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On Valentine’s Day in 2014, I gave each of my children a new journal with a love note inside from me. We began writing back and forth to one another and each of us would be so excited to discover new entries.
Over the years, the kids are writing less, but I continue to write letters to them. I’m terrible at keeping up with scrapbooks of any kind, but find the journals to be manageable and deeply personal.
I hope my kids will continue to reread their journals often, and my love for them will jump right off the pages!
There are a million reasons why I love my neighborhood! For one, the children (and adults) are up for any challenge, game, or project. These people are insanely creative, ultra-competitive, and collaborative.
Yesterday, while at a neighbor’s pool party, we challenged the kids to a raft-building contest. Divided into groups, the kids used 2 cups, 1 sheet of plastic wrap, 10 straws, and duct tape to create a structure that could hold the largest number of pennies without sinking.
The kids worked so well together, creating unique rafts to enter into the competition.
The penny count was intense and we had a very close contest!
You can find engineering challenges for kids (including this one!) at https://pbskids.org/designsquad/pdf/parentseducators/DS_Act_Guide_complete.pdf. There, you’ll find printable easy-to-follow instructions, materials lists, and project extensions.
***At the project’s end, you’ll want to be sure to recycle the plastic materials. Learn how to safely recycle the straws at https://get-green-now.com/recycle-plsatic-straws/. (Protect the sea turtles!)***
Learning to throw a cast net is a lowcountry rite of passage. As kids dip their nets into Charleston’s brackish waters, they encounter all sorts if fascinating marine life.
Edisto State Park’s Environmental Learning Center offers a range of classes for people of all ages. We recently attended their cast netting program in an effort to sharpen our skills. The instructor was animated and informative, and participants were able to cast into Big Bay Creek. After class, we enjoyed a picnic in the park, then stopped by King’s Market for dessert.
We’re looking forward to our next visit to the Edisto State Park, where class offerings range from Turtle Treks to Tie-dying. It’s a bit of a drive, but completely worth every mile. Check out all that the park has to offer here.
Over the holidays, Elle and I went shopping on King Street with a sweet group of tween girls. When planning our stops, the Apple Store was at the top of everyone’s list.
The girls loved checking out all of the new devices and features, and spent a lot more time there than I’d expected.
When I learned that our local Apple Store offers free classes that are open to kids, I knew they would be a hit with my older two.
Elle and I went to the QuickStart: Portrait Photography class. The instructor guided our small group through all of the photography features on our phones. Of course, Elle knew many of them already, but she picked up a few new tips, too.
This session was comprehensive but quick, lasting only 30 minutes. We enjoyed our class and are already planning to attend another one. Apple hosts a variety of sessions, including coding, photography, cinematography, and music.
Check out all the options here.
The South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement (SCORE) program through the Department of Natural Resources works to manage our state’s oyster resources. They serve alongside community members and biologists to restore oyster populations while 1) enhancing habitat for fish, shrimp, and crabs, 2) improving water quality of estuarine areas, and 3) informing and educating children, industry, and the general public.
Citizens, school and youth groups, and other interested parties are invited to assist South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) staff in building oyster habitats along the South Carolina coast. On Friday, June 15, from 3pm-5:30pm, volunteers are needed to help construct a new habitat in the Folly River. The habitats built under the SCORE program will be relatively small, but they will allow SCDNR to conduct experiments to refine restoration techniques before embarking on large-scale restoration projects.
DNR staff will be transporting volunteers via boat from the boat landing to the construction site. All volunteers who are on a DNR boat must fill out a boat waiver.Volunteers who are under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian sign their form.
Come join us for a reef build! Please RSVP to score@dnr.sc.gov prior to the event as event times and location may change. Some events may be limited on the number of participants we can accommodate, so an RSVP is very important!!
Everyone should wear closed-toed shoes (no crocs or flip flops!) and clothes you do not mind getting a little dirty. We will provide water, gloves,sunscreen, first aid and bug spray. We will have cups for water but encourage volunteers to be eco-friendly and bring a refillable bottle.
In preparing for this service opportunity, you can find some educational lessons and activities about oyster habitats here.
We hope to see you on the shoreline!
How lucky are we to live in a city of artists! Piccolo Spoleto offers wonderful opportunities for children to immerse themselves in the arts. We are packing in the Spoleto activities this week, our first of summer. You can find a comprehensive list of events here.
Today, we kicked it all off with a picnic at Marion Square, surrounded by the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition. My children loved strolling through the tents, listening to artists talk about their work. Several were painting on-site and my kids could have watched them for hours.
Before heading home, we stopped in for ice cream cones at Republic Ice Cream Shop. Just the right stop after our afternoon in the sunshine! You can visit the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Marion Square from 10am-5pm through June 9th.
