Nature’s Center

As we get farther along into spring the vast green areas are most welcome and beautiful. At this time of year I always find myself thinking about how trees communicate…

 >> read the rest <<

It’s early March and lots of things are already in springtime mode! Today a group of kids came from a local school caught tadpoles in the big pond.

 >> read the rest <<

Though some people think winter is the time to stay indoors, many naturalists and nature lovers are outside studying how things survive in cold weather!

 >> read the rest <<

As we look forward to some cooler weather, many folks and families are trying to find things to do
outdoors. One great idea for an outdoor activity that just keeps on giving is to create a habitat garden.

 >> read the rest <<

Throughout the history of children, they have been intrinsically connected to nature. In just the past few decades, that has begun to change. As children lose touch with nature and its wonders, skills and abilities based on curiosity, perception, observation, critical thinking and the power of discovery are also lost. Stimulating the thinking processes about “how things work” is vital from an early age. We are learning more about this through scientific studies, but parents have always known [...]

 >> read the rest <<

With so little time before school starts, here is the last chance to get outdoors for some fun in nature. Take a walk, go fishing, ride your bike – do something in a place you can see trees and nature. We humans just spend too little time looking at the world around us these days. Yet scientists and doctors say it is therapeutic to do so. It is the same for our kids. They need nature time, too.

We [...]

 >> read the rest <<

Summer is just the best time for families to explore new places together. Nature offers so many beautiful and interesting spots to discover things you never saw before. This summer, why not take the “Texas Nature Challenge?”

 >> read the rest <<

As children tend to spend more time indoors playing with electronic games, it gets more difficult to convince them to go outside and play, especially when temperatures are rising. The warm days, though, have much to offer and if you are willing to get an early start you can see so many things.

The turtles in our nearby pond have started digging nests and laying eggs. They prefer to do so during the evening hours but early in the morning [...]

 >> read the rest <<

         Even older children tend to view the concept of migration as a commonplace occurrence. In most years, migration is hard work for all sorts of animals. In some years, though, it is especially dangerous and difficult. Helping kids understand more about migration is one way to give them a better picture of life in the wild.

          Here at the nature center, we [...]

 >> read the rest <<

          Finding different ways to engage the kids in a fun outdoor activity can be difficult. One key to making it a bit easier is to know places to go. For this edition of Perspectives, I thought you might like to learn about some of the area nature centers and nature preserves you can explore.

          In Montgomery and North Harris Counties, there are a few sites [...]

 >> read the rest <<