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Thank you for visiting the home blog of Caliso Learning, a natural science-based business celebrating the beauty and ecology of our natural environments. Our goal is to connect you and your family with nature--actually, we want you to fall in LOVE with nature!


Here you will find nature-inspired articles and posts, family activities, personal stories, resources, and more--all with the goal to connect you with the benefits of nature for family fun and inspiration! Please enjoy and let us know what you like :) Follow us on Facebook for even more resources, more frequently!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Try This For Nature Fun!

A common shape.
Recently I had fun running around an oasis searching for the "familiar" in an somewhat unfamiliar environment. Unfamiliar in the sense that looking for the common words or descriptions I was in search of, one would not normally consider a natural environment to find these things.

It was a great morning for all of us who participated. We retrained our eyes and brains to observe nature by its components, individual pieces that when looked at them with a different "eye" would present something before us that was actually quiet familiar. For example, natural components like branches became letters of the alphabet, palm fronds became a face, an animal's burrow became a common shape.
Support

This is a great exercise to introduce children who might feel a little apprehensive about venturing into a "wild" environment. Bringing the familiar into the unfamiliar will help young or new naturalists jump into exploring their surroundings without so much of the anxiety that some may have, especially first-timers.
 
Give it try with this short list to get you started--the only rule is that there are no rules, finds are based on each individual's interpretation of that word/description! Have fun photographing your finds or identifying them with a parent partner:
  • a common shape(s)
  • support
  • a letter(s) from the alphabet
  • up
  • shelter
  • stripes
  • reflection
  • a found face
  • 3-colors (in one object)
  • opposites
(Don't forget to go over safety/animals/potential hazards important for your chosen environment.)

A letter from the alphabet.













A common shape.











Stripes
 

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