Children's Discovery Garden

While visiting Dayton, Ohio, we stopped by the Children's Discovery Garden, part of Wegerzyn Gardens Metropark. Unfortunately, this section was closed for some repairs, but I talked to the attendant, explaining we'd driven a long way as we had heard Five Rivers Metro Parks is a leader in Nature Play. She checked with her supervisor and was able to give us a tour of the space, including details we might not have noticed otherwise.

There were animal topiaries throughout--this engaged my son! You can see him here trying to "pet" the bear!

What Do Roots Do?

The book, What Do Roots Do?, grabbed my attention as one of the books on display at Bristol Public Library. I love using the library to preview books to see if I like them.

Exploring Spring at our Local Garden Store

We stopped by our local garden megacomplex, Linton's Enchanted Gardens, for a special Easter Eggstravaganza recently. We were welcomed with a Spring banner as well as fun decorations. They do a great job with seasonal decor! We've been here for past special days like this, as well as just stopping by to explore with the 2-year-old. See some of our other Easter ideas connected to nature here, including links to a past Easter Eggstravaganza.

We typically check out the fish first. There is a newish cafe near the indoor pond. I will say there is "nature" throughout the store. While the store focuses on gardening, they also have clothing, decor, jewelry, games, rocks, and so much more. There is also a large variety of prices, making it easy to find something for most budgets. I could find plenty of items to buy. At Christmas, a book club I attend had a local store gift card exchange and I purchased a gift card for Lintons'. It could be used on so many things, including food! 

After exploring inside, we went out to the patio/greenhouse areas, visiting the rabbits and Bloomer, the resident macaw. What a fun bird! For my two-year-old this is a great place to explore!

We gave high fives to the Easter bunny. They were collecting food pantry donations for a picture with the bunny, which is a neat way to help give back to the community and add another attraction. For these special days, they have additional attractions, like ducklings, chicks, and other young animals to look at that rebirth of life. I'm sure visiting it again just a week later would show the growth at least in the young birds, if not the other animals. 

There were also kids or baby goats, though my nephew seemed intrigued by the pig nearby.

There were sheep and a calf also. Made me miss our Bessie! 

Near the chicks, my youngest thought these "chicks" for sale were a perfect sensory bin. He's used to playing with things in bins like this through nature preschool at Woodlawn Nature Center. Linton's has a duckling slide set up, but they seemed a little wary to go down it. Maybe they are pros at it by now. 

Linton's also offers classes on a regular basis. I've been to one or two in the past and found them helpful for the topics. It's a nice way to learn. Here is a post from a Natural Holiday. Find their schedule of classes here. 

I noticed there was a shooting game you can pay for. My nephew just liked playing with the gun, though the rabbit was fun as well. 

 

The kids love the treehouse! It was fun walking through the outside area and getting in a little play time.

I always love seeing signs like this Certified Wildlife Habitat. While we don't have to go through the formal certification process, enhancing our properties to allow food, water, cover, and places to raise young is always helpful for our natural world. Here is information on how to do that. At our house, we're still working on the water; however, there are many lakes and ponds nearby as well. 

We grabbed some feed nearby for a quarter and fed the goats, pigs, and other animals. It's nice to have animals to see up close sometimes and to see the differences with domesticated and wild animals.

In the petting zoo, we also were able to see a donkey up close. Since this was part of our Easter celebration, we talked about the donkey and the cross on its back. 

It's neat to see the different birds near the petting zoo. We heard a turkey, saw the peacocks, and looked at many other interesting birds. Many families chose to pay a fee to take the train out to an egg hunt. My youngest was mesmerized by the train and it looked like they all had fun. We've gone to their free hunts in the past. 

The tori gate always reminds me of our time in Japan. There are whimsical structures like this throughout out the gardens. The UFO is another interesting treat. Playing with shadows is fun anywhere! My youngest and I have been playing a sort of shadow tag recently where we "tag" the other by making their shadow disappear in the shadow of the other. I guess I always win that one since my shadow is bigger!

We had to stop for another petting of the bunny! Having special moments to get close to calm animals like this is intriguing for children. My youngest was enchanted by the fairy garden miniatures. He thought all the animals should go in the barn. I'm trying to think of ways to capture that enchantment in a safe way for younger and older children to "play" with options like this in a public fairy garden. 

We're sharing this with the Outdoor Play Party. Spending time at your local garden center can be a fun way to connect with nature! We had a fun time and only spent about 50 cents on food at the petting zoo, though there are many options to spend money if desired, such as food, the egg hunt and train ride, and all the beautiful stuff they have inside. I like that there are options--it can be less expensive or a place to buy things if desired. It's great to support local businesses like this so I know I can stop by and pick up a gift, snack, or needed garden supplies. 

Defries Gardens

Defries Gardens is located just south of Goshen in New Paris. It is part River Preserve Park of Elkhart County Parks, being donated by the late Mrs. Defries. It has made quite a transformation since the donation time. Check out the before and after pictures here! We visited River Preserve Park, but had not visited Defries. We were in for a treat indeed! This Flicker page by Jon Cutrell, the landscape designer for Defries Gardens, shows the plans for the garden and pictures of the area throughout the seasons. Breathtaking! 

