Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Back to School - Lunch Bags

This year is huge. And I mean huge. My babies are off to kindergarten and I can't quite wrap my head around that. They will be in school for 5 half-days a week, with some extended days that include lunchtime.

Meanwhile, my big kid is finishing her last year of elementary school. How did that happen? I swear all I did was blink.

So, now we are trying to cram in the last bits of summer while we prepare for the school year. Recently I picked up a few recycled cotton lunch bags and a pack of Sharpie permanent markers.

I like these bags because they don't take up any more room than regular brown paper lunch bags and if you have ever tried to pack a kid's already overstuffed backpack with one of those gigantic insulated numbers, you know that it's not going to work without some sort of portal to another dimension.

The kids got right to work and I completely love what they did.

Treehouse - Part 2

So here's an update. Dave framed the treehouse with 2 x 3s. Lighter and cheaper than 2 x 4s, but certainly strong enough for a structure this size. So far, it's going pretty smoothly. Note the little helper below. He's pretty much there with his dad for the whole process, so Dave is keeping power tools to a minimum. Next up? Roof and siding.

Worm Bin

My dad recently handed me a quart-sized carryout container and told me to help myself to some European Night Crawlers from his worm bin. As my kids dug through the castings and scooped the worms into the container, I couldn't help but think that this image would resurface somewhere down the line in my nightmares. Or at the very least, turn me off of carryout food for a few months.

Despite their squirmy sliminess, I love worms. I really do. And I have wanted to start a worm bin for ages. When I saw how easy it was to do, I just had to give it a try. You don't need those fancy vermicompost bins with 3 layers that you rotate. After all, it's not like the worms in the yard work that way. You might, however, want to do a little research and Mary Appelhof's book, Worms Eat My Garbage is a great resource.

I started with a plastic bin. You can add a few ventilation holes if you like, but with a lid that is not completely airtight, you might not need to. Locate the bin somewhere where it won't get too cold or too hot, like a basement or garage. I added a few inches of peat moss to the bottom for bedding, but shredded newspaper or cardboard also work well. Mix with water to moisten. The right level of moisture is important, similar to a sponge that has been wrung out. Add some worms (European Night Crawlers or Red Wigglers are best) and some tasty table scraps (no meat, dairy, eggs or oils) and you are in business. Replenish the food as needed, but don't overload it.

The first night home, my worms tried to head for the hills, climbing straight up the sides of the bin, a sign that something was not to their liking. I had added my worms too fast and the bedding/food mix was not decomposed at all. The quickest fix was to cover the top with something translucent, and hang a dim light above them (a great tip from my dad). As I got the moisture and bedding adjusted, I found they stayed put and started to thrive.

Soon, we should have some nice fresh worm castings to add to our garden. The kids, meanwhile, have started to bond to their newest creepy crawly pets. Maybe this will postpone their requests for a dog. Okay, probably not, but it's fun anyway.

Sketchbook

Kids know how to draw. Why is that? They start life knowing, just knowing how to make something look so right, but over the years, it gets muddled until finally everyone is hunched around Pictionary making poor excuses for their stick figures. Oh, I know grownups can still draw too, they just won't. It's too scary.

One of my many goals this summer is to go out and draw, just draw, with the kids. There are so many places to talk about shapes and colors with my little ones. Or figure out perspective and line quality with my 10-year old. Where to start?

On a recent trip to the beach, when we loaded up our regular sand toys, towels, and beach chairs, I threw in a few sketchbooks, just to see what would happen. No pressure. Drawing should be an easy joy, maybe even a guilty pleasure. I have way too few moments in my life where I just sit and sketch these days. I need to take time for my drawing too. My daughter gathered all the shells and fragments she could find and spent some time just noticing the differences and similarities. Beautiful.

  

Then again, who needs a sketchbook?

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Wings of Fancy at Brookside Gardens

WHEN: May 2 - September 20, 2009

You can actually hear the gasps as people walk through the conservatory doors at Brookside Gardens. Hundreds of butterflies cover every surface and float by the crowd. My kids were amazed and couldn't stop pulling me in different directions to see their favorites. But honestly, I found myself oooing and ahhhing too.

The butterflies and moths on display here are all farm raised, and brought in as chrysalises and cocoons. They are tended in a climate controlled case until they hatch, and then they live out their days sampling the flowers and fruit in the conservatory. Not a bad life. There is a "no touching" rule here, because it can harm the butterflies, but apparently no one told the butterflies. They routinely land on people and will hang out for a while on a lucky shoulder or head. My younger daughter was rather upset that none of them would land on her, but when I picked her up and held her higher, a few kind butterflies obliged.

There is a touch and feel station set up where a volunteer will answer questions and kids can touch a few dead specimens. Thank goodness for patient volunteers because, as usual, my son found about a million things to ask.

 

Meanwhile, my older two (my daughter brought a friend) were busy naming every last butterfly they saw. You can probably guess, we were there for a long time.

After we are checked for stray butterflies, we headed out the door for a lovely stroll through the gardens. A perfect end to the day.

[Note: Bring some extra water; the greenhouses are warm and humid. This exhibit runs every year during the warm season. It may occasionally close during extreme heat advisories. Please call the butterfly hotline for up-to-date details.

"Butterfly Hotline": 301-962-1453

Brookside Gardens - Wings of Fancy Exhibit
South Conservatory
1500 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902

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