Backyard birdwatching
“We need the tonic of wilderness…we can never have enough of nature.” – Henry David Thoreau Recognizing that much of the world was becoming increasingly industrialized, American naturalist and essayist Henry Thoreau was already urging folks to reconnect with nature back in the mid-19th century. If only he could see us now, with screens and…
Celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family
In the middle of a cold, dark winter sits a bright spot called Valentine’s Day. As a holiday, I think Valentine’s Day gets some (justified) bad PR for being too commercial, or being too snobbishly exclusive to those experiencing romantic love, but the older I get the more I figure we may as well lean…
Third spaces for kids
Third spaces used to be ubiquitous in our cities, for both adults and children. A third space can be described as a place other than home or work (or in the case of children, school) where people to go to connect with others. Often it is intended to mean places that do not charge money…
Adults can learn from kids’ books, too
I have found that children’s books are a great way to learn more about history in general or specific history-makers, so much so that children’s books are a large part of what I read for fun. There are a couple of books I read recently that fall into this category that are great options for…
Try these podcasts for kids
I don’t know about you, but we have had a bevy of unwelcome germs come through our house so far this winter. Combined with the ultra-cold weather, conditions have been ripe for entirely too much screen time. And while we did exceed our Netflix limit this winter (any port in a storm), one thing that…
Family event calendar
FEBRUARY “Journey Into Abstract” Wednesdays-Saturdays, 11am-5pm. Through March 29. This solo exhibit at The Underground Gallery features one of its juried artists and photographer, Gregory Pratt. springfieldart.org. Free. SAA Collective Gallery, 105 N. Fifth St., 217-523-2631. “Layers” Wednesdays-Saturdays, 11am-5pm. Through March 1. The first exhibit of 2025 is a striking collection of 2D and 3D…
