Nature Connection

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 48 - Plant Seeds

Today’s challenge is to plant seeds! Work on your vegetable garden or plant a few flower or vegetable seeds in a pot. If you don’t have any seeds, venture out to your local garden center to pick some up or ask a friend if they have extra to spare. It can feel so good to work the soil with your hands, and several studies show that gardening can improve your health! What better way to connect with nature than to get a little dirty, plant some see…

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 47 - Take a Relaxing Rainy Day Walk

Rainy days can be the toughest ones to get outside, but if you dress for the weather it can be quite enjoyable! Wear layers if it’s cold and appropriate rain gear to stay dry - rain coat, hat, rain boots, rain pants if you have them. If you have an umbrella - use it! Rainy walks under an umbrella can feel very peaceful. You may wish to take a few quiet moments to close your eyes and listen to the rain as it falls and imagine …

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 46 - Take a Hike

Here in Maine there are hundreds of off-the-beaten-path trails, land trusts and preserves where you can hike while still maintaining a safe distance from others. Today’s challenge is to go for a hike in the woods. Move your body, breathe some fresh air and take in all the natural beauty that surrounds you. You’ll be glad you did.

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 45 - Nature Journaling

Nature journaling can be a great way to connect with our natural surroundings. You can use it to record what is happening in the natural world as the seasons change, to write prose or poetry about your experiences in nature and keep track of animals and plants you identify.

Take time today to write in a nature journal. If you don’t have one, start one. Take it outside with you along with a pen or pencil and some colored pencils or marker…

Today we invite you to build a rock tower (also called a cairn) outside. Doing this slowly and mindfully, placing each stone thoughtfully, can be quite relaxing. How tall can you make it before it topples over?

Nature Connection Challenge Day 43 - MAGnificent Beings

Today’s nature challenge will require the use of a magnifying lens.

Wander and explore your nature space using your magnifying lens, taking care to notice the many beings present.

There is so much variety and diversity in the forest, from the biggest to the smallest. We are limited to what we can see with our human vision. What if we had a way to see things with a different perspective and in greater detail? One way to see things with en…

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 42 - Make Silly Nature Faces

Have some fun today! Find some materials from the nature and use them to make silly faces. Can you make faces that show different emotions? Make them look very old or like a baby? Make animal faces? Experiment, observe and enjoy. Take a picture of your silly faces and share them with us on Facebook or Instagram.

Today’s challenge is to learn about and try to locate different natural fire starting materials. Knowing how to get a fire going with only natural materials in your surroundings is handy and potentially life-saving. In a survival situation, being able to build a fire is vital for warmth, boiling water to disinfect, cooking food, and keeping predators away. Even with camping, a fire is often utilized for warmth a…

For today’s challenge, you will need to locate Eastern Hemlock, a coniferous tree (a tree that has cones and keeps its green leaves, or needles, in winter). Once you have located an Easter Hemlock, snip a couple twigs to make tea. Be sure to thank the tree and only take what you need.

Eastern Hemlock has short flat needles, approximately a half-inch in length, with a white underside. The cones are small, about 3/4 inch long. The…

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 39 - Get Moving

There has been lots of recent scientific research about how exercise can improve memory, help you sleep, reduce stress and boost your mood. A group of British researchers have found that exercising in nature has added benefits for both mental and physical health. Even five minutes of getting your heart rate up outside can have a positive impact on mental clarity, blood pressure and more.

Today’s challenge is to get outside and get moving. Brisk…