Solstice: Celebrating Winter

Mid-winter or Solstice (December 21) is upon us. Here in Wisconsin the sun is already setting at 4:30pm and not rising again until 7:30am.That's a loooong winter night! Winter Solstice, the time of nature's darkness, has long been celebrated by humans around the world. In Northern climates celebrations often include fire and light to signify welcoming back the sun, and turning toward the renewing days of spring.

While the nights are long, the days of mid-winter in Wisconsin are often sunny and bright.  Taking long walks in the winter sunshine can be rejuvenating and so very interesting. What do you see, hear and find? Where are all the animals and what are they doing to stay warm?  Where do they shelter and what do they eat? How are the trees living through the cold?

To supplement your winter wonderings (and wanderings) you might check out these amazing books. There are some for adults and some for children.

Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald Stokes

The Longest Night by Marian Dane Bauer

Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here by Jean Craighead George

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis

Indoors there are many ways to continue to observe nature. A favorite is feeding and watching the birds outside your window. Young children can have an up-front seat to bird observation in the comfort of their homes. Many hours can be spent observing the ways that birds use their beaks to eat seeds, how they preen their feathers and how they chase away intruders at the feeder! KVR Instructor Barb Duerksen wrote a great post with tips and reminders about bird feeding back in October.

Collecting bits and pieces of nature and bringing them inside can be another wonderful way to observe and explore winter in the warmth of your home. Create an ever-changing seasonal nature table in your home! For more about creating nature tables, check out The Nature Corner: Celebrating the Year's Cycle with Seasonal Tableaux by M.V. Leeuwen and J. Moeskops.

Stargazing after the sun sets continues to delight during the winter season. Tonight, if the skies are clear from your corner of the world, check out this rare event with Jupiter and Saturn that is happening on solstice. If skies are cloudy in your area, there is a livestream available on the link. KVR Instructor and Astroeducator John Heasley also wrote about Winter Solstice Great Conjunction here. 

***

The Learning Outside blog will take a break until the week of January 11, 2021. We wish our readers everywhere opportunities to notice and appreciate the light of the new season. Thank you for joining us in 2020.

Weatherproofing Children (and Their Adults!) for Winter

Last week we posted about great local options folks have for winter activities. Part of getting geared up for winter is shifting our mindsets and being prepared. Norwegians have a term that's useful in considering weather-hardiness. It's friluftsliv, which means "free outdoor life." In Norway, there's a saying about there not being any bad weather...only bad clothes! 

So as the temperature drops and snowflakes begin to fly, we have some tips and ideas for not only getting your children ready to embrace winter's wonders, but for you, too.

Kickapoo Valley Forest School Leadership Team members Julia Buckingham and Ximena Puig recently led a virtual roundtable focused on winter and weather resiliency. Their presentation included the following great tips we'd like to share. Forest school students and their families will gain lots of experience in embracing all kinds of weather, and the guidelines we have for them work for everyone.

Embrace wonder.

Children absorb adults' energy and attitudes toward just about everything, and the weather is no exception. Be aware of how you talk about the weather and consider being open to the beauty of cold, the way the landscape changes, and the challenge of getting out to explore. Your excitement and wonder can spark the same enthusiasm in children, and this is an important aspect of developing winter resilience.

Dress in layers.

We can't stress this enough. Trapping heat in a base layer and middle layer can make a huge difference in comfort. Selecting an outer layer that repels water and wind is essential. You can always remove a layer, but adding one is difficult once you are out and about. Dressing appropriately helps children really explore without worry over getting wet and cold, and it can help you stay out longer if you've brought along snacks and a bottle of water. 

Wool is your friend.

Naturally moisture-absorbing and lightweight for it's warmth, wool is a great layer. For those who are allergic to wool, there are many alternatives made of synthetic materials or silk. 

Create systems for caring for outdoor gear.

Be sure to make a plan for drying your outdoor gear, hanging it for next time, and dealing with the puddles, mud, and mess that is an inevitable part of coming in from the outdoors. Involving your children by having reachable hooks and spots for muddy boots makes learning to take care of our gear part of the whole process of enjoying the outdoors. 

Julia and Ximena also shared great ideas for some activities you can do outdoors this winter including gathering treasure for ice suncatchers, making pinecone bird feeders, and telling stories based on animal tracks. 

