Looking for a way to prolong your garden's spring flowers and create art with your kids at the same time?

Flower pounding is a wonderful way for mamas & kids to preserve the colors of their garden while developing flower recognition skills and learning about the ecological value of plants. & pollinators.

This is an outdoor activity and you will need just the following materials.

Materials Needed:

-canvas or plant-based fabric

-hammers or big heavy flat rocks

-fresh flowers

Optional:

-modeling wire

-oil pastels

-sticks

*** We recommend NOT picking up flowers when they are on the plant because they have a very important ecological role ( to feed insects, birds & bats 🐦🦇🦋🪲) and also to make fruits 🍊🍌🥭! It is instead a great activity to select flowers when they are still fresh on the floor.

🍉 WHAT MAKES POLLINATORS SO IMPORTANT?

Pollinators are essential to the food chain because they help plants reproduce. Without pollinators, many plants would be unable to produce seeds, which would devastate the food chain. Pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of over 75% of the world’s flowering plants, including many food crops. And pollinators don’t stop there; their full impact on our ecosystem may surprise you.

#kidsartactivities, #ecologylessonforkids, #flowerpounding, #mamaandkidsactivities, #creativenaturenyc, #greenpointspringrecesscamp

Why we’re embracing the 'F' word

https://www.rewild.org/get-to-know/fungi

You’ve likely heard about flora and fauna, but what about the third (and just as important) F? We’re talking about funga. Fungi are neither plants nor animals. They comprise their own kingdom altogether and we believe it’s time to recognize their critical role in keeping our planet keepin’ on! Re:wild is committed to being “mycologically inclusive” and hope you will too.

Fungi have ancient origins—evidence indicates they first appeared around 1 billion years ago. Current research suggests there are between 2.2 and 3.8 million species of fungi on Earth—but the real number could be 10 times that. A mere 8 percent of all fungal species have been documented to date.

Why this matters

We can’t live without fungi. Plants and trees need fungi to communicate with each other, to grow and to decompose when they die—bringing the cycle full circle to prepare for new life.

Fungi are also powerful allies in carbon capture, particularly in soils. Many species—including birds and worms—rely on fungi for food. And fungi are the reason we have bread, cheese, alcohol, and critical medicines such as antiviral and anti-cancer compounds, cholesterol-lowering statins, and immunosuppressant drugs that enable organ transplants.

Parks and Community Gardens are the best environments to bring kids back to school this Fall in NYC!

As school districts across the country are trying to determine how or if they can open their doors in the fall, a California collective makes the case for outdoor schooling! This PBS video explains the cognitive, physical and health benefits of turning schools and after-schools outdoors. At Creative Nature NYC we use the exploration and contact with nature and recycled materials as starting points for creative adventures for children 2-13 years old. We want to invite Brooklyn children to go on art and science adventures with us this Fall. We are wondering: what new art and ecological insights can we gain from thinking of city parks as organisms?

.

#NationalCOVID19OutdoorLearning , #creative_nature_nyc, #brooklynmoms,#brooklynkids #brooklynfamily#queensfamilies #queenskids #nyckids#nycfamily #nycmoms #mommyandme#activitiesforkids #virtualclasses#supportsmallbusiness#supportwomenownedbusiness#virtualclassesforbabies #babyclasses#onlineclassesforkids#mommybloggers #momfluencer#momblogs #activitiesathome#uesmoms #uwsmoms