Nature’s Gifts
My wish for you during this holiday season is that you enjoy the gifts of beauty that nature offers you.
Yesterday I received the gift of seeing tens of thousands of snow geese rise up into the winter sky in unison. Truly an amazing sight!
But I almost didn’t receive this gift because I thought I was too busy to go outside.
Fortunately, I changed my priorities and put spending time in nature as the first item on my “to do” list. And I returned home renewed and energized!
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. —Aristotle
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Along with schools and classrooms across the country, this blog is taking a holiday break. I’ll be back in time for the new semester on January 6th.
May your heart be filled with the special joy that comes from spending time in nature. And when you get warm and cozy inside, I invite you to enjoy the following books with the children in your life:
The Christmas Bird Count is happening all across the America, and you can enjoy birds, too, in The BLUES Go Birding Across America. This books is informative and fun…mostly fun!
Inside All by Margaret Mason is a comforting bedtime book that will reassure little ones that they—every one of them—are connected to the world both physically and mystically. They belong, and are part of something meaningful.
The poetry in Amy’s Light by Robert Nutt follows the pattern of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, making this book a wonderful read-aloud. The photo-illustrations of the author’s daughter are lifelike yet dreamy.
Because Brian Hugged His Mother, written by David Rice, shows that kindness IS contagious when young Brian starts a chain reaction that brings a bit of joy to people he doesn’t even know. It all starts out one morning when Brian wakes up and gives his mother a hug.
For Baby, For Bobbie is a picture book illustrating a song about unconditional love by John Denver, featuring families and animals from around the world. It’s a wonderful teaching tool for young children of how parents—both human and non-human—love their children in very much the same way all over the world.