It Doesn’t Really Matter if Climate Change is Real

That’s right.

It doesn’t matter.

I am totally exhausted and burnt out over this debate so let’s stop fighting about it.

Maybe people are causing the earth to get hotter.

image from wikipedia

The folks in the white lab coats are pretty united.  More than 90% of scientists are in agreement.

Could they be wrong?

Well, sure.  At one point 90% of scientists though the best way to cure a sick person was by draining the dirty blood out of their body.  Today we realize that may not be the best plan.  Science is organic and ever-changing so…. maybe they’re wrong.

About half of Americans think they are.

Let’s go with that.  The scientists are wrong.  Global climate change is just  a myth.  Or… on the off chance that it is really happening, it’s just part of the natural cycle of things.  The earth’s climate changes. Such is the nature of our planet.

If we are to work from that premise, then it doesn’t matter how much CO2 your big ol’ gas-guzzler emits or how many gasses are released during the mining of tar sands because so-called “greenhouse gasses” have no significant impact on our planet.

Does that mean that we can just throw all caution to the wind?

Let’s get rid of any consideration of “environmental protection”  and think of what the world might look like in the future – even if it stays exactly the same temperature it is today.

We can all keep using plastic bottles and never give a thought to recycling, but then the ocean could end up looking like this.

image from thewellnessenterprise.com

We could all continue to drive our big gas-guzzling cars but then the roads might look like this:

image from sfexaminer.com

The rain forests might look like this:

image from understory.ran.org

Food will be raised like this:

Image from greenanswers.com

Rates of serious chronic childhood illness could look like this:

image from organicvalley.coop

Children could find themselves playing in places that look like this:

image from hungeree.com

Or this:

image from jamminmole.blogspot.com

Or this:

image from umweltverschmutzutzung.wordpress.com

Oh, no! Wait!  That’s not what WILL happen in the future.

Those are pictures of the world we live in RIGHT NOW.  (Click the pictures to see exactly what each one is all about.) This is what all of our glorious progress has led to.  How much worse could it get?  I shudder to  imagine.

On the other hand, what if we listen to those crazy tree-hugging hippies?

I’m not saying we should cast aside all science and progress.  I love technology.  I’m typing on a device that was the stuff of science fiction when I was born.  It’s very cool!  But…

What if we started putting more thought into the efficiency of our buildings?

image from gilmourbiology.wikispaces.com

What if we started growing our food closer to home?

image from urbanhomestead.org

What if we started using less gas-powered motors and more of our own strength to get around?

image from koonceportland.blogspot.com

We might even start to look less like this:

image from werenotfunny.com

And a little more like this:

My friend Stephanie; A tree hugging, nature loving, dog walking kind of girl.

Which world would you rather live in?   The world where the economy is deemed more important than the environment? Or the world where we live in harmony with our world to the benefit of all?

Global warming is not the only issue!

When you say, “Oil creates jobs! Mining closer to home means cheaper gas at the pump! It’s my RIGHT to drive a big car/spray chemicals on my lawn/toss my plastic bottle in the landfill!” What you are really saying is “I don’t care what kind of mess I’m creating for people in the future. I only care about myself and my comfort and my convenience right at this moment.”

I get it.

Really! I do.

I cringe at the cost of gas, too.  There are times we can’t go to our favorite mall or our favorite zoo or even to visit family because we just can’t afford it.

I love convenience!  LAZY hippie mama.  Remember?

But I’m trying to do my little part in all the little ways I can.  My children and their children deserve that much, at least.

And if you are one of those people that think it doesn’t matter because you “know who made the environment and he’s coming back and going to burn it all up. So yes, I drive an SUV,” (Yes, this is a real comment from a prominent Christian pastor. Read more about it, here.) I have an analogy for you.

