nature

baby birds

 

    "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves        of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

                              --Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

 

Nature has long been considered a cure for the troubled soul. Some studies have shown that time in nature is an antidote to stress: It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood. It is also just plain fun! Especially with a few helpful suggestions to make your nature observations even more enjoyable.

 

CPL Program:

 

Activities:

 

Resources:

Look for more information about the animals you see during your nature observation in Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia or PebbleGo

When a girl walks through the woods with her grandma, she's so excited about reaching their destination that she misses out on what's around her. But with Grandma's help, she learns how to breathe, be peaceful, and notice the little surprises along the way. Find mindfulness in nature through this gentle story.

This day celebrates the sport of geocaching, a real life treasure hunting game which involves using GPS devices to locate hidden containers called geocaches in a variety of locations around the world.  Geocaching is a fun way to work with friends to find items while exploring the outdoors or other new locations.  According to the website www.geocaching.com, there are 4,479 geocaches around Canton.  Check out the resources below to learn how to geocache or to read stories in which geocaching plays a central role!

Teaches readers how to use a Global Positioning System receiver in order to find caches, or hidden objects, while out hiking, and learning orienteering.

Book Club Choices: April 2012

April is National Poetry Month, if you haven’t already, maybe it’s time your group considered reading and discussing poetry. Choose a poet and let members select 2 or 3 poems from the poet’s collected worksto read. Members can discuss their reactions to the poems or maybe to poetry as a whole.

The complete poems by Walt Whitman ; edited with an introduction and notes by Francis Murphy

How to read a poem: and fall in love with poetry by Edward Hirsch

How to read a poem— and start a poetry circle by Molly Peacock

Migration: new & selected poems by W.S. Merwin

Backyard Birding

Backyard birding : using natural gardening to attract birds by Julie Zickefoose ; and the editors of Bird watcher's digest — Watching birds in your yard can be a great way to relax and learn more about native creatures. Having birds in your garden can also benefit you in other ways: many feed on insects, which can help your garden flourish and make your yard a more pleasant place for people, too. Many of the plants that attract birds also attract butterflies - a double bonus!

Living Book: Craig Perdue

Craig Perdue, Naturalist and Primitive Technologist, shows us how Glory, the gregarious Harris Hawk, and Jasper, the Great Horned Owl, get trained to follow using behavioral psychology. Mr. Perdue also tells us about his lifetime love of nature and the skills to survive and thrive in it. Check out Mr. Perdue as a Living Book at Canton Public Library!

Spring, where did you go?

I don't know about you, but with all the snow that fell today, it sure doesn't feel like spring to me.  Would you rather be thinking about warm weather and playing outside? If so, Sunny Days and Starry Nights will help. Flip through this book and find lots of ideas for fun stuff you can do outside. Plan some outdoor activites for yourself, and before you know it, it will actually be nice enough outside to do them!

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