There was a great recent feature on NPR about weatherizing ourselves for winter. Interspersed with fantastic cartoons by LA Johnson about dressing like an onion and eating snacks rich in fat, calories, and protein (yay!), this article and accompanying audio has some excellent tips for adults as we embrace this new season. 

When you come inside, don't forget to read books together about winter life and adventures to inspire your next outdoor day. Here's a list of 100 picture books to read with children. 

Wishing you a wonderful winter season!

NEW at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve: Education Packs for Outdoor Adventures

KVR instructors Barb Sydnor and Julie Hoel have been hard at work creating adventure backpacks for children and families. We encourage you to check one out on your next visit to the Reserve. These education packs offer opportunities for deeper engagement with natural features and experiences, and they've been created with fun and learning in mind.

There are 3 preschool activity packs and one water critters pack for older children (4th-5th grade). The water critters pack is also suitable for younger children with adult help.

Packs will be available outside the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center on weekdays from 8 am until 4:30 pm. Please use the sign out sheet provided by the packs.

Let us know how you are using the packs with photos and comments.

Camp Covid

Guest post by Julie Hoel, KVR Instructor and Grandparent Extraordinaire

No one whined more about the cancelling of KVR Summer Camps than I did. Just ask our camp director! I was the lone voice crying FOR the wilderness. It’s an OUTSIDE activity! Outside can be safe! Pleeease! My four-year-old grandkids were signed up for their first KinderCamp. We had all been looking forward to their time at KVR and Nana and Poppa time at our house. Their working-from-home parents had been looking forward to a break. We couldn’t let them down, so the cousins came anyway and Camp Covid was born.

There is plenty for them to do here…pond to swim in, trampoline, tree swing in a huge oak, a play set fort and my toy room. (Other retirees use their spare bedroom for a sewing room, an art studio or an office. Mine is a toy room filled with three generations of vintage family playthings and classroom toys from my mom’s first grade room and my kindergarten.) Our tendency would have been to hang out here, but I took my own advice to my Forest Friends session parents, and we headed to the woods anyway! Each morning we packed up for a new adventure. I ignored certain four year-old behaviors just to get them in the car and on our way. Don’t want to wear your long socks? No problem, I’ll just put them in my backpack. Still hungry? I have a car snack ready. Can’t find your water bottle? I’ll share mine.

Our first adventure was to the Ice Cave Trail at Wildcat State Park. In a moment of unplanned genius, I bought them each a pair of rubbery garden gloves for climbing and other muddy encounters. These came in handy right away as they scampered up the rocks by the waterfall. Letting them lead the way was also important. You really can’t get lost, and it put them in charge. They stopped and threw sticks when they felt like it. They followed the “beautiful butterflies” that caught their eyes. We splashed in the little creek. I pulled some plastic food containers out of my backpack and turned them into boats. I took a little video of this exploration. My grandson says, “Nana, do you have any other toys?” I don’t remember saying this, but I hear my response, “I thought this would be enough.” Turns out, it was more than enough.

Day Two destination was KVR. I was hoping to play at the stepping-stones on the Visitor Center Trail, but they were underwater. We headed to the climbing trees in the flood plain, but they were overgrown without the usual trampling by school groups. The cave by the river didn’t excite them. But finally the magic of the pine plantation caught their fancy. They explored all the shelters that kids have made there. I was shocked to hear that they did NOT know the story of the Three Little Pigs. Explaining the tale led to a spirited game with Poppa huffing and puffing and the little piggies dashing from one shelter to another oinking all the way. They could have played this for hours.

Day Three was at the Valley of the Elves. Something about that little stream inspires nakedness. Every time I take a group of Forest Friends there, someone ends up removing their clothes one soggy piece at a time. The embarrassed parent asks the group if everyone is okay with it and the fun continues. This day it was my grandson ripping off his shirt in the summer sun. They went upstream and discovered a small sandy bank. They proceeded to climb up and jump into the water making up songs as they went again and again. The trip back up to the rock shelter required cooperation and determination, but it was all worth it.

I could continue explaining each adventure, but I think you see the pattern. Ignore any resistance and get to the car. Get to some place wild. Follow their lead. Nature did the rest of the unfolding.The boy who is go-go-go and sports-sports-more sports settled down a little in the woods. On one hike he was just sitting in the brush up on a little hill. I asked him what he was doing. “I’m a deer.” The girl that loves beautiful sparkly dresses and won’t touch a cobweb ended the week proclaiming, “Dragon flies are my friends!” Most of all, it was magical for us watching them.

