Nature Notes
-
What Makes a Great Field Guide? My Favorite Nature Books!
This past weekend, I was teaching a group of kids how to use field guides to identify and learn about the things you find in nature, and in developing this lesson, I had the chance to dig into some of my favorite nature guides and nature-ish books (and ended up ordering a few I wish I had!). If you have never thought much about this before, or don’t think you will be interested, don’t worry! Below there will be traditional guidebooks, but there are also chickens, some information about Sasquatch, and some poetry as well. Overall, the field guide-type books I love tend to fall into two categories. First, I…
-
Reading and Climate Activism: What Young People Are Reading Now
A month or so ago, I came across a great article written by Kelly Jenson about what young climate activists are reading (and writing!) today. In light of the fact that Greta Thunberg has a book out this week, I wanted to share these additional climate books with you. I find it really interesting to see how the current young generation’s climate activism is subtly different than even the activism I was raised with, and I am curious to pick up some of the books below, especially the fiction books, to see what they are like. As an aside, Kelly Jenson, is also a writer and the editor of three…
-
Weekend Joys in Books and More: April 16th
Hello Everyone, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been put through the ringer on a personal level this week, but I go into the weekend recognizing the value of the support that I have! There is something about this time of the year that is always hard, and the added stress of the tail end of the pandemic makes this weekend all the more welcome. I hope your week has been better than mine, and that these fun things help kick start your weekend well. This list also has a bit of a theme actually, and I hope you find it “out of this world”! 1.) Apparently…
- Books, Children's Books, Interesting Things, Just Because, Movies and Television, Nature Notes, Podcasts
Weekend Joys in Books and More: March 19th
Hello everyone, In addition to what has simply been a tough week in a lot of ways, I had a weird Covid-anniversary this past week. Yesterday was both the day I was considered fully vaccinated, and the day that, a year ago, we closed my daycare due to concerns about the pandemic. Although we opened up 2 months later, it was a weird time, and reflecting on that this week put me in a contemplative mood. I have a weird assortment for you all this week as I’m hoping to change my energy a bit and go into the weekend feeling motivated. 1.) One of my primary needs in any…
-
Weekend Joys in Books and More: March 12th
Hello everyone, After a week of big news and revelations and what was honestly quite a long week for me (too many things to do and not enough hours), I have a quiet little list for you today as we go into the weekend. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward on Sunday, and have a lovely weekend. 1.) This is super interesting (and the opposite of quiet). On a related note, did you know how the story of Frankenstein and the island of Bali are connected? 2.) Some of these are really cool! I went to get the link, and ended up watching elephants for 10 minutes. 3.) This…
-
Weekend Joys in Books and More: January 15th
Happy Friday! I know that I have certainly been shaken by what is happening in the US over the past few weeks. It is a lot to process, and I am trying to take as much time as I can to give both myself and those around me grace as we process the almost insane amount of baggage we are being handed. This week, I have 5 things to help you start your weekend off in the best frame of mind possible. 1.) When I get tense at night and have trouble sleeping, I tend to lean towards soothing audiobooks. My go to is Lord of the Rings, and I…
-
My Reading Month – Trees and Murder
I feel like I have been coming out of a bit of a fog over the past month – between work and life things, my life has been incredibly crazy over the past year, and it is so lovely to begin to have a little breathing room. I still have not found myself reading all that much over the past month, and have only finished 1 or 2 physical books. This is probably due to the fact that the one of my other obsessions, RuPaul’s Drag Race, has been airing the final episodes of its most recent season, so I have been going down that rabbit hole instead. (Go Big,…
-
Nature Notes: Spring Awakening
For me, the advent of spring is always delightfully frustrating. First, there are the first few days of sun, where my mood lifts and I get excited about the fresh air, shorts, hiking, and the incredible world around me. And then, inevitably, it snows or rains and I go stir-crazy! Over the past week in Montana, we seem to finally have transitioned to a longer lasting spring, and I am elated. My hammock is up, and I am dreaming about all the fun I will get to have over the next few months. One of the most enjoyable things about spring for me is the awakening of my naturalist senses.…
