It's a little too chilly and windy to get outdoors, so we're currently staying cozy inside.🥰
 It's the perfect opportunity for a Rutabaga lesson about the pine trees we can see out the windows and the pine cones we collected yesterday.🌲 We talked about how evergreen trees are adapted for this cold environment and the lifecycles of coniferous trees. The boys also learned about pine nuts, but we don't have any on hand to sample or make into pesto. (A simple recipe for that is included in the 1sr/2nd-grade book). However, since my oldest loves pesto, we'll save that for another day!👍
 These lessons are not all about gardening. They're also about nature🌿 and the environment 🌎 and science 🧬 and cooking 👨‍🍳and mindfulness 💡 and SO much more! Plus, they are so easy to fit in when it works for you and your schedule (or, in our case, on this Saturday - no planned schedule - the timing just felt right).✨ So, that's what we did after lunch. When we head out in a bit to find somewhere to sled or play in the snow, I'm hoping that my boys will appreciate our surroundings and the majestic evergreen trees just a bit more. They'll now know what makes them unique and why we get to enjoy their beautiful green color no matter how chilly and windy it is outside.💨 #naturelessonsforkids #natureenrichment #environmentallessonsforkids #natureappreciation #nextgenerationsciencestandards #ngss #pineconelessons #pinetreelessons 🌲