List of the most popular hashtags for theme #CHILDRENINNATURECHALLENGE

I suspect that sometime in the next few days, our older caterpillars will be entering chrysalis! They are getting so big as you can see, just compare them to the little guy on my hand there, who is about seven days behind them! Yes, they grow incredibly fast! Any day now, they’ll leave their sole food source (milkweed) to find a place to hang for the next 10-14 days as they undergo metamorphosis. Truly incredible. I find myself in awe of nature, every single day. P.S. Shortly after this photo was taken, we almost lost one of our guys through the cracks of our deck we felt very sad, and it was a lesson learned to find safer places to observe our caterpillars. But, there’s a plot twist!! We felt so bad leaving him under the porch so we carried out a successful rescue mission using our thinking caps and a few random objects we had available on-hand to extract him. Did you see my stories?! . . . . #homeschool #wildandfreechildren #wildexplorersclub #runwildmychild #unschooling #wildschooling #monarch #childreninnaturechallenge #nature #kidsinnature #naturekids #getoutside

{Feb 2/18} DAY 2 of my #childreninnaturechallenge I’m loving all of your posts! Today was frigid so we stuck close to home! We played with snow in our backyard and blew some bubbles (yep that’s right, in the freezing cold! you can see more in my stories) I thought I would share a fun nature activity with you today though! I’ve blogged a simple tutorial for this fun Yarn Stick Nature Craft we did together last week after our nature walk. Probably my favourite nature craft I’ve done with my children in awhile! You can find the link in my bio! ☺️ . . . #homeschool #unschooling #wildandfreechildren #kidsinnature #runwildmychild

My home girl❤️ : @zionadventurephotog

Yesterday it snowed all day long, and it was mild enough that I could wear my big wool sweater for our entire hike through the forest. (it was like -5 so you know you’re Canadian when that feels like a warm spring day). The recipe for a perfect winter day. The kids climbed trees, made a snowman, and Heidi ate snow to her heart’s content. She even walked most of the trail on her own, which is a big milestone as we so often think of her as our ‘baby’. Such a great #childreninnaturechallenge day! I just want to say that I’m so inspired by all of your ideas. I love scrolling through the hashtag to see how everyone is doing with the challenge! You guys rock! If you don’t mind sharing, what has been a favourite moment of yours spent in nature these past few days? I would really love to hear! . . . #homeschool #unschooling #wildandfreechildren #getoutside #ig_motherhood #runwildmychild #wildschooling #yrforest #livinginbabaa

When we chose to homeschool our children, we knew that nature would be a priority, not an afterthought. In so many ways, that little nature spot we visit has become a classroom for us. The forest is our teacher. My children have grown there, wondered there, asked questions, made predictions, learned, taken risks, explored, and adventured. And the greatest part is that their learning in the forest has been completely child-led. Or perhaps, more accurately, nature-led. New blog post with some of my thoughts on the benefits of returning to the same natural space over and over again. The link is in my profile. Have a read, and I would love for you to share your own thoughts and experiences with this! ✨ . . . #childreninnaturechallenge #wildandfreechildren #wildschooling #runwildmychild #naturekids #homeschool #unschooling #forestschool

Delicious, fresh, hydrating maple sap is flowing from the trees at our homeschool co-op! The kids took turns tapping each tree, and then sipping the sap. Before we left the forest, we spent some time thanking each tree for their delicious gift. ✨ . . . #homeschool #unschooling #forestschool #wildandfreechildren #childreninnaturechallenge

Nature never fails to leave us in awe. ✨ We found this little red-backed salamander hiding under a decomposing log at our forest playgroup yesterday. Spontaneous learning experiences happen all the time! We observed him for a few minutes and then sent him on his way. May our paths cross again, nature friend. ✨ . . . #unschooling #wildandfreechildren #homeschool #homeschoolcollective #wildexplorersclub #yrforest #childreninnaturechallenge #candidchildhood #childhoodunplugged #runwildmychild

Happy campers. We decided we just needed to sleep under the stars for a few nights before the summer was over (Lily’s first camping trip)! It was soul-filling. Not perfect, don’t get me wrong (helloooo packing for six people and just the general challenges that come with having four children) but it was exactly what we needed. There aren’t many greater joys for me than spending time in nature with my family. Nature heals us, and it brings us a sort of peace that cannot be experienced indoors. Whenever we have a case of the grumps, or we’re in a bit of a rut, I know nature is the antidote. It always lifts our spirits! “Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).” {Richard Louv} . . . . #runwildmychild #childhoodunplugged #childreninnaturechallenge #homeschool #wildandfreechildren #wildexplorersclub

#childreninnaturechallenge It makes me so happy to see my children enjoying nature. But it’s not always easy to get outside! Living in a place where we experience the seasons to their extremes has many challenges. There are days where I look outside and think to myself, “it’s just not worth it”. But nature has a funny way of surprising us. I never regret getting out there. Whenever we have a case of the grumps, I know that nature is the antidote. It always lifts our spirits. Many of you have asked about whether I plan on doing another #childreninnaturechallenge, and the answer is YES. For those of you who weren’t following last February; the Children In Nature Challenge is something I started for us to encourage each other to spend time in nature every day for one month. And yes, I chose February on purpose. Who wants to join? I’ll post more details as we get closer, but I’m already looking forward to the encouragement and community!