In the end, it felt like it might have been even better than KVR camp because they had our undivided attention in a class of just two. So, thanks, Covid, for that.

Nature Nuts

Guest Post by Nicholas WazeeGale, Nature Nuts Camp Instructor

Hello Dear Campers!

It is a big old bummer that we won't be doing any camps at the KVR together this summer. I will miss seeing you all and roaming the grounds by the Visitor Center and getting to see the world up close through your clear youthful eyes! The good news is that the amazing natural world we all cherish is still around us for exploration and discovery. We just need to make some time and get out there.

I thought I would send you some ideas and remind you of all that we love to do during our Nature Nuts weeks so that you and your families can make the most of the summer. Here goes the greatest hits as I recall:

Swimming and Creek Walking! 

Nothing makes a hot day enjoyable like water, and we have lots of it around. Favorite places where we have all loved to explore water have been down at the little creek under the footbridge behind the Visitor Center, and swimming in the river down there (with life jackets and adults!) and also walking back to Weister Creek behind "Ma and Pa's" campsite on Hwy P. Also there is lots of good swimming, wading and creature catching to be had at the new Weister Creek project further up Hwy P from Ma and Pa's campsite.

Hiding and Seeking! 

Games like Hide and Seek, Camouflage, and Fox and Rabbit are easy to adapt to any site. You can hide in your backyard or the local woodlot or even in your own living room and not even be noticed if you observe where people look and don't look. Just don't get carried away and scare your parents too badly. See if a brother or sister or parent will play in the backyard and see how creative you can get. Or a park in town! And the next time you are taking a walk in the woods take turns running ahead and hiding just off the trail and see if you are noticed and what works and what doesn't. (It is, of course, always good to let your parents know where you're are heading off to, and always be aware of plants and insects you need to be careful of like wild parsnip!)

Exploring Natural Spaces.

Nothing feels more like summer in the Driftless area than finding and eating raspberries right off the cane or sneaking up on a katydid making its insect music. And nothing makes us feel like we are part of the natural world like following our curiosity into wild places. Go take a walk with your parents, a sibling, or just yourself (after telling your parents you are going!) in a natural area like the KVR with the purpose of exploring and following your curiosity. Get off the path in an open area of forest or a meadow and see if you can find some insects. Look for crayfish under stones in a creek. Explore the pond edges for frogs, dragonfly larvae, rare plants, diving beetles, or snakes. Crawl into a thick area of brush and look for animal sign where no human has gone for years. Look for something of interest and follow it! Adventure awaits. Just remember to be safe and respect those whose homes you are visiting.

Games of the Earth

Our days at KVR are always filled with good games that show us more about the wild world around us in fun and playful ways. Remember Meet a Tree? Being blindfolded and led to tree in a confusing way and then led away to have to find your tree by what you felt and remembered? You can partner with anyone! Or Secret Animal Identity where you and a friend have an animal ID on your back and have to ask each other yes/no questions to find out who you are? You can play the related "20 questions" with animals too for sharpening your awareness of local animals. We do it in the car regularly. Lastly there is the fun of Animal Charades in which we have to hold our guesses while someone tries to impersonate all that they know of how an animal moves, views its environment, eats its food, where it goes in its world, and how it reacts to things. What good learning and fun to become your favorite animals! Try it out in your yard with your family and see what local animals you can impersonate!

Study of Birds, Plants, Trees, Animals and Insects.

Another thing that we all love doing and learning in Nature Nuts is studying up on all the wonderful life that surrounds us. From in the ground to the tree tops and sky above, from the marshy ponds to the nearest rotting log, our wild world is filled with life forms of every shape and size, doing their thing and living their lives. What are you interested in learning more about? There are many ways to read up and learn more on your favorite organisms, and we live in an area where you should be able to get out and look for them, see them, observe them and do some drawing of and even writing about them. And if you are seeking the elusive bobcat and not having luck, don't forget to enjoy the flowering yarrow, the nearby ant colony, the swallowtail butterfly and all the more easily observed wonders of nature as you wait! The magic of the Earth is in all of them and we can learn so much from them all if we are observant and patient.

