Using Digital Photography To Reconnect Children With Nature

I found this video on the Children & Nature Website showing the research of Amy Thompson into using a digital camera as a tool to encourage children to get outside and interact with nature. Enjoy!



From YouTube And Published on Apr 10, 2013

Amy Thompson -"I made this video to fulfill the requirements of Miami University's Biology in the Age of Technology course, Spring 2013. I hope that by sharing my video with parents in my community, I will encourage them to get outdoors and show them how digital photography can be used to reconnect their children with nature."

At Discovery Child Care, in Barrie Ontario, we believe in the importance of connecting children with nature. Contact Us to find out more about our eco-friendly child care facility and our nature programs.

Build A Bug House - An Eco-Project Idea for Kids

Here's a fun activity for children that can be used when teaching them about gardening and insects. Build a Bug House - is a pdf guide by Earth Day Canada suggesting several types of bug houses you can make with basic materials from around your home.

What's this contraption?

It's one of the bug houses you can make! For more eco-friendly craft ideas and projects visit the EcoKids website.

Download the pdf guide here.

Earth Day at Discovery Child Care - Did You Know?

Parents Canada asks, "How will you celebrate Earth Day?" The way Jed Goldberg sees it, Earth Day (April 22) is partly a day for reflection. “This is the day to pause and consider what our

environmental issues are around the planet, but more importantly, what the solutions are,” says Jed, president of the Toronto-based Earth Day Canada organization.

Looking for some green solutions for your home or community to mark the day? “There are lots of ideas that can be done on Earth Day. It just takes a bit of creativity,” says Jed. “Maybe it’s time to plan a vegetable garden or a garden with native shrubs which use a lot less water,” he says. “As a community, you could set up an electronics recycling depot or help organize a free compost distribution.”

Earth Day is an important event to mark, but at Discovery Child Care, we celebrate Earth Day, every day, with our environmental initiatives. Here are some of things we do on a daily basis as part of our commitment to sustainable energy, recycling, and reducing our environmental footprint.

• Both our locations are exclusively maintained by organic methods - no pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides used on the premises.

• We diligently use the blue box program and with over 200 families we only put out one trash can per week!

• We use rain barrels and compost too. Discovery Child Care was Ontario's first licensed child care centre Bullfrog Powered, using 100% green electricity!

• Our Harvie Road location has geothermal heating and cooling plus solar panels.

• We have a no idle zone policy at both sites!

• We want to lead by example, and our children are taught the three R's, reduce, recycle, and re-use.

To learn more about our eco-based Child Care programs please contact us at one of our centres in Barrie. Looking for some fun activities to share with your children? Visit EcoKids and you'll find some great ideas for games, crafts, and projects.

We Treasure Feedback From Our Families!

Here is a wonderful email I received from one of the families at our Harvie Road location. Thank you for taking the time to let us know how we're doing.
"Our two girls have taken advantage of the infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten and school age programs at Discovery (Harvie Road). Discovery stands out above the rest because of the incredible outdoor play space, the quality of their meals and snacks, their efforts for continuous improvement, and their teaching staff. The outdoor play space is

complete with a three distinct play areas for different ages, gardens, sandboxes, a slide, a music area, a bike path, shade trees, a tennis court, and a skating rink in the winter. The meals and snacks are cooked from scratch on site by the same friendly face that we saw when we arrived for our first day seven years ago. Discovery has implemented several improvements over the last few years; a security system to restrict access to the centre to authorized parents, new "branding" of the centre with gorgeous painted murals, standard monthly update cards for parents including photos of their child's activities, the addition of an infant care room with cribs, eco-healthy child care designation, and more. The teaching staff is amazing - they work individually with each child to help them reach their potential, they communicate directly with parents by name, and they're FUN!
When any child encounters the possibility of a new environment, the concept can be daunting. We found that any demonstration of hesitation from our children was met with compassion and creativity on the part of the teachers at Discovery. Now it is not uncommon for either one of them to say, "Can't we just stay for a few more minutes?"
On a side note, I want to specifically recognize the efforts of a few teachers - 
Angela - I know she's not there anymore, but I have amazing memories of her gentle spirit with my one-year old. 
Jody - Jody has been creative and patient with A's little spirited self.
Alicia - On E's first day seven years ago, I was waiting out in the hall to hear how long she would keep crying. Alicia walked by, touched my shoulder, and said, "it gets easier". How did she know I was trying not to cry myself? Maybe I'm more transparent than I realize!
Chelsa - Chelsa always greets me by name when she sees me. No big deal for some, but a demonstration of relational strength to me.
Everyone else has been great, too - these few just stand out and I wanted to be sure that you know."

Together in Nature - Tips for a Closer Family

For Debra Scott, taking her daughter on weekly nature outings with other families was a revelation. "I noticed on those days my daughter slept better and had a better appetite. I noticed I  slept better as well and was in a better mood. Especially during the winter months, stressful things seemed less important after a good play outside."

As you may know, forming a close bond with your child is one of the most important things you can do - from infancy right up through the teen years. Strong early bonds with parents, grandparents, and other caregivers can help children feel a sense of trust and confidence throughout their lifetimes.

For all these reasons, spending time in nature with your children may be an ideal way to nurture family bonds, whether you're dealing with a fussy infant or a recalcitrant teen. Nature doesn't have ring tones or deadlines. You can reach it without spending a penny. And you can even get outdoors together with other families to increase the sociability and fun.

Read more about this in Together in Nature - Pathways to a Stronger, Closer Family, a PDF document from the Children & Nature Organization.

At Discovery Child Care, in Barrie Ontario, we believe in the importance of connecting children with nature. Contact Us to find out more about our eco-friendly child care facility and our nature programs.

What toddlers learn from water play

It's no secret that toddlers love to play with water. Here's why the lessons learned are worth the mess.

Look at that busy little guy, pouring water from yogurt container to funnel to yogurt container... to floor. He's learning about cause and effect, about warm and cool, about floating and sinking. He's calming himself after a

hard day of being small in a big world. He's learning new words, and thinking about the wetness of the water and the bubbliness of the bubbles.

And you thought he was just flooding the bathroom?

What if there was a clean, creative, natural play material that was piped right into your house, 24 hours a day, every day? You guessed? It's water. Along with the wonderful bright (expensive) toys that Grandma buys, and the paints and play dough and other neat craft stuff you provide, don't forget about water. Pamela Taylor, early childhood development instructor at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, says, "Young children are drawn to water. They're curious about it. It's a universally appealing play material with unlimited possibilities."

What are some of the possibilities? What does a toddler get from playing with water, besides wet?

Read more..

// Originally published in Today's Parent May 2001