Today, I'm guest posting over at USA Love List about products I love from Ohio (incase you didn't know, thats where I'm orginally from). Please check it out & let me know if we should have added another product!
USA Love List is a great site dedicated to tell consumers about products made in the United States! Check out my guest post HERE!
Marple Sports
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Children's Garden at Longwood Gardens
As part of the excitement of all things Philly Flower Show this month, my
3 year old and I visited Longwood
Gardens in Kennett Square last week. Given the cost of admission and
the size of our family (5 kids), we haven't been to the Gardens in a few
years. This time I had a Groupon deal for $9 for adult admission, and my 3
year old was free.
I can't tell you how much fun we had exploring the recently renovated
Children's Garden in the Conservatory! No longer a small room in the
Conservatory, the Garden now takes over about a space about 100 feet by 30
feet at the front of the building near the main entrance with stroller
parking right outside the Garden. A guide sits outside the garden in case
you need assistance.
Designed with young children in mind, the space is full of visual and
audio surprises. Making use of children's love of water play, the
designers set up about 6 different spots for children to use water
creatively. In a small room reminiscent of a Chinese temple, children can
use paint brushes to paint the slate tiled walls. Elsewhere, they can
follow water as it jumps from spigot to spigot up and down a ramp.
Just outside the mysterious grotto with its fantastic animals is a small
fountain with toys and scoops for little ones. Nearby is a small xylophone
for entertainment.
Our visit wasn't complete without a wander through the different displays
in the Conservatory looking for all the orchids on
display. There has always been a main display room for the orchids near
the fernery; however, with the special exhibit, the orchids are tucked
into the different rooms in the Conservatory. One particular orchid caught
our eye - a mint green one with a grey bulb by the banana trees.
When You Go
Longwood Gardens
Hours: 9:00
a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Daily
Admission
Adults: $18 (Non-Peak/$25 (Peak)
Seniors: (ages 62+) $15/$22
Students: (5 - 22) $8/$11
Children 4 & under: FREE/FREE
Directions
Ways to Save
- Groupon
Deal - Membership
through Pennsylvania Horticultural Society providing reciprocal
admission through the American Horticultural Society
Barb is a mom of 5 kids who spends her day keeping track of socks,
stuffed animals, library books, and a 3 year old when she isn't writing
about all the frugality, gardening, cooking, and reading she manages to
fit in between the chaotic moments. See how she holds down the fort and
saves a few dollars at A Life in
Balance.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Family Nature Walks Part 2
Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College (http://www.scottarboretum.org/)
Swarthmore College is home to Scott Arboretum, a 300 acre collection of over 4,000 ornamental plants. The Arboretum grounds are open every day dawn to dusk; admission is free.
Because the arboretum is part of the college, there are extensive paved paths throughout the grounds along with benches and other places to sit. One of my family's favorite spots is the Rose Garden. It holds over 600 roses - species roses, old garden roses, hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras. The garden is surrounded by surrounded by climbing roses and gated with exquisite ironwork.
If your kids are older, you can leave the main campus and head into the woods. The hiking is pretty easy even for 4 year olds, though no
stroller-friendly. The main trail runs several miles along a creek and then splits into 2 trails, one of which continues to run along the creek.
The other rail goes up the hill and provides a birds-eye view of the wooded area. Bring along a plant identification book and see how many wildflowers your family can identify in the meadow and wooded areas.
Collections Tour (http://www.scottarboretum.org/collectiontour/index.html)
Garden Tour (http://www.scottarboretum.org/gardentour/index.html)
Barb writes at A Life in Balance.net, focusing on real food, healthy living, frugality, and local living for her family of seven. You can find
more about her family's nature walks at her blog. (http://alifeinbalance.net/category/nature-studies/)
Swarthmore College is home to Scott Arboretum, a 300 acre collection of over 4,000 ornamental plants. The Arboretum grounds are open every day dawn to dusk; admission is free.
Because the arboretum is part of the college, there are extensive paved paths throughout the grounds along with benches and other places to sit. One of my family's favorite spots is the Rose Garden. It holds over 600 roses - species roses, old garden roses, hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras. The garden is surrounded by surrounded by climbing roses and gated with exquisite ironwork.
If your kids are older, you can leave the main campus and head into the woods. The hiking is pretty easy even for 4 year olds, though no
stroller-friendly. The main trail runs several miles along a creek and then splits into 2 trails, one of which continues to run along the creek.
The other rail goes up the hill and provides a birds-eye view of the wooded area. Bring along a plant identification book and see how many wildflowers your family can identify in the meadow and wooded areas.
Collections Tour (http://www.scottarboretum.org/collectiontour/index.html)
Garden Tour (http://www.scottarboretum.org/gardentour/index.html)
Barb writes at A Life in Balance.net, focusing on real food, healthy living, frugality, and local living for her family of seven. You can find
more about her family's nature walks at her blog. (http://alifeinbalance.net/category/nature-studies/)
Monday, May 9, 2011
Family Nature Walks
Ah, spring - the perfect time to introduce your children to nature or
re-acquaint them after a long winter. In Delaware County, there is a nicevariety of nature walks, from marshland to wooded to open fields. Most are
free and easily accessible for families with young children. Let me
introduce you to my family's three favorite nature walks, all of which are
free.