Lastly, I would just like to leave you with remembering that the woods are a special and rejuvenating place that hold many secrets and gifts for you. Remember this and if you are feeling grumpy, bumpy or out of sorts, take yourself to the nature spa nearest you:
the woods! Go take a seat, watch the show, see who comes to visit, and see if you don't feel better when you come back to the busy world of people. People all around the world have stories of the woods making them feel better and guiding them to a better sense of themselves and greater health and happiness. Just get out there however you can, nature is everywhere, and enjoy the gift of chatty birds, hopping insects, tall green trees and all the wonder we are so surrounded by in this area of the world.

Good Luck and Great Discoveries to you! And feel free to send us your reports!

Note: For more information about Nicholas's life and work and additional great words of wisdom, check out his Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nicholas.wazee.gale/

Branching Out

An interview and essay from Vicki Ramsay, Branching Out KVR Camp Instructor

Tell us about yourself. Is there anything special you want campers and families to know about you and your life?
I live in the small town of Viroqua with my 2 boys, but I really appreciate how much wild land is available for us all to explore, for us to feel a part of: the KVR land, Wildcat Mountain and other State Parks, public fishing spots that you can find by Cook Creek, and county or private park lands like Sidie Hollow, Duck Egg and Earthology Parks. We love to go canoeing and kayaking together, mostly down the Kickapoo, but we're venturing out more this summer to find new rivers and streams.

What do you love about being a camp instructor?
Being a camp instructor has allowed me a window into my own love of exploring and playing in nature. I love the camp experience of discovering new things together. Whether it's learning a new game, spotting a small toad, or discovering a technique for building shelters outside, when we all come together to learn, what we learn is so much more fun! When kids bring in their own unique finds from nature to share with all of us, the joy we share in each others' discoveries is a unique part of camp.

What ideas or tips do you have for campers who may be missing camp this summer?
If you can get to the KVR this summer, do it! Bring your family to the Valley of the Elves or for a walk to the covered bridge. Show them the pond where we see northern water snakes basking in the sun or the forest where you built shelters. Teach them how to play Fire in the Forest! If you're someone who is new to camp, call up the KVR and ask them about how to find a couple of these spots. You could go early in the morning and check out the bird blind. Weister Creek has a lot of great swimming spots. Anyone can do fun camp things even in your own back yard. Shelters are cool to build and use for a camp out or picnic lunch.

What other key lessons or wisdom would you like to share?
The COVID-19 quarantine has created a time out of time. While it may seem some things we love have been taken away, there have been other aspects that offer unique opportunities. One gift is that this circumstance allows us more time to spend outside in nature, exploring and observing. For example, besides gardening and finding new trails to explore while I'm jogging, I've spotted birds I've never seen before in this area: a loon, a yellow warbler, and a ruddy turnstone!

Do you have a favorite spot or activity on the KVR that you'd love to remind campers and their families to visit when they can?
Our family loves canoeing and kayaking. My boys have been doing it since they were little and now they're older, they love the freedom of being in their own kayaks. We took a canoe/kayak trip through KVR land recently and were able to see glimpses of places we frequented during camp from a whole different vantage point. Going UNDER the covered bridge! In some camps we've often explored a little stream from its roots to under Billy Goats' Gruff bridge almost to where it empties into the Kickapoo. Kids love to swim and play in the deep holes of water and swirling mud. As we canoed past, we saw this favorite camp play spot in the creek right before it empties into the river. And we spotted one of our favorite places to visit on short hikes to the tiny "almostacave." Just seeing some of the places where we had been for camp brought back a lot of great memories.

What are some of your favorite nature books?
Earth, Water, Fire and Air by Walter Kraul
The Land Remembers by Ben Logan
Catkin by Antonia Barber

A Birthday River Trip

by Vicki Ramsay

There are lots of trips, shorter and longer, that you can take by canoe or kayak down the Kickapoo River, but one that was new to me and that we took on my birthday in June this year began at Bridge 14 on County P and ended at Bridge 20 in La Farge.  This trip was glorious! The sun shone brightly but the weather wasn't too hot. A lovely breeze blew through the trees and grasses; red-winged blackbirds chirred loudly from the edges of fields, the leaves of shaggy old maples leaning over the river flashed green and silver. Where the upper regions of the Kickapoo pass through lots of farmland and Wildcat Mountain State Park, this part of the river is almost entirely on KVR land. If you drove down Hwy 131 from LaFarge to County P, you would see undulating hills, prairie, red clusters of sumac lining the edge of the road and deciduous forests dark with mystery. But traveling on the river you pass through grasslands dotted with trees, lulled into dreamland by the ringing songs of toads, and then suddenly you round a bend and encounter humongous cliffs rising high above with small ledges of limestone holding tiny microcosms of life: small ferns, tiny wildflowers, a masterful tunnel built out of spider web, with a spider hiding deep inside, and the sweet sound of fresh water drip, drip, dripping into the river below.

