Stuck at Home, But Having Fun

Feeling stuck at home? Well we all do these days. I have been working from home these last couple weeks and while it is a lovely day out and perhaps will go on a walk, I just finished a little project. I decided to use all of the random seeds I have been saving from various fruits and make a little fun animation. You can also make your own stop motion animations using found objects in nature and a camera. What kinds of fun nature art animations will you come up with?
I hope this helps you smile today, Meet Me Outdoors.

Another Snowday in Baltimore

That's right, we have yet another snow day here in Baltimore, MD.  I just came inside after digging out my car, the one near the bottom right of the photo, and it hasn't stopped snowing. I figured I could clear half of the snow now and do it again later this evening when it hopefully stops.  I didn't bring a ruler out with me but I am guessing it was 6-8 inches of snow, it was about the same height as a stair step.  We are supposed to be 15 days away from the start of spring, but the snow just keeps falling. 

While I was out there clearing a path, two people were cross country skiing and there were kids pulling their sled to the sledding hill which is maybe a half mile from my house.  The neighbors kids were running around in the snow earlier, too.  

Last snow day my housemate decided to build a snow-person, the odd blob in the center of the yard is what is left of it.  Not far from my house there is a snow-sphinx that someone built.  People have been finding some fun ways to spend their snow days.  I am thinking of doing some knitting. What will you do? Meet Me Outdoors.

Wow! It is hot outside!

Wow is anyone else experiencing this massive heat-wave?  Lately it has been reaching as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit and it is hard to escape the heat.  While finding your local swimming pool or a nearby beach to go for a swim is a great way to keep cool there are some great tips I have learned over the years. 

First off wear light layers of cotton clothing as it is more breathable and remember to wear sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun.  Don't forget to reapply the sunscreen if you have been outside or in the water for long periods of time, as the sun protection wears off over time. 

Secondly, you should drink lots of water so you don't get dehydrated.  A great tip I learned from going to camp for many years is to fill a plastic water-bottle with water and stick it in the freezer at night, you will get a bottle full of ice water in the morning.  The ice will melt as the day goes on and your water will stay cold longer.  Also while the ice is in there you can hold it to your forehead help cool you off as you are waiting for some of the water to melt to drink.  Sports drinks with electrolytes also help keep you from getting dehydrated, you can freeze those, too. 

My favorite part of summer is eating things like watermelon and other fruit.  If you decide to go on a picnic, make sure to keep the fruit chilled.  Makes for a refreshing treat.  Another fun summer treat is ice cream, just be careful for drips as it the hot weather it will melt fast, unless you like being covered in ice cream.  :-)  I personally like sorbets, especially strawberry or raspberry.

Another great tip I have learned is to not be outside in the middle of the day since that is the warmest part part of the day.  If you go outside in the early part of they day or later in the afternoon it will be cooler out.  While I do encourage people to go outdoors, please know that if it is too hot it's ok to stay indoors where it is cooler.  You can do lots of fun nature related activities inside after a quick trip outside, or even in a good shaded area.  Things found in the Nature Crafts page or Explorations page can be a great start for ideas.  If you have any ideas that I didn't list and want to share email me or add a comment to this post. I love learning new ideas for having fun outdoors, and I am sure the readers do too.

Stay cool everyone! Meet Me Outdoors.

Making Raffia Bracelets and Rope

Hi Everyone! I created a short video that shows how you can make a raffia rope bracelets using a process called reverse twist braiding.  This is how rope was made, just with longer strands and more of them.

The first step is to take some raffia or ribbon and fold it in half so you have equal lengths and hold it from the center.  The right hand side will be the side you twist, after twisting you cross it over the left side like braiding, and repeat.  The movie shows it close up from a couple angles so that you can see how the reverse twist is made. 

You can make this with ribbon, long pieces of grass, or raffia.  Raffia can be found at craft stores in a variety of colors from natural tones to bright colors. Be creative, have fun!  Meet Me Outdoors.

It snowed!

It snowed in Baltimore! I couldn't believe it, and I have no proof.  All of the snow melted by the time I could get outside with my camera. It's like it never happened.

Me wearing my scarf

I can say that it is now time to break out the warmer coats and all the fun scarves, hats and mittens that help us stay warm in the winter.  If you are adventurous and patient enough you can always knit or crochet a hat/scarf of your very own, easy project for beginners.  I made a scarf last weekend and was glad to have it today.  I made it with multi-colored yarn as you can see in the picture on the right.  The color didn't come out as great in this picture but you get the idea. 

Bundle up and come Meet Me Outdoors!