By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

This “Meet a Parent” is a little different than usual. To kick off a summer of gardening, I interviewed my friend and avid gardener TJ Sondermann about his gardening habits. TJ is a librarian who is currently at home with his almost seven-month-old son. He’s also a committed urban gardener, a fount of techie and greenie information, and an all-around nice guy. Let’s meet him!

Where do live?
TJS: Providence, RI

What are you planting this year?
TJS: This year we’re removing lots of lawn to make room for perennials. In the veggie garden, we’re planting corn (which we grow mainly to make the dry stalks into fall decorations as the squirrels always eat all the corn), lots of assorted greens, eggplant, tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, our regular assortment of herbs, and we’re experimenting with Brussels sprouts.

We’re also planting a neighborhood BYOS (bring your own scissor) herb garden on the side of our house this year. Come on over for a sprig of thyme if you need it.

Where do you garden?
TJS: The first day we looked at the house that would become our own, my wife was asking all sorts of appropriate questions about taxes and heating bills. Me, I had my eye on about sixty square feet of space in the backyard that was screaming, “Clear me out and plant some veggies.”

I’m also volunteering a bit at the Mount Hope Community Garden this year. I can’t think of a better way to get your family involved in the fabric of your neighborhood than by standing shoulder to shoulder, knee-deep in compost with the diverse group of folks who generally make up a community garden.

Who do you garden with?
TJS: Generally with my wife and a small group of friends whose children range in age from 4 months to 6 years of age. We all pitch in (with advice or manual labor) from time to time at one another’s backyard plots and share the bounty either directly or through weekly dinners. Last year a few of us (kids included) plucked many pounds of basil leaves from stems and had a pesto making party. Everyone went home with a few containers of freshly made pesto.

What is your favorite thing about gardening with your child?
TJS: I’ve been hooked on gardening since my grandfather sat me on his lap at age 5 and showed me a cucumber that he had grown inside a beer bottle (Michelob, of course), and I cannot wait to do the same for my son.

Thanks, TJ! Happy Gardening to you and your family.

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is an occasional column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.

PHOTO CREDIT: From TJ Sondermann’s Flickr account

By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

CREDIT: Paper cutout illustration from the book, How Babies Are Made
By Andrew C. Andry and Steven Schepp.
“Mommy, how are babies made?” The question, of course, had been raised before, what with a little sister joining our household just over a year ago. My husband and I have staved off the inevitable from our curious boy with a deft combination of avoidance, generalities, and feel-good euphemisms. While I was pregnant, we talked to my (then) three-year-old son about the cozy place the baby was growing inside Mommy’s body, how she was developing week by week, and what would happen when she was born and my son would become transformed into the esteemed position of Big Brother.

We settled on a suitably generic-yet-factual phrase for how babies are made. “The mommies and the daddies put their bodies together in a certain way and that starts a baby growing” is what we ended up saying to him umpteen times as my due date drew nearer. This answer seemed to appease him. And once the baby came, we were all too busy and tired to think about much beyond getting dressed and fed on a regular basis.

So I was caught off-guard when, a couple of weeks ago, the question, “How are babies made?” came back with a vengeance. I started to give him our standard house answer, but he cut me off.

“I know they put their bodies together, but what parts of the body do they put together?” He looked at me with sweet, genuine puzzlement as I stammered, flailing around the room and crashing into walls like a wounded butterfly. We always explain EVERYTHING to him; why was this subject any different? It’s just science, right? Nonplussed, he pressed on: “Is it, like, their heads they put together? Or their tummies?” He was looking at me for honest answers in order to help him make sense of this crazy, crazy world, and what did I do? Giggled like a twelve-year-old and told him to ask his father. Aye! A grand mal, 1950s-style parenting failure!

But he didn’t ask has father; he asked me again a couple of weeks later. This time, he was in the tub, and as I cast my eyes wildly around the bathroom looking for some sort of an escape hatch, I happened to see a spider on the ceiling.

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By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Last year, we had a little garden where we grew a couple of radishes, some peas, beans, a few tiny carrots and one very impressive zucchini. Now that our littlest one is walking, we’re kicking it up a notch and turning a big section of our yard into a lovely, suburban, organic garden. This year’s planting plan includes turban squash, corn, a strawberry patch, another attempt at Brussels sprouts (which got munched by something last year), pumpkins, lettuce, and various herbs, along with last year’s favorites.