What if you built a beautiful playroom for your child, knowing they would only use it for the brief years of their childhood, and you filled it with the best toys there are to be found.  Then you put your child in that room and they proceeded to intentionally break every toy, color on the walls and pee all over the floor.   Perhaps they kicked holes in the walls or ripped every page out of every book or smashed the windows out.

Would you be angry?  Or would you lovingly say, “Oh, that’s OK.  The toy room was only temporary, anyway.”

I am a Christian.  The Bible I read pretty clearly tells me that God gave us every good thing in our lives as a precious gift.  That includes this planet that He created and filled with every thing we would ever need to grow and develop as individuals and as a species.  If He comes again during your lifetime are you going to stand in the middle of the destruction, hands on your hips and defiance on your face and say, “Yes! I did this.  Who cares? It was only temporary anyway!”

If you do, I have a feeling you may be facing one very angry Father.

I’ll say it once more.  It doesn’t really matter if climate change is real.  Either way, our planet has been wounded and we must – each of us – do our part in healing her again.  The time for debate has long passed.  It is time to take action.  You don’t need to overhaul your whole life and move to a hippie commune in the forest.  You can start making a difference today.

50 WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET

101 WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET

108 WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET

WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET AT HOME, ON THE ROAD, AND AT SCHOOL

Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?

Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.

If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!  

Hippies With Their Fingers In The Dirt

Baby, it’s cold outside!

We have had a very gray, rainy, icy, slushy, slippery wintery kind of week here in Michigan.

We usually walk to church (it’s only half a block) and last night, on the way, Sweet Hippie Daughter and I determined what had happened.  God had sneezed on us.

Ew!

It’s not rain. It’s not snow.  It’s just very cold slime.

That said, the robins are starting to arrive and the first brave little crocuses are starting to peep up from the soil and so we decided to get some dirt under our nails in preparation for spring.

Gardening is one of those things I adore in theory but I’ve not really put it into practice much.  This year, my new neighbors asked if I’d like to help them cultivate a fairly large (as village property goes) chunk of property.  It was just the motivation I needed!  So I checked approximately 984 books out from the local library (just call me Hermione) about gardening and decided to try starting a few things indoors from seed.  If it doesn’t work, no great loss. We still have plenty of time to buy starter plants later.

Today, in sheer defiance of the sloppy mess outside, the Hippies got some dirt under our nails and it was great fun!

“Look, Mama! I can do it all by myself!” 

 

“These seeds are so tiny!”

Now we just water and wait!

 

 

Here’s to a gorgeous spring and a bountiful harvest!

Have a beautiful day!  I’ll meet you back here soon.

Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?

Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.

If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!

 

A Change of Plans

Last week’s totally awesome snowman

I had a great post I was all worked up to write today.

Then, as I sat down next to my OPEN window to start typing I realized that I have the rest of the day to be home with my little Hippies.

There are no meetings or appointments this afternoon.

AND…

It’s 60 degrees outside!

In January!

In Michigan!

So I’ve decided to declare a super-important-extra-urgent-very-very-necessary trip outdoors for some playtime in the sunshine.

After all, it’s a pretty safe bet we’ll be shoveling snow again in a few days.

So, the new post will wait.  I’ll meet you back here soon.

In the meantime, if you see a bunch of Hippies running down the street in their shirt sleeves and giggling like idiots feel free to come out and join us!

All that remains of poor Frosty.

Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort? 

Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates. 

If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!

 

 

The Great Backyard Bird Count

This is a great project for anyone who has a backyard.  Or a patio.  Or lives near a tree.  Or in a house with windows.

I bet that’s you!

Whether you are a homeschool family, an avid bird-watcher, or just someone who appreciates the beauty of nature, you can take part.

Each year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and Wild Birds Unlimited unite in asking people to take a few minutes and note which birds are active where the live.

You can spend as little as 15 minutes on a single day counting birds, or you can take 4 entire days doing nothing else.  It’s up to you.

