Mindful Monday: How to get your happy on...

So this article about how hiking makes you a happier soul is a good one to read.  It gives nice tips on how to get started, and gives you all the health benefits to being an avid hiker etc... 

I agree that getting outside and hiking makes you happier, at least it works for me, ...  if I am with people who also like to hike.  We actually had to convince my son at a younger age that a stick we found was magic and was giving him strength to get up the whole mountain.  It worked...though now he as a few trust issues with us when we are trying to convince him of things.  So if having to bribe your children with goldfish and magic sticks to get them to brave up the side of a mountain is your situation, perhaps pick a less lofty plan. 

Come on out to our woods... The Emmons Preserve has lots of trails from less than a mile to a couple.  The Learning Trail gets you out and learning.  There are even benches out there for those "shoes are to tight," "are too sweaty to keep going," or "are being eaten alive...literally" moments that challenge even the stealthiest of parents.  We have a beautiful river to look for fish in, or sail a birch bark boat in.  We even have a big bridge that you can play Pooh Sticks with.  Don't know what Pooh Sticks are?  Check it out. 

The Smith Preserve is great to look at pond life, and bird watching.  It also boasts a water fall (really just a bit of running water over rocks which is a nice place to stop for a snack.  Don't forget our Tyler Brook  preserve, which is so plastered with Lady slippers in the spring that you have a hard time keeping count.  It can be a great place for a picnic as well.  If you want to make it longer, you can get all the way to headquarters from there.

It need not be a huge hike up Tumble Down (an unfortunate name when trying to convince your children its a fun family outing for the day!)  Just get out, and hey, bring some top ten cards with you and work on identifying things while you are out there, or do a scavenger hunt.  There are a ton on the web.  Know that if you instill the love of nature in them now, and the idea that hiking can be fun, as they get older Tumble Down will be nothing, but a beautiful walk in the woods!

On the last thing though, we live in Maine folks, lets not forget to protect from bugs and ticks, that's just not going to end well for anyone who isn't immune to whining!  But most importantly, have fun and get your happy on!

Looking Back

I thought about what article to post today, but instead, I am going to be mindful in a different way. 

On this dreary morning, as I was driving in to work, a rabbit ran in front of my car on the road to the Trust.  I haven't seen a rabbit in the wild in a long time.  Though some of the kids I work on trails with swear they have seen them, they have always alluded me.  There is something about these hop-a-long creatures that keep me looking for them.   Today when I say that furry brown rabbit sprint across in front of my car, It brought me back to my younger years going to Odiorne Point in NH and seeing thousands of bunnies hopping in and out of the underbrush that exists there. 

Upon my return to Maine, I couldn't wait to bring my kids there to have similar experiences.  Echoing voices in the bunkers, chasing rabbits, seeing baby lobsters by the rocks and having a picnic by the sea.  I brought my then young children there often, but things were vastly different.  Not all in bad ways, just different.  The bunkers were closed to the public, (probably a good thing!)  and the Seacoast Science Center, which was just beginning when I was in high school, is now a beautiful comprehensive science center.  The thing that bothered me though, was not once, ever did I see a rabbit.  I wondered what had happened to them all.  

I always find it funny that our lives change so gradually that sometimes we don't notice the subtle differences from day to day.  We don't notice the disappearing monarchs, or the fact that the snapping turtle that used to lay eggs every spring hasn't done so for a couple of years now... or that rabbits are no longer common place in places where there used to be so many.  Maybe because it happens over time.  Probably the same way that every now and again I catch myself in a mirror and am shocked not to find a teenager, but a middle aged woman with a family... when did that happen?

My memories of the wildlife and landscape that I played in is a strong memory that I can still smell, taste, and feel, if I close my eyes tight enough, were important enough to me to continue in this field and to want the same for the next few generations.

 As I handed out photo albums to the 5th graders at their graduation the other day of all the trips they had taken with Trust in our Children, the landscapes clear behind them, I hope that they will feel the same.  I hope that their thoughts and memories of this place will be strong enough that when they are my age, they won't ever wonder where the bunnies are... they will still see them on their way to work.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten wildflowers to look for this spring on our properties

So when you go out this spring, don't just walk, look around you at the little pops of color that are starting to arrive. 

These pictures have been taken mostly on our properties, come and enjoy finding each of these beauties as you wander through our trails.

Get outside, explore and enjoy the beautiful land around you!

Download the new Top Ten Spring Wildflowers at KCT

 

Mindful Monday: Warmer Ocean Water in Maine is not Something to be Excited About.

This article published this past November talks about the Gulf of Maine warming more rapidly than almost any other ocean region on earth.  This is starting to have massive effects on the ecosystem, and yes, the economy.  When the large fishing industry is starting to show concern, is it time to listen?

This has been news from the Bangor Daily News to the  Austrian Tribune, clearly people are concerned.

Here are some highlights (or Lowlights) that we all should be aware of:

• Gulf of Maine is heating up faster than 99% of the worlds oceans...

• Ocean is becoming fresher.  Most likely because of the melting of the ice caps in Labrador Sea

• Ocean is becoming more Acidic because of the high levels of atmospheric CO2 levels.

• The Natives are decreasing.  Cod and Shrimp are in short supply.  As we all are familiar with the   food chain, ( if you are not, please feel free to join us on our 4th grade field trip! ) once one thing decreases, others increase or decrease based on it.  The oceans temperatures are almost inhospitable for Cod at this point. 

• There are more bacterial outbreaks. 

