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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Nature ~ Playing, Creating, Drawing


Levi enjoys employing his imagination out-of-doors ~ making large nests out of hay, constructing a bow with stick and twine, and digging up fossils ~ but when his cousin, Ilex, arrives.... Well, the imagination is exponential. She directs plays, assigns kingdoms, builds miniature characters out of pine cones, sets up 'villages' in a large clearing under a grove of pine trees (think Roxaboxen), and the list is endless.

I am exceedingly grateful for the friendship between my son and my 13 year old niece. They are surprisingly two peas in a pod, and Ilex is an excellent activity director when she is with the boys.

I've shared her poetry before, but I hadn't ever posted photos of her nature creations or sketches. So, today is the day. Inspired by a book about fairy houses, Ilex whipped up this little abode. My favorite part: the nutshell bowls filled with single blackberries.

Nature Craft

Nature's Art Box is a wonderful book full of nature craft ideas and instructions.

Keeping a Nature Journal is a gorgeous book of sketches (some color, some black and white), ideas, and instructions for keeping one's own nature journal. I could peruse this book for hours. I'll be getting a copy for Levi (and myself) in the next year or two, so we can begin our own nature journals.


Nature Journal

That girl has talent coming out her ears!!

6 comments:

aspiritofsimplicity said...

My girls loved, loved, loved that book when they were young. Did you ever read Miss Rumphious by the same author? It is also very good.
I always wished I could keep a nature journal but alas, I can't draw even a stick figure...

Edi said...

Also a favorite of my kids (and me too!)... Reminds me of when I was a girl and we'd build forts outside or play in the ditch next to the railroads (danger danger) building houses and doing a lot of pretending.

Beth said...

I had forgotten Roxaboxen! We'll have to check it out from the library again. Thanks for the reminder. And, your niece! Wow, her creations are amazing!

Heidi said...

hip chick~ We love Miss Rumphius, too! Barbara Cooney is one of my all-time favorite author/illustrators. We have so many of her books. :)

Molly Anne said...

Holy cow! That little fairy house is TOO fantastic and her drawings are amazing. I am very impressed!

Renee said...

Heidi,
I bought the Nature Journaling book this summer. Our goal is to sketch together twice a month, with the hopes that we all pull out our journal on our own more often. So far, we have sketched flowers. Can't wait to sketch more!