This Friday, May 10th, is National Public Gardens Day. To celebrate the event, Better Homes and Gardens magazine is offering readers a free admission coupon for two to visit participating public gardens, arboretums, and green spaces on this day. Head on over to the Better Homes and Gardens National Public Gardens Day page… http://www.bhg.com/gardening/arboretums/celebrate-national-public-gardens-day/ …Continue reading “This Friday! National Public Gardens Day”
Category Archives: Bay Area Things To Do
See Jane Run!
I’m excited to announce that I’ve been selected to be a See Jane Run Ambassador! I realize I don’t write about it much, but in addition to getting out for my weekly hikes and outdoor play with my son, I also run a couple times each week. I run with friends on Wednesday mornings andContinue reading “See Jane Run!”
Ladybug: On the Beach
Photos taken April 20th, 2013 Stinson Beach, California *** Like ladybugs? Check out this post… Ladybug Clusters: Redwood Regional Park
Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration: Sand Globes
Photos of my husband and son making sand globes, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California. Instruction was provided. Apparently, once these are made, they’ll keep indefinitely, as long as they are misted with water daily. We won’t be able to find out… my son had fun using the ones theyContinue reading “Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration: Sand Globes”
Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration: Beach Labyrinth
Photos of the labyrinth created in the sand, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California. Usually, these are made for meditation, but that’s not how my five-year-old used it. He had so much fun running around and around and around the winding path. Either way, the design was appropriate for theContinue reading “Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration: Beach Labyrinth”
Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration: Rock Towers
Photos of the evolving outdoor sculpture gallery, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California… For more information about the celebration, visit the official website… 9th Annual Free Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration. All photos taken April 20th, 2013.
Stinson Beach: Play!
Saturday was the perfect beach day… not hot, not cold, not a bit foggy. With such gorgeous weather, we couldn’t resist heading to Stinson Beach to attend the 9th Annual Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration. There were so many fun art activities to participate in, I can’t possible contain them all within one post! So, forContinue reading “Stinson Beach: Play!”
Milkweed: Caterpillar
It this actually a caterpillar crawling up the stem of a milkweed I planted in our backyard? It’s only about a half a centimeter long. But is it a butterfly or a moth? We planted the milkweeds to attract butterflies…. Photos taken April 11th, 2013
Play! Blake Garden
Blake Garden in Kensington may be the best botanic garden in the Bay Area for nature play. A favorite feature for my son is the Create-with-Nature Zone, which is stocked with sticks, rocks, flowers, and other nature items for kids to play and build with. The second best feature here is the bamboo tunnel sculpture. Continue reading “Play! Blake Garden”
Silent Saturday: Blake Garden
Photos taken April 5th, 2013 Blake Garden, Kensington, California
Play: Lawrence Hall of Science
No visit to the Lawrence Hall of Science is complete without a bit of playtime on the massive DNA Sculpture and on Pheena, the life-size model of a fin whale. Photos taken April 2nd, 2013 Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California
Llamas: Redwood Regional Park
Ever wanted to learn how to groom, feed, lead, and interact with llamas?? You can take a class through East Bay Regional Parks and take a walk through the redwoods. During our bike ride earlier this week (Kid Bike Ride: Redwood Regional Park), the kids stopped to watch this, a line of people walking withContinue reading “Llamas: Redwood Regional Park”
Redwood: Kid Bike Ride
A few days ago, we went to Redwood Regional Park for a bike ride with friends from our Nature Time! playgroup. Super fun! Photos taken March 30th, 2013 Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, California
Spring: Martin Canyon Creek Trail
Photos taken March 29th, 2013 Martin Canyon Creek Trail, Dublin, California Interested in going? See this post: Hiking the Martin Canyon Creek Trail
Dublin Hills: Spring
I enjoyed a lovely hike yesterday morning along the Calaveras Ridge Trail in Dublin Hills Regional Park. The wildflowers are beginning to bloom, especially the lupine. A few photos from the hike… Photos taken March 23rd, 2013
Sausalito: San Francisco Bay-Delta Model
Apparently, back in the 1950’s, engineers were considering building two dams in the San Francisco Bay to create fresh water reservoirs, right in the bay. Luckily, the US Army Corps of Engineers decided it would be a good idea to study the potential impacts that such a huge undertaking might have, both environmentally and economically,Continue reading “Sausalito: San Francisco Bay-Delta Model”
Play: Alamo Creek Park, Dublin
Love this park! It has a huge field for play, paths for bike riding, an awesome play structure, and a creek with ducks. Fun! Photos taken March 7th, 2013
Hike: Bollinger Creek Trail, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Yesterday, I hiked this section of the Bollinger Creek Loop Trail in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness with some friends. It’s is one of the few trails in Las Trampas that is shade-covered. It’s also relatively short, with the section along the creek and through the trees being only 0.69 miles (one-way). This is a funContinue reading “Hike: Bollinger Creek Trail, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness”
Shadow Cliffs: Pleasanton
Yesterday, my son had a school field trip to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area, a large park located in Pleasanton, near the Livermore border. The students have been learning about the life cycle through the study of trout. They went to Shadow Cliffs to release baby trout into the lake. But they also had aContinue reading “Shadow Cliffs: Pleasanton”
Lovely: Japanese Garden, Hayward
I consider the Japanese Garden in Hayward to be a bit of a hidden gem, as so few people seem to know about it. Whenever I mention it, the response is usually, “There’s a Japanese garden in Hayward?!?” Yes, there is, and a lovely one at that. Interested in going? The garden is free, openContinue reading “Lovely: Japanese Garden, Hayward”
Suburban Nature Explorations 