We’ve spent the last couple of cool spring weekends keeping warm by loading rocks from the garden area into a wheelbarrow and moving them to another, less fertile location. Stacking the rocks into a loose, low wall makes for an interesting outdoor space in and of itself, which will inspire bug-hunting and possibly snake -finding fun.

Preparing the soil and choosing the right plants is an important part of planning your garden. If you’re starting your first garden, you’ll probably want to test the soil to find out what you’re working with, as soil can vary in its pH and nutrient content. Since our soil is sandy, we’re adding topsoil mixed with a little peat moss. Sites like Clean Air Gardening offer great products and tips for using natural fertilizers like bat guano, bone meal, and fish meal, as well as vinegar-based weed killers. (I’m sure I’ll be writing more about fighting weeds organically later in the summer!)

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By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

The Boston Museum of Science has always been a favorite place of mine. Their classic science-class exhibits span the interest of generations: space capsules, a giant lightning-generating machine, and a room full of dinosaurs, including a life-size model of everyone’s favorite carnivore, T-Rex.

The museum recently unearthed a fabulous display from the bowels of their permanent collection: curiosity cabinets. Curiosity cabinets, also called Wunderkammer or Cabinets of Wonder, are collections of flora and fauna that are categorized and displayed in glass cabinets, domes, or glass-lidded drawers. Dating back to the seventeenth century, curiosity cabinets are sort of pre-cursors to the Internet in that folks without access to certain species could view and marvel at them (albeit it in a decidedly unnatural setting, since nothing is alive. And therefore not, um, mating). The Science Museum’s collection is vast and well documented. There are even interactive games budding naturalists can play that allow them to sort and categorize objects by size, shape, and color. Montessori babies take note!

Another great place to view these natural, eclectic collections is the RISD Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab (see above photos) in downtown Providence. Imagine the Addams family’s overstuffed attic: every corner and crevice is stuffed with the cool and slightly creepy from pickled baby rats to boxes of beaks and bones. The space itself is surprisingly light-filled, allowing RISD students to photograph, sketch, and otherwise examine specimens. The general public is welcome as well, as long as you call ahead (phone number and hours listed on their website). A visit with a sketch pad in hand could be a great activity for an older child who’s interested in science (they even have microscopes!) or art.

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By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Snowshoeing is a great winter activity for getting outside and keeping active. More convenient (and cheaper!) than downhill skiing or snowboarding, and easier for little kids than cross-country skiing, snowshoeing is something the whole family can enjoy with just a little preparation and investment.

Last winter, my husband and I bought these nice “step-in” snowshoes from L.L. Bean, which means you can use pretty much any snow boot with them. Since we were only planning on being occasional users, we opted not to get poles (although I could see poles being handy for more hardcore enthusiasts). That meant that the snowshoes were the only equipment we needed before heading out into the great snowy wilderness, aside from the usual winter layers of clothing, hats, and gloves.

For my four-year-old son, we originally purchased a pair of Snow Paw children’s snowshoes. While my son loved the cute bear prints these shoes left behind on shorter trips (read: around the backyard and down the driveway), I found the straps difficult to adjust and rather flimsy. A longer hike down a snowy beach left me exhilarated, but my son fell a number of times and ended up facedown in a drift of snow sobbing about returning to the car. Not exactly what I pictured for our wintertime family fun.

I would definitely recommend choosing substance over style for kids’ snowshoes. For our next excursion, we upgraded to these Little Bear Spiderman snowshoes: they still looked cool but stayed on a lot better and felt much sturdier. My sister got the L.L. Bean Winter Walker snowshoes for her two-year-old, and both mom and babe have been happy with them. Each brand adjusts to fit up to 50 to 60 pounds, so the kids should be able to wear them for at least a few years.

The best thing about snowshoeing is that once you have the snowshoes, pretty much all you need is snow. Mother Nature’s been a bit fickle about that recently but when it does snow, you should head out as soon as possible. There’s something incredibly peaceful about walking atop fresh snow, feeling the winter sun on your face, and thinking maybe, just maybe, you heard the first robin tentatively calling out for spring.

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is an occasional column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.

By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Since the holiday season is breathing its pepperminty breath down our be-scarved necks, I thought I’d write a bit about one of my obsessions: buying things with birds on them. Lucky for me, birds are very trendy right now. If you’re frantically looking for a gift for a bird-lover, or perhaps just want to feather your own nest, maybe this list can help you.

Anna’s Aviary, owned by a Massachusetts artist, has gorgeous bird-themed art, clothing, cards and prints. The art can be personalized, too, for that special woodpecker or sandpiper lover in your life. My daughter’s middle name is Robin, so I predict I’ll soon be ordering one of these myself.