By enlisting the participation of many, scientists are able to get a massive sampling of the bird population.  Which species are thriving? Where are the migratory birds at this time of year? How is the population being affected by human development of the land?

The answers to these questions can help us all understand how best to move forward in caring for our planet and creating a healthier future for all of us.

As you enter your own information, you are able to see the information gathered by others.  As a homeschooler I can think of countless ways this could lead to learning in all sorts of subjects!  The GBBC website has some great printable worksheets and interactive learning games for kids.

The count takes place from February 15-18 this year, and your help is needed!

If you would like to know more about registering to participate or becoming a GBBS ambassador and helping to spread the word for this important event, please click the picture to go to the website.

Enjoy your backyard wildlife!

* For another great backyard wildlife project, go here.

Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort? 

Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates. 

If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!

Our Little Refuge

I had mentioned once before that, through the National Wildlife Federation, you can certify your outdoor space as a Wildlife Habitat. 

For the past month or so, we’ve been studying our local ecology including the river, its connection to the great lakes, native plants and wildlife.  Creating our own little backyard refuge seemed like the perfect complement to all this!

NWF requires that your habitat have multiple food sources, a water source, some form of shelter for the animals and a place for them to raise their young.  These requirements can be met through natural means, like trees and grass, shrubs, vines, a stream or river, etc as well as through supplemental means, such as a feeder or bird house.

Our yard pretty much met the standards just because we have mature trees, lots of ivy everywhere and we live in a place rainy enough to create frequent puddles.

However, we thought it would be fun to add a few supplements to what’s already there and see if we could create a wildlife “show” right outside our window.

We started with water, since that’s so important and the one thing our yard can’t offer 100% of the time.  We found an old, bent cookie sheet in the recycling bin and a wire shelf collecting cobwebs in a corner of the garage.  We added a rock to keep it from blowing away and also, as Sweet Hippie Daughter says, to give the birds a little island to rest on.  In time, we plan to add a few plants to the bottom shelves and maybe some fake ivy or something to make it all a little prettier.

Next we made a bird feeder.  It was simple enough to create by poking a few sticks through the sides of an old juice bottle that SHD had decorated with pretty fall leaves she’d found.  Then we cut some holes and filled it up and hung it with a piece of twine.

Finally (by far my favorite!) we made a squirrel feeder.  I’m sorry to those of you who truly hate squirrels.  I think they’re sort of cute.  Plus my dog’s reaction to them makes me laugh.  We started with two old sneakers that no longer fit the girl and were far too grubby to donate to anyone else.  Then we cut the tops (including lids) off the tops of some 16.9oz water bottles and stuffed them into the toe to help the shoe keep it’s shape.  We nailed them to the tree and filled them with peanuts.  Voila!  Squirrel feeders!

Handsome Hippie Hubby tells me that he saw two blue jays and two sparrows eating at our bird feeder this morning and a squirrel with his head stuffed so far into one of the shoes only his bum and tail were showing.  I wish he’d caught a picture of that, but no doubt the little guy will be back when we refill.

So now we are official.  Though we have to wait 6-8 weeks for the signage to prove it.

Sweet Hippie Daughter learned about some different types of animals in our area, what they eat and how they nest.  I learned (once again) that it is not so hard to make a difference.  To me it was 20 minutes of digging through the recycling, cutting holes and pounding nails.  To a hungry little critter, it may mean a great deal.  That bird doesn’t know that my little yard isn’t a national park or grand aviary.  To him it’s a place to rest and be refreshed.

How easy it is to use that lesson in my life every day!  What little effort can I make today?  Making the tiny effort to give a single dollar, take an old coat to the homeless shelter, drop off some ratty towels at the humane society, say a kind word, send a thoughtful text…. these things that seem so little may be a very big deal to someone else.  Don’t put it off because you’re waiting for the grand gesture!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  If everyone did a “little” bit, it would add up to something very big, indeed!