Today, as we honored Earth Day, my kiddos and I were talking about ways that our family can make a positive impact on our environment. A couple of weeks ago, we attended a sea turtle conservation talk at the Johns Island library, Elle visited the aquarium’s sea turtle hospital, and we read an article about a beached whale found on a Norwegian shore with 35 plastic bags in it’s stomach. The risk of plastic bags to the well-being of sea creatures was a common theme among all of these experiences. Further reducing the use of plastic bags in our home seemed like a relevant resolution.
We already pack reusable containers in lunch boxes, and take our cloth totes along for our big weekly shopping trip, but we think there is more we can do. Plastic bags still find their way into our home, and we’re resolving to reduce this further. Restaurant take-out, quick stops at the store to grab a couple of items, pharmacy pick-ups, etc., often come with plastic bags.
We’re resolving to do our best to eliminate plastic bags from our home. Our family found some great tips for accomplishing our goal at conservingnow.com/tips-to-reduce-plastic-bag-use/.
Wish us luck! Are you up for the plastic bag challenge?
My Charlie consumes books in one sitting. He often is drawn into a storyline from chapter 1 and just can’t put the novel down. This is one of the things I adore about this child. I love to read (nonfiction is my jam), but there just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get hooked on a book the way Charlie does. So, I live vicariously through him.
During yesterday’s carpool pick-up, I spotted a big orange bus, featuring the title of one of Charlie’s most recent novels. Rebound by Kwame Alexander was his book fair purchase a couple of weeks ago. He immediately devoured the book, as he did the Crossover and Booked by the same author.
After some quick research, we found that Kwame Alexander would be making an appearance at the downtown library in an hour and a half. We hustled home to collect all of our Kwame books. Because he writes books and poetry for all ages, my boys both own some of his titles. Racing downtown, Henry had some regrets about having doodled on the cover of Surf’s Up. After all, he didn’t want to offend the author. I assured him that Kwame would probably appreciate the creative addition.
In all of our excitement, I never imagined what an incredible experience it would be for my kids to hear a Newberry Award-winning author talk about his work. He shared excerpts from his book, spoke about his writing process, and discussed the people and events that inspired his stories and their characters. He fielded questions from the audience, children and adults alike. Kwame was moving, witty, and so incredibly funny, keeping my kids on the edges of their seats for his entire talk.
On our way out, Kwame, sitting alongside his friend Margaret Heath Wentworth (South Carolina’s Poet Laureate), signed our armloads of books and didn’t bat an eye at Henry’s worn-out Surf’s Up paperback.
Thanks to Buxton Books for bringing amazing authors to our community! They partnered with the library to host Kwame Alexander and regularly offer events to “support the local reading and writing community through book-based walking tours, author events, and conversation.” Be sure to check out their calendar at buxtonbooks.com on occasion to learn of awesome literary opportunities.
In their lifetimes, our children have seen more dolphins than they can count. Each time we are on the water, our kiddos spy these beautiful mammals and wait in eager anticipation for them to breach the water’s surface. My hope is that they will always be thrilled at the site of a dolphin.
If your family loves dolphins as we do, there is a tremendous service opportunity scheduled for April 28th. Below, you will find all of the details from the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network:
“Interested in being a scientist for a day? Join Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network, partnered with the South Carolina Aquarium, for our first citizen scientist event. Come help us count dolphins around Charleston Harbor. Designated land-based stations will be set around the harbor. Pick a station and help us count dolphins, learn about data collection and why it’s important to protect our water neighbors! Three counts at 9, 10 and 11 am. Join for 1 or all 3. All ages welcome and photographers encouraged! Please arrive a few minutes before each count to receive instructions and training. Each count will start promptly at the half hour. There will be a sign up posted soon.”
More details can be found @ www.lowcountrymarinemammal
This city of ours is glorious in the spring! There are so many ways to get out and enjoy Charleston during this season.
The month of April is bursting at the seams with local festivals. Grab a picnic blanket, your closest friends, and head out to any one of these awesome outings! More details are available on our Calendar of Events.
WONDERFEST- April 6th- Hampton Park-
http://bridgerun.com/kids-run-wonderfest/
FLOWERTOWN FESTIVAL- April 6th-8th- Azalea Park-
https://summervilleymca.org/flowertown-festival
LOWCOUNTRY CAJUN FESTIVAL- April 8th- James Island County Park-
https://www.ccprc.com/137/Lowcountry-Cajun-Festival
FOUNDERS’ DAY- April 14th- Charles Towne Landing-
https://southcarolinaparks.com/products/10003194
BLUES BY THE SEA- April 15th- Freshfield’s Village-
www.freshfieldsvillage.com/events
BLESSING OF THE FLEET & SEAFOOD FESTIVAL- April 29th- Mt. Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park-