Outdoor Nature Play Marana

Paint brushes of different sizes? ✔️
Bright colors (all natural!) in 🌼 and 🌵 shaped ice? ✔️
Ready to play outside? ✔️

Join me for class this Friday or Sunday! Register at this link:

https://www.maranaaz.gov/register and search for Outdoor Nature Play

Getting ready for nature class this Friday and Sunday! Come play with colored ice cubes and see what we can create after we learn about the Elf Owl.

Register for the 4 week class at https://www.maranaaz.gov/register and search Outdoor Nature Play

Summer Session 2 of nature class starts this Friday & Sunday! See photos for class descriptions and register at the following links:

Friday: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/marana/activity/search/detail/9329?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&from_original_cui=true

Sunday: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/marana/activity/search/detail/9328?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&from_original_cui=true

Or go to https://www.maranaaz.gov/register and search for Outdoor Nature Play.

Classes take place once a week for 4 weeks from 8:30am-9:30am, with a two week break surrounding the 4th of July.

It was a cool morning in the shade as we talked about desert tortoises, the differences between turtles and tortoises, then gathered lots of nature objects to decorate tortoises on the sidewalk. Thank you to the families that came to my free preview class to play today!

If you are interested in attending once a week classes starting the 3rd week of June, please register through the Town of Marana website, https://www.maranaaz.gov/register (link also in my bio). Search for Outdoor Nature Play to find my classes.

Come learn about a dinosaur in the desert! I have two free classes next week as a preview to the June & July set of 4 lessons. I will be sharing facts about the desert tortoise, giving information on how you can get your yard ready to adopt a tortoise through AZ Game & Fish, and then we will play with different ways an animal might be camouflaged!

Please join me on Friday, June 7th or Sunday, June 9th at 8:30am at the Marana Heritage River Park near the pole barn. 12375 N Heritage Park Dr, Marana, AZ 85653

The class is 1 hour and please bring a water bottle and wear closed toe shoes. Classes are for children ages 1 to approx. 8 with an adult caregiver present.

To register for the 4 week set of classes, please visit this link (also in my bio) and search for Outdoor Nature Play:

https://www.maranaaz.gov/recreation

Class dates are: 6/21, 6/28, 7/19, 7/16 or 6/23, 6/30, 7/21, 7/28 from 8:30am-9:30am

Have you explored different soil/dirt textures before adding water? We made 3 different types of mud, mud balls, threw mud balls onto the ground to make mud pancakes (they made a really awesome splat sound!), and mixed purple desert willow flowers into water with a sprinkle of cloves! It smelled so good. We talked about the coyote and howled a few times, too

Busy hands outside are my favorite! We learned about the Diamondback Rattlesnake then used pinecones to make diamond shapes on our play dough snakes. We also found mud that was the perfect consistency for rolling into balls and the mud man was created by a very excited explorer.

Not every day do you see a red-eared slider water turtle cruising around the rose garden!

Take time to smell the flowers, even the cactus flowers!

After learning that the Bighorn sheep walks on its toes, we tried walking on plastic lids while stepping on our toes (and then only heels, a great idea by a student!). Today's nature exploration was all about breaking things apart to create something new. Pecan seed pods were smashed with rocks, then bird nests were built in the most creative ways. Lots of cotton was added for a soft place for baby birds to snuggle. A few desert willow flowers and then a bit of MUD! Mud seems to be the perfect ingredient for all nature play.

Thank you to the .maranaov families for joining me in making desert potions! The light purple and white flowers are from an ironwood tree (shown in photo 1) and the darker purple flowers are from a desert willow (shown in photo 2). We drummed on empty potion pots, added water, then explored the smells of desert flowers before mixing them into the water and adding a bit of cinnamon and cloves for very wonderful smelling potions. Now if you visit the mesquite tree to the south of the basketball courts, you might smell cinnamon.

Thank you for capturing the funand introducing me to this amazing group!

Friday's nature class played with mud! There are lots of different types of soil depending on where you live. The desert has sandy soil and also patches of clay-like soil called caliche that make it difficult to dig. We explored dry, sandy soil from two areas of the park, moist beach sand type soil, and moist clay-like soil from under the grapefruit tree. It was interesting to watch what happened as I added water to each type of soil. We also observed bubbles! Then it was time to get our hands dirty and squish into the mud we made. A lizard, crow, and roadrunner visited briefly.