John Heinz Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/heinz/index.html)
The Wildlife Refuge is by far my family's favorite place to walk. A fresh
water marsh located near the Philadelphia airport, the refuge has a ? flat
trail around a large pond-like area. The trail is paved up to the
birdwatching tower which is about a 20 minute walk from the parking lot.
If you continue around the impoundment area, the trail is gravel, only
suitable for jogging strollers. Beyond the impoundment area is about 10
miles of flat trails winding around the marsh.
A permanent bridge was built across the impoundment areas a few years ago.
It's the perfect spot to watch for turtles, fish, swallows, herons, and
egrets. The bald eagle nest is at the far end of the impoundment area
about a 10 minute walk beyond the bird watching tower.
Adjacent to the parking lot is the Cusano Environmental Center. Free and open to the public, it has a permanent display showing the wildlife at the marsh. At the back of the Center is a bird watching area with binoculars. You can also borrow binoculars from the front desk using your license.
When you go, stop in at the Cusano Environmental Center first to find out which birds have been spotted within the past week. If you spot an unusual bird, it can be added to the record kept at the front desk.
Public bathrooms are at the Cusano Center along with a water fountain.
This will be a 3 part series this week. Thank you to my friend Barb Hoyer for this great series. Barb writes at A Life in Balance.net, focusing on real food, healthy living, frugality, and local living for her family of seven. You can find more about her family's nature walks at her blog. (http://alifeinbalance.net/category/nature-studies/)
Monday, April 18, 2011
This Year Grow Your Own Organic Vegetables With Your Kids
There is nothing like picking fresh vegetables from your garden and eating them that day. However, a vegetable garden can do more than just provide you with fresh produce. It provides children with a great learning experience while encouraging curiosity and sensory stimulation.
An organic vegetable garden will incorporate flowers and herbs that will help attract beneficial insects as well as butterflies and birds. Kids will enjoy looking at the butterflies and some of the interesting bugs that an organic garden will bring. Sunflowers attract gold finches, scarlet runner beans can attract hummingbirds. The garden could bring toads to your garden. The vegetable garden can be a great experience for a child.
Another bonus of growing your food is you may find that your child may be more inclined to eat “their vegetables”. They have that sense of pride in growing “their vegetables. Let me relate a story of my experience with a preschooler who hated green beans. As we were planting a garden for his family, he wanted to help. We decided to let him grow the green beans. So we had him put the seeds in the ground and cover them up and water them. Every day he would go out to his garden to watch his beans grow. He kept a journal drawing pictures of his garden. The first sprouts caused him to run into the house to tell his mother that his beans were growing. He was so excited! The beans continued to grow, but then a rabbit entered the picture. He saw a rabbit eating his bean sprout. Out the door he went to chase the rabbit away. Every day now was war with that rabbit. We advised his parents on some things they could do to keep the rabbit out of the garden. However, the boy continued his vigil to keep the bunny away from his beans. Well, eventually he won that war, and he started picking the beans that he grew. The first time he came into the house with a bowl of fresh green beans, he insisted that his mother serve them for dinner. His mother replied to him that she thought he didn’t like green beans. His answer, “ I don’t like green beans, but these are my green beans and they are different. They taste better.” That entire summer, he ate green beans, tomatoes, and zucchini. These were all vegetables he didn’t like, but since he grew them that made them different.
So this summer have that family vegetable garden.
About the author: Ron Ziegler is the owner of Suburban Farming Company, LLC. Suburban Farming Company plants and maintains backyard organic vegetable gardens for residential and commercial markets in the Philadelphia area. You can learn more about Suburban Farming Company at www.suburbanfarmingcompany.com
An organic vegetable garden will incorporate flowers and herbs that will help attract beneficial insects as well as butterflies and birds. Kids will enjoy looking at the butterflies and some of the interesting bugs that an organic garden will bring. Sunflowers attract gold finches, scarlet runner beans can attract hummingbirds. The garden could bring toads to your garden. The vegetable garden can be a great experience for a child.
Another bonus of growing your food is you may find that your child may be more inclined to eat “their vegetables”. They have that sense of pride in growing “their vegetables. Let me relate a story of my experience with a preschooler who hated green beans. As we were planting a garden for his family, he wanted to help. We decided to let him grow the green beans. So we had him put the seeds in the ground and cover them up and water them. Every day he would go out to his garden to watch his beans grow. He kept a journal drawing pictures of his garden. The first sprouts caused him to run into the house to tell his mother that his beans were growing. He was so excited! The beans continued to grow, but then a rabbit entered the picture. He saw a rabbit eating his bean sprout. Out the door he went to chase the rabbit away. Every day now was war with that rabbit. We advised his parents on some things they could do to keep the rabbit out of the garden. However, the boy continued his vigil to keep the bunny away from his beans. Well, eventually he won that war, and he started picking the beans that he grew. The first time he came into the house with a bowl of fresh green beans, he insisted that his mother serve them for dinner. His mother replied to him that she thought he didn’t like green beans. His answer, “ I don’t like green beans, but these are my green beans and they are different. They taste better.” That entire summer, he ate green beans, tomatoes, and zucchini. These were all vegetables he didn’t like, but since he grew them that made them different.
So this summer have that family vegetable garden.
About the author: Ron Ziegler is the owner of Suburban Farming Company, LLC. Suburban Farming Company plants and maintains backyard organic vegetable gardens for residential and commercial markets in the Philadelphia area. You can learn more about Suburban Farming Company at www.suburbanfarmingcompany.com
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