Have a wonderful weekend, dear readers!  Go get your hippie on!

 

One Month of Homeschooling and a Trek Through The Great Black Swamp

This week marks the end of our first month of homeschooling.

I won’t lie.  It’s been a challenge.

The first week I was ready to quit.  But then Handsome Hippie Husband, ever the calm voice of reason, stepped in and reminded me that we had good reasons for making this choice.  In the gentle way he has, he talked with me. He talked with Sweet Hippie Daughter and he figured out that we really weren’t talking to each other.

I was yelling, “YOU HAVE TO DO SCHOOLWORK! IT’S NOT A CHOICE!”  And she was throwing herself on the floor and crying.

As it turns out, she had absolutely no understanding of how to do what I was asking her to do and I was not hearing her attempts to explain that to me.

We’re doing much better now.  We’re still tweaking and adjusting, but those who have traveled this road before me tell me that the tweaking never really ends.

Every single day has moments of total exasperation.  But I’m pretty sure that is not an experience exclusive to homeschoolers.  I think it’s just a mom thing.

But there are those other moments…

The moment when I’m on the sofa with a maniacally giggling kid in each arm, being attacked with slobbery kisses and I hear the bus come and go and I didn’t have to stop the giggle-fest to send my girl away.

The moment when, after a late night, she comes downstairs just as the sun is rising and climbs into bed with me and I can hold her in my arms and let her little body get the rest it needs and I don’t have to tell her, “No.  You have to get up and get dressed now so you’re not late for school.”

The moment when I “catch” her sneaking extra reading time to read out loud to her invisible alien friend and no one is there to stop her because there is a schedule to stick to, or tease her for using her imagination in that way.

Those moments and so many more outweigh the bad times by a far margin!

By far, the best day of every week is Tuesday.

Our unorthodox work schedules being what they are, Tuesday is the one day that our whole family is together all day.  We wake up together and lounge around eating breakfast together and then we take a family field trip together.  We studied our little local river one day.  One day we took a meandering drive through multiple corn fields and forests to find the end of the river and we got to see where it spills into lake Erie next to a beautiful, sandy, shell-covered beach.  That was a great opportunity to talk about how our actions, in our little town, with our tiny river, can affect the entire planet!

Yesterday we explored the last remaining portion of the Great Black Swamp.

Our town was almost entirely swamp land before European settlers drained it and cleared the forests for farms in the 1800′s.  The swamp, at that time, stretched from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Sandusky, OH.

What’s left, after nearly 15,000 miles of ditches were dug, is a single Metropark in the Toledo area.

Upon pulling into the park entrance, we drove about 100 yards and saw a pair of lovely deer with their babies.

We walked through the forest.

We hugged the ancient trees.

No good hippie can go to the forest and NOT hug a tree!

We found clues that something had been on the path before us.

A racoon?

We all learned a new fact or two and we told stories, true and made up and we ate and we laughed and… well… we were just together.  Which, when it comes down to it, is really the most important thing of all, isn’t it?

So, perhaps it’s not ALL dancing in the daisies, but so far I have to say we’re happy with our decision.

And now, lest you think my kid is turning into a weird unsocialized homeschooler (one of my favorite websites, BTW) I must rush off to take the girl to band class.  She’s VERY excited to be getting a new trombone today!  And then we have midweek church – dinner together and then Bible class for the different age groups.  You see… we really do get dressed and leave the house and interact with other people almost every day!  :)

Enjoy this beautiful gift of a day!  I’ll see you back here in a day or two.

A Tiny Bird and The Course of Nature

Sweet Hippie Daughter has named him “Carlos.”

Yesterday was hot.And it was Sunday.

So when the Sweet Hippie Daughter and the Crazy Hippie Drummer asked if they could walk, together, to the town pool to go swimming I was all over that! Yes! Go! Spend as LONG as you like, burning up all that restless kid energy at the pool!

So they left.

