It's been a busy couple weeks with book fairs and presentations. To those who attended I am sharing links to my two favorite things to have on hand when you are out in nature with children.
First a big thank you to the Jefferson Madison Regional Library and to the Blue Ridge Writers Book and Arts Fair. And a huge shout out to artist and art therapist, Trudi Goodwin, for partnering with me for our family presentation and project.

Now those two favorite things are a good magnifying glass (with soft bag or other holder so it won't get scratched easily) and Pocket Naturalist Guides by Waterford Press. These guides to trees, birds, mushrooms, mammals, and more are a must have. Unlike guide books (which I also like) these cards are laminated and take up very little space. They are easy to carry along and even very young children are able to identify plants and animals from the illustrations.

For a magnifying glass any good one will do. It should magnify at least 3times (3X). You can pick up any at Amazon. I am including a link here for a Montessori source because they also have other useful items for children exploring the great outdoors or the local park.
https://www.forsmallhands.com/3x-magnifying-glass?q=magni&nsearch=prm_link


The Pocket Naturalist Guides are from Waterford Press...
http://www.waterfordpress.com/products/series/pocket-naturalist/


Happy exploring!