The cliffs are adorned with forests of gigantic white pine and Eastern hemlock trees, often towering up to the sky, but also leaning out at odd angles, still firmly rooted into the rock. We saw an immature bald eagle swooping out from the branches of one of these trees, its head feathers clearly changing from speckled brown to white. On its way further downstream it startled a Canada goose and her baby, and one of our friends remarked that the eagle might have wanted a snack! We saw two more goose parents paddling with their little gaggle of babies running over the top of the water, flapping tiny fuzzy wings to escape the canoes coming towards them.

Mayflies, damselflies and dragonflies zoomed past our heads and around our paddles. There was one insect that none of us could identify, distinctively white and fuzzy with 2 tails. It was very graceful and there were lots of them; maybe you can be the first to let me know what it was!

And then there was the dragon. I've been known to joke about the Kickapoo Crocodile at times but this creature took us all by surprise. It descended down the hillside with the bony plates on its back distinctively rising up in ridges. “What is that?!” my youngest son exclaimed. “It looks like a dragon!” someone replied. We kept staring and then as the river turned a bit and us with it, we saw its bony ridges were made up of small rectangular cages that were stuck side by side together, but tipped over, zig-zagging down the hillside. “Oh!” I said. “Mink cages.” And then we all went into our stories about the local history of mink farming.

When we came to Bridge 18, the covered bridge to which our summer camp kids and school groups often hike, it was wild to see it from the perspective of the river. “Aho!” yelled a voice from the shore, and we waved at a young father, mother and small child picking their way among the rip rap and wildflowers. We went under the bridge and then started looking for landmarks of places we love to go during summer camp. We saw the place where the small stream that runs under Billy Goats' Gruff bridge empties into the Kickapoo and reminisced about our times playing there. We saw the tiny “almostacave,” near the water's edge and then kept traveling, down past the cliffs along Wintergreen trail. We stopped there, on a wet sandbar in the dappled sunlight to eat dinner and chocolate beet cake with magenta frosting. (Ask me for the recipe, it's pretty awesome.) Prints of raccoon, burrowing insects, Great Blue Heron, and other small birds dotted the mud next to the water, each with its own unique relationship to this ancient, winding river. 

Our last leg of the journey eventually brought us past the Dam tower and out of KVR land. We started seeing signs of civilization: high power lines, small structures built near the river, then a few homes. Signs of Highway 82 were visible but on the Kickapoo, it's easy to be fooled. How many more bends might the river take between there and here? Lots, I tell you. And then, oh! One more giant surprise cliff before the end, as long as a city block! The take-out spot was deep and muddy, each one of us emerging with our boats from the tall grasses, bearing mud up to our shins that looked like cowboy boots. There were some mud fights as we waited for our friends to bring the other car. Fireflies started to come out in distant places.

Like the grass that adorns the top of the limestone bluffs, rich with layers of history of this place when it was a shallow sea, or a giant plateau impervious to the marauding glaciers that roared past it over the last million years, we too, are but a small piece of a much bigger story.

Finding Wild Things from Inside

Many of us have been experiencing Safer at Home practices for about a month.

While some have found reliable rhythms and routines, others are struggling to adapt and cope. You are not alone.

Fear, constant worry, uncertainty, hypervigilance (the work of taking special care with hand-washing and disinfecting surfaces), reading or watching news updates, reminding loved ones to take care, caring for those loved ones without respite...

All of these things can take a toll on mental well-being.

Resilient Wisconsin has many resources for individuals and families struggling with the challenge of this pandemic.

Many of us continue to take solace in the natural world. Research studies have shown that access to green and natural spaces can reduce the brain activity associated with rumination, the repetitive thought cycles associated with negative emotions.