Chubby Hippie Baby was sleeping.

Gorgeous Not-So-Hippie Teenager was reading in her room.

NAP TIME FOR MAMA! HOORAY!

Except….

“Mama! Mama!  This is a real emergency!”

*sigh*

Of course it is.

SHD and CHD had found a baby bird on the sidewalk.  Apparently, a man walking by said it had been there for at least 2 hours, so they were VERY distressed.

I have been down the “I found a baby bird” road before.  It never ends well.

“Leave it there, ” I said.  The mama bird is probably close by, watching over it.  When you come home, if it’s still there, we’ll see what we can do.

Two hours later I found them both, crouched on the sidewalk… defenders of sweet cuteness against hungry neighborhood cats.

*more sighs*

I have read that, sometimes, if you just put the bird back in the nest, it will be ok.

There is no nest to be found.  Obviously, the bird came from the tree under which they found it, but either it was VERY well camouflaged or VERY high up.  We can’t put it in a basket and raise it up and leave it, as it’s not our tree.  There will be no putting this bird back.

I have read that, sometimes, the mama bird will continue to take care of her baby, even on the ground.

There is no mama bird to be found.  No bird is chirping at us.  No birds are flying nearby.  We backed off and watched for quite a while.  Nothing.

Now what to do?!?

Well…  if we leave it there, it will die.  It’s big enough to have feathers, but small enough that it can’t even hop around or “perch” yet.

There is no place around here (wildlife sanctuary, etc) that would take it in.

So, we scooped him (SHD has decided, with great certainty, that the bird is male) up and brought him home.

Good ol’ Google told us what kind of bird it is (a black bird) and what kind of container to keep it in (a small box, lined with paper towel) and what to feed it (lots of protein… eggs and soft, wet dog food and meal worms – no dairy) and how often (every 30-45 minutes as long as the sun is shining).

I also read what I already knew…. the odds of the baby surviving are not great.  Better than if we’d left it on the sidewalk, but not much.

So why bother?

I almost didn’t… I thought, “I can put it back outside after they go to bed and just tell them it didn’t make it and they’ll never know.”

Even in the wild, a baby bird has only about a 10% chance of surviving to reproduce.

Does the world need another blackbird?

But, looking for feeding tips I found a website called, “2nd chance info.”  The site is laid out in question/answer format.  One of the first questions is, “Many sites I see online suggest I leave this baby bird alone is that a good idea or a bad idea?”

The writer answers:

It is not a good idea or a bad idea. This is a philosophical question and the right answer depends on what kind of person you are. There is nothing wrong with letting Mother Nature solve her problems in her own way. The baby you just found wasn’t destined by Her to survive. Letting Nature take its course is fine in the grand scheme of things. In the United States, it is also politically correct. But if we all accepted that on an individual daily basis, there would be no need for veterinarians, physicians or good Samaritans.

Oh! Argh! The guilt!  My conscience was definitely pricked!

Maybe I can’t save this bird.  Perhaps nature will have her way.  But… there is a tiny chance that I can.  I’ve been presented by God (life, the universe, karma, random chance… take your pick) with the opportunity to TRY to save this little life.  A creature that is tiny and helpless and frightened and hungry needs help.

Who am I to walk away?!

How many times have I been helpless and someone used their time, energy and resources to save my sorry bum?

More than once, I can tell you!

Did they do it knowing that there was a good chance I’d mess up again?

Yup.

Am I thankful beyond measure?

Absolutely!

In this life, it is so very easy to walk right past the opportunity to help.  “It’s not my problem,” we tell ourselves.

I’m too busy.

I don’t know how to help.

It won’t make a difference any way.

But I believe… truly in the core of my soul… that every moment of our lives is a gift, given to us for a reason.

Too often, I waste my moments.

I frequently pass by the chance to make a difference in some small way without a second thought.  And who knows what blessings may have come if I’d just put forth a little effort?