We had a beautiful walk in the gardens with the boys. I'm always a little worried when I take the kids to a garden area, as they are used to more wild areas and being a little more wild. However, it's good for them to be exposed to this more sculpted gardens with different rules than walking out on the trails. We talk about proper etiquette and to be mindful of other visitors in the area. There is a circular path that goes around the center of the calendar garden, with plenty of places to just sit and enjoy the beauty! 

Michiana Master Gardeners Spring Celebration

I manned a booth at the Michiana Master Gardeners Spring Celebration this last weekend. There were various nature and gardening related booths set up outside the main presentation hall. People had time to chat, mingle, and check out the various topics and ideas. Sally Roth was the main speaker . . . read about her presentation at the end of the post.

Nature Inspired Holiday Decorations

On Saturday, I checked out Linton's Enchanted Gardens class called Nature Inspired Christmas. I heard  NATURE, checked the calendar (and added it Inside Outside Michiana's calendar of Natural Events), and signed up! They have a whole line up of free seminars. Here is the schedule for the first several months of 2014. On December 14th, 2013, they'll talk about ways to attract birds to your yard. It sounds like many people come every week, traveling a bit of a distance to attend.

Anne and Katie, designers, showed how to use nature as a focal element in home decor for the holidays. To be honest, they started with just a few elements--some garland and stockings--and I thought it looked great! However, as they layered more elements I can see why they are the designers! The principles can be used by anyone. They added vases of birch branches cut in small sections, small plants, and an owl carving. 

They had a cart of "magic" to show how they might transform a space. It was fun to smell the rosemary bush that was added to the natural spaces. My sister used one of these for their Christmas tree last year since they wouldn't be home for the holiday.

With a very simple base of tiered tables, burlap, and a pot, the designers added plants with a bow, a bird cage with bow and greenery, and then gradually added more to the mix. 

On the other side, they started with the same principle, adding lanterns, a basket of white tipped pinecones, and some small artificial pine plants.

More elements were added, like an ivy wreath, a glass container with gold pinecones, tree branch "picks", and small fake birds.

As they finished up their mantel, they brought the crowning piece, an old repurposed Schwinn bike, ridden by one of the owners in years gone past, decorated for the holidays. 

While they had a large selection of artificial elements, they also had prewired fresh green garlands for only 89 cents a foot. On this other table, they added a Santa, personalized with a plaque, pinecones, plants, and more lanterns. 

The mantle turned out nice, too!

I loved the owl carving and natural elements here!

The details really come together for these arrangements. 

I liked a few things about this Nature Inspired Christmas workshop. First, they showed us great finished products, but also showed us HOW they went through the process. A few elements emerged, such as the law of triangles, having staggered heights, layering of items, and a variety of textures. Everyday items can be repurposed for holiday decor easily. And many things can be brought inside to make a more nature focused Christmas. I also liked that they offered options. They have many beautiful items for sale, which is great, but they also talked about mixing in what we already have, using less expensive options, and finding things outside that may work well in our decorations. It was also good to bounce ideas off of other people. The designers said to feel free to bring something in and they will help you find the right decor fit! My take aways--I want more burlap! I loved the look of the little birch branches cut up in lengths. This would work nicely with other wood, too. I loved the layering. I can pull out some of my glass vases, lanterns, and other items to make a little natural focal point in our home. Many of the same principles can be used for other holiday times, just changing the theme and focus. 

After the presentation, I walked around the store. It is beautifully decorated for the holidays, with just about everything for sale! I loved the vines, greenery, and texture throughout the store. 

While this is artificial, it has that glint of an icy winter! I liked this tiered stand with lots of visual interest!

Small, clear boxes provide endless opportunities for filling! These succulents are gorgeous. I also liked the many bird feeding options. I've "meant" to make these shaped bird seed ornaments, but haven't gotten around to it. These would be quick to pick up for a thoughtful gift. 

There are many bird feeding options!

These little owls, lights, and grapevines were gorgeous. I loved that the owls were half price, too! There were several items on sale throughout the store, making it more affordable to make purchases.  

This tree was bird themed. They also have cardinal dishes! Perfect for the bird lover. 

The fish pond and waterfall were also decked out for the holidays. 

The designers mentioned the bathrooms were also decked out, so I had to take a peek! It did not disappoint!

Linton's Enchanted Garden is a fun place to wander around and find inspiration!

Santa was even in the house! They regularly have special events and specials. We've been to the Easter activities before, visiting the petting zoo, marveling over the chicks and bunnies, and finding lots of eggs! The classes are held in this greenhouse area. I was plenty toasty. 

The outside is also decorated. I thought this was simple with the vines still up, adding more texture to the decorations. 

Thanks for an inspirational natural Christmas workshop, Linton's Enchanted Gardens!