Barrington-based á la mode designs has several bird-themed switchplates (like these two snuggling black birds) that really cute up a hallway, kid’s room or kitchen.

Beehive kitchenware has lovely hand-crafted metal kitchenware, lots of it with birdies on it. My favorites are the pewter bird candles (pictured). They’ve also got the same birds on fridge magnets, key chains and measuring spoons. Any of those would fit so nicely in a stocking.

Don’t want to chance it with on-line ordering at this late in the game? Head to local kids’ shop Mod Mama (16 South Angell St., Providence) for this cute little toddler top featuring a fat sparrow or other birdly-decorated items for posh tots.

The Audobon Society of Rhode Island has a great Nature Gift shop, and members get a 10% discount on all items. In addition to their Smithfield and Bristol locations, they’ve also got an online store where you can buy a sweet plushie kingfisher, chickadee or other bird, which each play their actual recorded birdsongs.

I love the glassworks at Happy Owl, such as this Night Owl Nightlight. This artist, as well as 150 others, is at craftland through December 22nd. I predict there will be birds aplenty at this excellent show, which features local crafters and artists.

Lastly, no round-up of cute bird-related items would be complete without mention of uber craft site etsy.com. At last count, almost 20,000 items came up when I did a general search for “bird”. I would recommend narrowing down your search to “jewelry” or “children” before trying to look at bird things or your going to feel like you’re in a Hitchcock movie.

Always double-check availability and shipping times before placing any orders online if you want something to arrive before Christmas. Although giving gifts with birds on them is also great for Valentine’s Day, at least in my house.

By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

My family is caught up in the latest craze that’s sweeping the nation: geocaching! Well, okay, maybe it isn’t sweeping the nation but it is pretty cool and it’s also a great way to keep us going on outdoor adventures as the temperature drops and the couch seems more and more inviting.

Geocaching is a relatively new activity that involves finding hidden loot (called caches) in various locations using global positioning coordinates. It sounds techie but it’s really pretty simple: Go to a website like geocaching.com and enter your zip code to find a list of nearby hidden caches. Then, using a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) and maybe a good map, head out to hunt for real-life treasure! My husband has a small GPS he uses for fishing made by Garmin: A good unit can be purchased online (check Amazon.com) for roughly $100 to $350. They’re great for anyone who enjoys hiking, fishing, or just taking walks in the woods. Hello, Santa?

We found about fifteen caches listed in our immediate area and started out by seeking two of them: the Haines Park cache and the Walker’s Farm cache, both in Barrington. Most caches are small boxes or hollow tubes containing a logbook where you enter your (team) name and the date you found it, as well as some little trinkets that you trade for trinkets you’ve brought with you. Each geocache has two ratings listed on the geocaching.com website: difficulty and terrain. These are based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest. For families, I would recommend starting off with ratings of 1 or 2 - you’ll find these are plenty challenging in most cases. Also on the website are scrambled clues and notes from other folks who have searched for the caches. The website is a great source of information for newbies like us.
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by Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Today my four-year-old son and I made a “leaf mobile” for his baby sister. This was a fun and surprisingly easy activity that can be done with kids of any age. First, we loaded the baby up in her stroller and went for a leaf walk. We were on the lookout for leaves of different colors, shapes, and sizes that would be our inspiration for paper leaves we would later cut from colored paper. This led to a lively discussion about which trees lost leaves and which didn’t, the definition of the word “evergreen,” even (gasp)…Christmas!

We brought our collection home and spread it on the kitchen table, looking for interesting shapes and patterns. It turns out that bigger leaves are better for this project, since they are easier for kids (and moms and dads) to trace than to draw freehand. We used five colors of construction paper: brown, light yellow, red, dark green, and purple. With a quick hole punched in the stem of each leaf and threaded with clear fishing line, we were ready to assemble the mobile.

On our walk, we had also picked up a long, curved stick about two feet long and just thicker than a pencil for the base of the mobile. We tied each hanging leaf about four inches apart, varying the colors and length of lines for maximum visual interest. Then my husband helped us screw a hook into the ceiling just above the crib, and we suspended the mobile so that it balanced just right. We were careful to hang it high above the crib so little hands and feet couldn’t grasp or kick it. Brother and sister spent a good half hour lying in the crib and gazing at it, giggling and snuggling in their own private kiddo world.