But what if you are unable to get out in nature? We recognize that access to green or wild spaces is a privilege that not everyone can experience based on differences in living environment, mobility, health status, and economics. We know that the advice, “Get outside,” doesn’t work for everyone.

How then might we find connection with the natural world if it isn’t within reach?
Looking closer for things wild and natural might be a place to start.

• Do you have a patch of sky visible from your window?

It might sound a little silly until you try this, but observing through a window can be calming. How does the sky change throughout the day? How does the light shift? Taking a few moments to pause and notice can be a welcome break from worries and concerns.

• Virtual Nature Learning

No window available? Bring the amazing sights and sounds into your space with these virtual experiences. We know it's not quite the same as experiencing the world firsthand, but give them a try. You might be caught in a moment of awe and wonder. Many families have begun to gather and connect around these resources.

• Sounds of nature 
• Sounds of weather
• Virtually tour Joshua Tree National Park
• Google Street View: The Grand Canyon

Webcams are great to watch wildlife. Here are some local favorites:

• Peregrine Falcons
• US Fish & Wildlife Service's Upper Mississippi Refuge Webcams

Environmental Education in Wisconsin has a well curated list of virtual wildlife viewing links here:

• Wisconsin Wildlife Webcams
• http://eeinwisconsin.org/resource/about.aspx?s=113551.0.0.2209

Our friends at Summer Outdoor Adventure Club in Reedsburg,WI, are doing daily nature videos and stories for kids. Subscribe to their Facebook feed.

If you have a backyard and simply need some new inspiration for activities, this resource provides  instructional videos from the naturalists at Fallen Timbers in Black Creek, WI.

• https://www.fallentimbers.net/curriculum/home-school-activities.cfm

• Consider trying to grow a little something. Observing plants for their resilience and persistence can be a small way to inspire hope and curiosity. It's remarkable how even our kitchen scraps can hold the promise of new growth. 

• Sprout something in your kitchen!

Reach out and let us know what's working for you and your families. How are you connecting with wild things when you are unable to get out?

New Rhythms

A Guest Post by Susana Ruder, KVR Instructor and Parent

Things have changed for all of us, inwardly and outwardly. Our familiar rhythms and routines, our interactions with friends and loved ones, our commitments and time-pressing events. Around us too, mother nature is changing constantly: spring ephemerals are blooming, frogs have begun singing in ponds and watersheds, bird songs are clear and vibrant, ticks are awake after their winter sleep, nettles are poking their heads, and maple syrup season is coming to an end.

As a mother of three young children, I wonder daily, what do I want for my kids in these strange times? I want hope for them. Hope so they can continue to believe in the good around us. Hope so they can anchor themselves in what is beautiful, and so they can turn in dark times and find it, shining and guiding their steps. I find nature to be a friend I can always trust, and I turn to her arms continually for help. She has gently helped me find answers to my questions and has embraced my children as well with her soft ways. Nature is where my kids and I go to be ourselves. We play, we sing, we discover new things, and we come back home rejuvenated and alive.

Some fun things we did this week include a hike in our backyard to “The Rock,” a beautiful sandstone rock formation where the kids love to dig in the colorful sand. My youngest collects birch for his armor, my oldest likes to climb to the outcrop and carve rock, while my little girl makes little sand cakes below. The kids built a little home with sticks and moss this time as well. On our way back, they found a beautiful hollow log that had little cavities and brought it home to make more “fairy houses.” They are really hoping the fairies will leave a little present for them, even just fairy dust.

Another highlight has been our 6 new bantam chickens. They live in our living room for now, cozied up under a warm light. The kids want to handle them all the time. They even put them on our season table by the window to decorate it.

We’ve also spent some time planting bulbs, checking on the spinach that has began to grow in our garden, observing sprouted acorns by the river and planting them to see if a little oak tree will grow, and canning the last of our maple syrup.

As the days go by, I too feel myself changing slowly and silently. Adapting, grieving, tending. Forever grateful to the constant gifts of the natural world.

***

It's National Wildlife Week. Children and families can access the beloved Ranger Rick magazine online free during this time. This resource, created and maintained by the National Wildlife Foundation, has been a trusted companion for learning about wild things for decades. They've created and curated parent reading guides to help expand the learning and connection around so many great topics. Many of us remember waiting for Ranger Rick magazines to arrive in our mailboxes as kids. Times have changed, and the format is certainly different, but the content is still fantastic.