But, thanks to Dr. Hines, DVM  and 2 kind-hearted children (whom I am very proud of!  They will never know how much they’ve taught me over the years), I will try this time, to do my best.

Maybe our little bird will make it.

Maybe he won’t.

But we will try.

And next time, when I see a chance to help… be it a tiny creature in nature or my neighbor who needs a hand… I will be more aware.  I will not “let nature take her course.”  Because the only way I can ever repay those who have saved me (oh, so many times!) is to lend a hand to someone else.

Everybody can be great.  Because anybody can serve.  You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.  You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.  -Dr. Martin Luther King

The Goat Whisperer

We recently took a family day and went to Cedar Point, The World’s Greatest Amusement Park (or so they say on their website).

I haven’t been to every other amusement park on the planet, so I’m not qualified to say.  It is a lot of fun though.

There are more than 75 rides, 16 of which are roller coasters.  Many of those hold world records, or have,  at one point.

Unfortunately, when you are 33 inches tall, there are only a small handful of rides you are allowed on, and those only while an adult is holding you.

This means, from a one-year-old’s perspective, Cedar Point is 12 hours in a boiling hot stroller standing in line.

EXCEPT…

there is a petting zoo.

Chubby Hippie Baby thought the petting zoo was the highlight of the day.  There was a hideous white turkey and several chickens (one of which escaped and made a run for the water rides).  There are lots of ducks and some sheep.

There were goats.

The day we went to Cedar Point was the day we learned our baby is a prodigy.

My son is…

THE GOAT WHISPERER.

I don’t know what that will mean for his future, but I don’t think that it is coincidence we learned about it in the fabled year, 2012.

“look into my eyes…”

And that’s all she wrote for this week.

It’s the weekend! Get your Hippie on!

See you Monday, dear readers!

Our Pretty Brown River is Drying Up

Isn’t that just the prettiest brown river you ever saw?

The River Raisin runs right through my town.

Actually, it crosses through town several times.

This little river has the distinction of being the twistiest river in the entire world.

It’s always brown and often stinky.

It used to be fairly toxic from industrial run-off, but local businesses and environmental groups and concerned citizens worked hard for years to clean it up and it’s much better these days.  There are actually live fish in the river now!  If you knew our river 30 years ago, you would understand that this is great progress.

The river starts northwest of where I live in a swampy area and follows its meandering path all the way to lake Erie.

It may not be crystal clear, but it’s beautiful in its own way, and it is the source of water for everyone who lives near here.

And it’s drying up.

The irony is that it looked like this just a few months ago:

Look how COLD everything looks! It’s been so hot lately I can barely remember what cold felt like.

Crossing a footbridge over the river during last weekend’s festival we noticed that you can see, on the concrete pilings, where the water level was only a few hours ago because they are still wet.

It’s dropping by inches every day, pouring into Lake Erie without being refilled by the rain.

Once it’s gone, there is no more water for this little town.

And we are not alone.  According to weather.com the USA is currently in the worst drought we’ve seen since the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s.  

My oldest two children, who live much of the year in Arizona, just don’t get it.

“Our river only has water in it 3 or 4 days a year.  What’s the big deal?” Gorgeous Not-So-Hippie Teenager said.

The big deal is, this isn’t the desert.  It’s the heart of farmland USA.

The bigger deal?

People don’t seem to realize the problem.

I see folks watering their lawns and playing in sprinklers.  I see pools that have no covers.

Until the rain comes again… or even better… SNOW! (I LOVE SNOW!)…. there are fairly simple ways to conserve water.  You don’t have to jump all the way up on the Hippie Bandwagon.  Just be a little bit careful.

Here are a few simple, cheap, ways that you can help save our precious resource:

*  If you really just can’t stand your brown lawn (I still can’t wrap my mind around WHY we all have lawns) and you MUST water it, do so early in the morning or late at night.  This will minimize evaporation.

