Melanie Charlene's Blog

Children learn so much through observation. They often model their behaviors after the adults that they observe around them. Take moments throughout the day to share your love of nature, gardening and our earth. Point out to children all of the interesting and beautiful things that only nature can provide; plants, clouds, birds, insects and more. Most children who have had the privilege of positively experiencing nature and gardening first hand with an adult will grow to enjoy nature as adul...

There are so many technological advancements that come from the study of nature. Plants, insects and other creatures hold the answer to many of the technological challenges that we face today.

Teaching children to look closely at the plants and creatures around us and helping them to learn more about things that many of us see every day, can vastly improve their ability to exercise more creative problem-solving thought.

Our family of books by Melanie Charlene, can help to encourage childr...

Do you remember the days when our parents would tell us to go outside and play? This may not be everyone’s story but many of us grew up that way.

Unstructured and unguided outdoor playtime can actually help children to build creativity, boost confidence, and improve decision making skills. It can also enhance kids’ ability to handle emotions and maintain positive relationships.

Outdoor free play fosters independence among children and helps them to develop superb planning skills (a key asset...

There’s something very satisfying about watching children pick and eat ripe fruit right off of trees and plants.

Whether you are growing your own fruit in your backyard or community gardens, picking fruit from a local farm, foraging for fruit from a nearby trail or buying fruit from your local farm or orchard, it’s an experience that every child should enjoy.

I hope that all children will one day have the opportunity to experience picking fruit from a tree or plant.

The book “Garden Spy The...

There are so many ways to explore nature. Trail riding can be quite the adventure… you never know what you may find. Some great things to look our for while biking include:

. beautiful skies and landscapes
. native plants flowers and grasses
. wildlife
. interesting rocks, soil and terrain
. little treasures such as fallen leaves, feathers, acorns and more.

The post Trail Riding With Kids appeared first on Nature . Gardening and Wellness Books.

How many times have you postponed your dreams?

“When I wrote “Five Birds on a Wire” years ago, I found myself waiting to get everything just right before taking steps toward having it illustrated and published. As life would have it, nothing ever seemed to be ‘just right’ so I kept waiting. One day, I got sick. I began reflecting on all of the things that I wanted to accomplish that I hadn’t done yet. That’s when I realized that well over a decade had slipped by while I waited to get everyth...

When children can choose the vegetables that they’d like to grow and are given the opportunity to grow them, they’ll rarely ever complain about having to eat their vegetables.

There’s something about gardening… it brings out the foodie in children. Gardening makes children want to explore many different types of fruit and vegetable options.

Be sure to include children in the seed selection process when planning for your garden. You never know what fun and interesting things that they may choose...

It’s been an interesting winter to say the least: abnormally low temperatures record high frozen precipitation and much more. It’s easy to get into the routine of staying indoors. I’d love to encourage you to step outside today and encourage your children to play outside! The development of daily healthy habits starts now. Allow children at least 30 minutes of outside play every day.

Outside play can boost attention spans, sensory skills, cognitive development, social social development, emo...

“…Take children outside every now and then and let them quietly observe nature using their senses. It can be a transformative experience that not only builds creativity, but can also help children practice being calm and consider their own emotions.”  ~Melanie Charlene

The post “…Take children outside and let them observe nature… it cab be… transformative” Quotes by Melanie Charlene appeared first on Nature . Gardening and Wellness Books.

“…explore the beauty of God’s earth, find peace in truths that never change and delight in everyday moments…” ~Melanie Charlene

The post “…explore the beauty of God’s earth, find peace in…” Quotes by Melanie Charlene appeared first on Nature . Gardening and Wellness Books.