what they saw in their sketchbooks. We all observed what we saw in the grass, in the trees, dirt and sky.  Magnifying glasses only add to the fun! At MudPies & Butterflies EVERYONE is a scientist and/or a naturalist.  On this day, they were Nature detectivesIMG_8473 who drew and counted the wildlife and plantlife around them.   By recording what you witness outdoors in a Nature Journal it will make a visit or camping trip even more memorable.  In order to Care for Nature, we have to NOTICE it.

This week, I invite you to take a second look in your backyard.  Find the smallest animal (insect) and the biggest.  Find the plant or tree with the greatest variety of colors or shades.  Take a walk in your neighborhood and LISTEN for nature.  Even concrete neighborhoods harbor animal and plant life.  If you look for unique animal and plant life, YOU will find them!IMG_6169

IMG_6156When you take the time to sketch Nature, you notice the coolest things you missed before!

When you take time to sketch Nature, you notice the coolest things you missed!

soda-bottle-terrarium-completedWhat the heck is a BIOME anyway?

A biome is large area where the plants and animals have adapted in their own unique ways to the water, heat & soil specific to that area, like a rainforest, desert, or prairie.  We will discuss Biomes, Habitats & Ecosystems.  And Everyone will make a miniature-biome -  a small handmade terrarium that will fit in your home (don’t forget your bottle) -It takes a little more care to create, but you can make one out of a glass bottle if your family avoids using plastics.

In order to make our Mini-Biome, I supplied organic dirt, some seeds & seedlings, activated charcoal, pebbles and moss to layer our terrariums with built in filters.   I am a big believer that in bringing nature indoors to more closely observe what happens will only increase the awareness and conservation outdoors.IMG_6172

Three Biomes: Rainforest Canopy, Desert Life & Swamp

Three Biomes: Rainforest Canopy, Desert Life & Swamp

Take the Biome Challenge with your family to see how well you know  your  surroundings.

• Name (or describe) three birds native to your area.

• Identify four fruits and/or vegetables that are in season now (prepare them this week!)
• Identify the closest body of water to you.
• Name your state flower or bird.
• Name the geological conditions that define the land in your area, such as bodies of water or valleys, etc.
• How often does the weather in your region affect your activities?
• What are the natural signs of the change of seasons in your area? What do you like best and least about each one?
• When did you last encounter wildlife in your neighborhood?IMG_6181

Three Biomes: Rainforest Canopy, Desert Life & Swamp

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