* When cleaning out your fish tank, use the nutrient-rich waste water to water your garden instead of just pouring it down the drain.

*  Wash dishes by hand in a sink full of soapy water (not under running water) instead of using the dishwasher.  Rinse them in a sink full of clean water.  When you’re done, use that water to water your plants.

* If you must use the dishwasher, fill it as full as possible to get the most out of it.  Do the same when washing clothes.

* It’s 100+ degrees out, so I’m certainly not going to tell you to stop washing!  But, you can take showers instead of baths.  Try to cut a minute or two off your showering time.

* Avoid using the toilet as a trash can.  You use 2-7 gallons of water every time you flush.

* Avoid using your garbage disposal when possible.

*  Sweep your sidewalks and driveway instead of rinsing with a hose.

*  Cut back on how often you wash your car.  I know, I know.  It offends your sensibility to drive a dusty vehicle, but I promise a little dust won’t destroy it.

*  If you use a garden hose for anything, put a sprayer on the end of it so you can control how much water is coming out.

*  If you have a pool, cover it when it’s not in use.

*  If your children need to cool off by playing in the sprinkler (and I don’t blame them if they do.  It is HOT out there!), make sure it is turned off when they are done. If possible, place it strategically so that your lawn, garden, flowers are watered while they are playing.

Above all, be aware.  If you just give some conscious thought to how much water you are using, you will see easy ways to conserve and if we all conserve a little, we will be able to keep our twisty brown river (or whatever river is near you) flowing until the rain returns.

The Perfect Project: Learn Something, Give Something, Get Something and Have Fun

Visit http://www.nwf.org for your own registration kit.

The school year will end this week and, with that ending comes a beginning. The Hippie family is embarking on a whole new adventure.  My sweet 3rd-grader will be home schooled.  If you’re new to LHM and wondering why on earth such incredibly rational folks like us (teehee) would choose to make such an unconventional decision you can read all 100 reasons.

Knowing that I have the massive responsibility of my child’s educational future resting on my own shoulders has made me VERY alert for wonderful learning opportunities.  One such chance came to my attention recently and I’m excited to share it with you.

The National Wildlife Federation offers a very cool program in which your outdoor space – be it a farm, forest or 2nd floor balcony – can become a “Certified Wildlife Habitat.”  There are five requirements:

1) Provide a food source for native wildlife.  This can include nuts, berries, nectar, seeds or native plants.

2) Provide a water source: a bird bath, fountain, stream, pond, etc. (Hmmm…. an art project to build a stone bird bath?  Or even better… a motorized fountain?)

3) Provide shelter: a wooded area, a bird house, rock pile, thicket, or other natural cover.  (I’m thinking that there is a math lesson in the measuring and fractions involved in building a bird house.)

4) Provide a place to raise young: Mature trees, Nesting Box, Host Plants for caterpillars, cave, water garden, etc.

5) Send NWF a check for $20.  OK… obviously this is a fundraising thing for them.  But I’ve got no problem with that.  It’s a win-win, I say.

How simple and totally fun is that?  I’m so excited!

For our efforts we get:

1) A very cool chance to talk about, explore, and research the plants, animals and insects native to our area.

2) The opportunity to teach about the importance of caring for the planet and ALL of its inhabitants.

3) A certificate for our wildlife habitat.

4) A free one-year membership to NWF which includes a subscription to National Wildlife magazine and 10% discount on their merchandise.

5) A subscription to Wildife Online.

6) A press release for our local newspaper (I’m thinking… another learning opportunity about advertising & media?)

7) Inclusion in NWF’s National Registry of Habitats.

And for an additional $30, a very cool weather-proof recycled aluminum yard sign.

In the fall, when we start working on this project in earnest, I will share a bit more about exactly what we are doing to meet the stated requirements.  In the meantime, I’m keeping an eye out for other fun educational projects to add to our non-school year.  Any suggestions?