We plan on making new mobiles periodically: flowers for spring and sea creatures in the summer. I love how modern and simple the end result is, and I especially love that my son helped make something for his little sister.

Related reads:
I See A Leaf by Grace Maccarone (Ages 4-8)
Nature Crafts by Joy Williams (Ages 9-12)
Making Creative Mobiles by Timothy Rose (Teen - adult or younger with adult supervision)

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is a column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.

By Michelle Riggen-Ransom

With the fall season almost upon us, we’re brushing the sand out of our cars and turning our gaze skyward, where migrating birds are beginning their journeys for parts south. Rhode Island is on the migration path for many of the states 300-plus birds: twice a year we are treated to a dazzling, hectic flurry of bird activity.

Rhode Islanders are doubly lucky in that we live on a major bird thoroughfare, and we have an awesome resource for birders and birding in the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. The Audubon Society has an amazing array of avian activities of interest to parents and children, from their bird walks, their hugely popular Raptor Weekend (coming up September 8-9 – register in advance by calling 401-949-5454) and their many other bird-related programs, stories, and craft activities. I personally can’t wait for Owl Prowl, where kids ages 10 and older can join their parents for an evening of learning about and listening for owls. What a great excuse to be outside on an autumn night peeking at things with a flashlight!

Also coming up on September 1 at the Audubon Environmental Education Center is a chance to meet and greet the award-winning author of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies. This is a fascinating book and is illustrated by one of my favorite children’s book artists, Melissa Sweet.

If you and your little ones are curious about the birds you see and hear around your neighborhood, pick up a laminated bird map of Eastern backyard birds and see if you can identify them. Beginning birders can look for clues like wing patterns, beak shape, and color or even their quirky, birdy behavior. My four year old loves looking up the birds he sees: he feels quite proud now that he can easily identify cardinals, blue jays, hummingbirds, and finches. An older child might enjoy a copy of Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds, a comprehensive book with gorgeous illustrations and migratory maps as well as bird names and behaviors.

Birds are among the most engaging and accessible creatures for children to learn about. They exist happily with us and brighten our days with their distinct personalities, beauty and song. Not unlike our children themselves.

Related reads:
Mole and the Baby Bird by Marjorie Newman (Baby-preschool)
About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sills (Ages 2-5)
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies (Grades 2-6)
Peterson’s Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson (All ages)

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is a twice-monthly column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.

by Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Nothing tastes better than food fresh from the garden, especially when it’s grown and harvested by your own proud kids. Now is the time when summer’s bounty is reaching its peak. If you have a garden, you probably already know that little hands make the best weed pullers. And collecting the first peas, beans, and radishes of the season can make for enthusiastic, productive fun (with a delicious end result!). Kids of all ages can help with these tasks as well as watering, thinning seedlings, and as is the case with my preschooler, ensuring any found backyard earthworms or ladybugs are swiftly transferred to the garden to perform their “good bug” duties.

Some easy edibles for kids to grow in our planting zone (zone 6-7) are peas, beans, carrots, tomatoes, sunflowers, pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. While it is a little late in the season to start most of these in a home garden, you can still use pots to grow an impressive array of herbs, peppers, and lettuces that, with proper care, will keep producing through the cooler months of fall. Sites like kidsgardening.org and eartheasy.com have some great suggestions for age-appropriate gardening projects, as well as a wealth of other information on gardening with children.

In addition to providing your family with food, nurturing a plant from seed to table teaches kids about the life cycle of plants and how they interact with their environment. “Children enjoy the whole process of gardening,” says Rey Ann Garcia-Mills, owner of the Montessori Centre in Barrington, where gardening is a popular part of the curriculum. “They like experiencing everything from preparing the soil to interacting with the insects and animals that visit the garden.” Whether started indoors and transplanted to a garden or sown directly into the soil, seeds undergo an amazing metamorphosis that should impress even the most jaded pre-teen video game junkie. Gardening can also foster an interest in cooking, as you and your kids discover new and creative ways to serve your harvest. Tomato ice cream, anyone?

Gardening connects children to their food in a way that can be challenging when shopping in today’s mega-mart grocery stores, which are filled with processed, artificially flavored and colored options. Rhode Island has a wealth of road-side produce stands, Farmers’ Markets, U-Pick berry farms, and other great places to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Allow kids to learn where food really comes from and encourage them to be involved in the growing process and they just may grow up to be lifelong healthy eaters.

Related Reads:
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert (ages 2-5)
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole (ages 3-9)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett (ages 9-12)
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy (all ages)

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is a twice-monthly column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.