Good morning! We’re all trying new things at home this week, right? With my Nature to You public activities cancelled, I am using this time (among kid-entertaining, stocking up on groceries, and staying in touch virtually with family) to add PDF files to my website for the first time. Would you like to better use your worm bin, sing a song about spring (starts THURSDAY!), try that seed sponges activity from the library, or just plant something easy to feel a little better? Explore more by clicking on the headings below:
A list of Science, Technology, Engineering,,Art, and Math connections to try with worms. Don’t have a worm bin? Look in the garden during or right after this week’s forecasted rain storm to observe them temporarily, or set up a container to house them with a little soil, kitchen scraps, newspaper, and ventilated lid. Find more home worm-raising tips here.
Seasons Song cardsSpring starts this Friday, March 20th, according to the Earth’s position “next to” the sun. The seasons song lyrics on the cards explain how our planet’s unique tilt towards the North Star, combined with our daily rotation and annual revolution, provides the medium temperatures of this time of year for the Northern Hemisphere, compared to less sunlight in winter and more sunlight in summer. Print the file two-sided, then cut the 4 identical cards out, to include all the verses and help the family follow along at home.
Of course, if you and your kids act it out it is much more fun! I use this song alongside a tasty model of marmalade “sunshine” in varying amounts on crackers to recreate the four seasons any time of the year.
Seed Sponges Steps followed by Soil Sponge Care cards
This hands-on lesson is a hit with all ages at library storytimes. 
One elementary-age boy at Sam Lena South Tucson Library two weeks ago proclaimed, “Now I’m a gardener!” after carefully choosing and laying out his seeds in sponges to take home. The sponge is a model for good garden soil that both holds water and provides air pockets. Try multiple sizes and species of seeds – not everything will sprout, but it’s a delightful surprise to notice what does arise from the sponge after about a week.
Full disclosure: I plant what can survive a fair amount of neglect. I pass on my lessons from trial and error to you! Sunflowers definitely made the list. They are also appropriate to plant right now, from seeds. So are herbs like basil (from seeds or starts) and mint (from starts). Give carrots (seeds) a try, based on a student’s advice even though I usually keep those to the cool season. Tomatoes (starts) planted now can bear some summer heat. Notice most of my listed veggies are cool season. It’s simply harder to get plants to survive the desert summer. Shrubs such as honeysuckle and brittlebush are a different story – spring is the best time to transplant these hardy perrenials here in Tucson. You can cross-check my list with this planting guide from Native Seeds/SEARCH, swap stories with friends about other plants you know, as well as try more summer ideas and let me know how you do!
Is there another topic you’d like to see expanded on the Nature to You blog? What success stories or challenges can you share? Please comment below. Happy spring, as the world keeps turning!