You know it is getting warmer in the desert when the desert tortoises wake up from hibernation. Meet our adopted desert tortoise, Esio Trot (who can name the author who inspired this name?). I have been a volunteer for the Desert Musuem tortoise adoption program since 2005, and this tortoise joined our family over 10 years ago. The tortoise used to be half the size of the ceramic water dish and may not be fully grown yet. Esio Trot enjoys eating flowers from the orange jubilee bells plant, purple Texas ranger flowers, and globe mallow leaves along with most other desert "w**ds". We don't use pre-emergent or w**d killing sprays so that we can give the tortoise a variety to eat.

If you are interested in getting your backyard ready to adopt a desert tortoise AND you live in the Tucson/Marana/Oro Valley area, please let me know any questions you have. They are quiet animals that become very curious about their human caretakers the longer you live together.

Have you ever met a baby praying mantis? This one dropped from a tree on a windy day and scurried around briefly on my pants until I released him/her from my arm to the trunk of a tree. It provided great entertainment for my two year old.

Friday's class brought us on a nature hike to discover different textures and colors. We talked about desert plants and learned that even though the purple flowers in photo 10 are beautiful, the plant is called a Potato Bush and all parts (stems, leaves, and flowers) are toxic so we don't touch. Using our eyes in nature is a very clever thing to do!

Sunday's nature class highlights:

🌼 we identified flowers that hummingbirds like because they are trumpet or bell-shaped
🪹 we gathered sticks, pine needles, and any other nature treasures we found to build a nest
🐦 we used clothespins to pretend we were birds and picked up sticks and flowers with our "beaks"
🪨 we watched a few classmates gather mud in their buckets and build a mud castle and a mud nest
🌈 we watched how the sunlight made colors appear when holding up flower and hummingbird shapes made of cardboard and colored cello sheets

It was a wonderful morning with lots of excitement and smiles 🥰

This Sunday, May 5th, is the 1st class in a series of 4 for Summer Session 1 of nature class! Please register at the link in my bio.

Class starts at 9am and costs $60 per child, $40 for siblings. Price for non-residents increases.

Have you ever built a nest? We gathered sticks, pine needles, and other plant pieces to build a giant nest! We found yellow bells that are a trumpet shape and talked about how a long, narrow hummingbird beak is perfect for drinking nectar from this type of flower. Also, how does the sun help us to see colors differently? When the sun is shining on certain birds, it changes the colors we can see!

Tomorrow! Register for Friday (or Sunday) classes in May to learn about Anna's Hummingbird and 3 other desert dwelling animals. Did you know the Hummingbird beats it wings 80 times a second and moves them in a figure 8 motion instead of flapping its wings?

May nature classes start this week! Please register at link

Please share if you know anyone with children ages 1-8. Thanks!

Outdoor Nature Play - Summer Session 1 (Fridays) | Discover Marana Enjoy summer play in the park! Nature Play classes are designed for children ages 1 to approx. 8 and require an adult to accompany a child for an educational

This Friday starts the May session of nature class! Sign up through the link in my bio to learn about Anna's Hummingbird and play with sunlight effect on colors!

Classes are for children ages 1 to approx. 8 with a caregiver present.

Sunday's class was a blast! We talked about the kingsnake and used sticks to see if we could make holes in the dirt like a snake would make a burrow. It was hard work to keep the dirt from pouring back into the holes so we know snakes are persistent. I shared that the kingsnake is immune to rattlesnake venom and even eats rattlesnake! Then we took a walk around the park to discover the sunflower field and ladybugs.

Every time I visit this park there are new things to see! Please take a look at my class schedule through the Town of Marana (link in bio) and sign up to play with us starting this week on Friday and Sunday all through May!

Here are the dates and times of my upcoming classes. Please register at the link listed above or find it in my bio.

I introduce weekly play ideas to engage little learners and help motivate families to play outside and discover the magic of the desert.

A very enlightening article on being an introvert. Some days, I remember how shy I was as a child and it is helpful to know that this is a feeling, not a description of a person. Thankfully, feelings change, and we can show support for all people and all of the feelings they have!
Link to article in bio.

The outdoors is a magical place to be 🌵

Via
Quote by Richard Louv

Please meet near the pole barn to the NE of the community garden at 9am. This free class starts at 9am, runs for 1 hour, and is for children ages 1-8. An adult is required to stay with children. Please wear closed-toe shoes and bring a water bottle. The address for Marana Heritage River Park is 12375 N Heritage Park Dr, Marana, AZ 85653