springtime explorers

Sometimes I get really frustrated with the limitations of our living situation--no yard, apartment living, the down side of city life.  I believe so strongly in the importance of nature in childhood, and I want my children to grow up marveling at the natural world all around them, and to develop a deep connection to the living world.  They need to spend time outside--playing, exploring, wondering.  And while all this would be easier if we had a yard they had unlimited access to and lived in an area where they saw more trees than buildings, we work hard to accommodate our challenges, and I have to remind myself--I'm doing the best I can.

Looking back at these few snapshots from April remind me of this--and also make me feel like we are doing pretty well!

If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life. - Rachel Carson

climbing trees

desperately seeking salamander egg sacs

newt or salamander?  Seven can tell you!

tadpoles and water bugs

creating our own ponds with modeling clay at Garden in the Woods