• Southern Invaders:  (not including my father and husband) Longfin Squid normally in the southern gulf, or Trigger Fish from North Carolina and South Carolina, to Black Sea Bass an aggressive fish coming from the area between the Gulf of Mexico to Cape Cod.

• The Green Crab Crisis resulting in lower amounts of seagrass meadows and soft shelled clams)  While the Green Crab, an invasive from Europe has been here for 100 years, the recent rising temperatures has caused a population explosion.

So while the idea of swimming in your new speedo in June in Maine might be appealing to some, we do need to consider the effects on the rest of Maine's inhabitants... We don't know what all of this might mean, and the articles offer some thoughts.  What we do know, is the Gulf of Maine is gaining some serious looksee's from scientists.

When historically the ocean temperature rose 1 degree in 100 years, and from 2011-2012 it rose 1.5 degrees... and the past 4 years has risen 2-3.5 degrees, it may deserve our attention.  So much of Maine's economy and culture depend on the beautiful Gulf of Maine, not to mention all the other Maine natives that share this landscape with us.   So Mindful Monday asks us to keep our eyes open when it comes to our Oceans, they have so much more to do with this world than to swim in and look at. 

Look, learn, love, and change.

Mindful Monday: Can You Mow Your Roof?

This article from the Washington Post shows that rooftop greenery may be an answer to some of our environmental, and mental woes.

While it has been something that has happened for many years in other countries... like Italy where people are often encouraged to have roof top gardens, it is a fairly new idea here in the US.  The environmental benefits may seem fairly obvious to those who tend to be a little green minded, but according to this article it is a mental boost too.

I do remember when I was in New Orleans, at the National Land Rally a couple years ago, looking out across the city from my high rise hotel and seeing many roof top oasis with pools and tiki bars.  That certainly made me smile.  Just to see something other than sweltering concrete and tar, and I kept going back to look again each time I was back in my room.  I didn't do what I normally do, which is to close the curtain and leave it that way. 

As I sit here with my very beautiful view out my window (even on a rainy day,) I try to imagine if I was working in a city and all I could see was roof top after roof top with the summer air coming off the top making everything look like water because of the heat distortion.   I am not sure I would like that.  The idea of looking out over the rooftops and seeing gardens and seas of greenery is much more appealing.  Seems to be a simple answer...(other than how to get the dirt up there.)

With all this research coming out about how we long to see nature, it helps us sleep better, work better, eat better, and even communicate and act better...  how long before we start to take stock in our own research, or is it research for research sake? 

Every week when I look for articles, I find more research about the importance of our connection to nature.  Things like, lower crime rates in cities with larger canopy cover, better students who have access to the out of doors during their school days, less stress for those who look at nature on their breaks.  Clearly, nature is calling us back.

We are lucky enough to live in a place where so many of the places that make us unique have been saved for use by everyone who visits and lives here.  We are fortunate that there are trees right up until you see the ocean right in front of you.  We have clean air, We have parks, and paths, and plans to get kids outside and families enjoying the beautiful land around them, its part of why we all feel so lucky to be here. 

Wouldn't that be something if everyone had that?  If where ever you were, you had access to see something green, even if you were working on the 115th floor?  Would it help with out CO2 levels, or even just our stress levels?  Its an interesting question, and it makes me wonder, if anyone is paying attention to all this research we are doing, and where it will lead. 

Top Ten Tuesday- 10 fun childrens books about nature!

Ok so today is rainy day... so bring nature inside, curl up and read a book!  Here are just a few books for kids about nature where they can smile, learn and have a good time still experiencing a little creative nature.

Here is the Top Ten list for today:  Ten Fun Nature Books

Download and enjoy...

Mindful Monday: Excer"size" Your Brain

Last week for Mindful Monday there was an article about how playing outside makes you smarter.  Of course I am probably very biased but I totally believe it is true.  Anyone who has been on field trips with Trust in our Children can attest that even the toughest behavior issues are milder when we are exploring and learning outside.  Kids retain more of the information that we cover, and I am always amazed when a Kindergarten child remembers what erosion is from fall to spring.  But I don’t believe that it is all just nature and experiencing nature.  I know… perish the thought!

A while back I was looking for information to back up our observations on behavior and learning styles of kids in the outdoors.  What I found was this book: If you haven’t read it, you should give it a try.  It talks about the effects of physical exercise on brain function.  It sites Physical Education and the benefits it has on children’s health and learning in schools.

 In a time where we seem to be cutting many programs that aren’t lecture classes, getting rid of outdoor education, lowering the expectations of Physical Education, and at the same time experiencing a growth in child obesity statistics… perhaps we should slow down.  Somewhere in the zeal to make our kids the smartest in the world we threw the baby out with the bathwater.  I was fascinated with this book and the link that it made between physical activity and brain function. 

Anyone who sits at a desk to work for long periods of time can attest to the benefits of getting up and walking around for a bit to get the “juices flowing.”  It turns out that this is a real thing. (Which is lucky, because now my co-worker and I totally justify our power walk lunches!)  Your jaunts to the watercooler weren’t just to hear the gossip, but are quite possibly making you more productive and growing your brain power once you go back to your seat. 

This book sites a study done at a school in Illinois called Zero Hour PE You really should check it out.  A school that did a study that proved getting your heart rate up and moving around, will actually create a better functioning, smarter child. 

So get up, shake it out, run up and down the stairs on your lunch break before your behind takes another long nap in front of the computer… your brain will thank you for it, and quite possibly your boss. 

Now I am wondering when all the schools will catch on… get outside, get moving and get smarter.

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