Balanced Family Academy

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Nature-y Gifts You Can Order Right Now

3 weeks until Christmas… still time to order a gift, have it shipped to you, and get it wrapped! Lots of gifts are clamoring for your attention in catalogs, Facebook ads, or the “Customers also bought…” section. But this year… what if you went a more natural route? The following gifts are my picks for the best Nature-y gifts to connect you and yours to all the magic outside. Let’s get started!

Fairies & Gnomes

My daughters absolutely love their fairies and gnomes! You can get sets of the characters lots of places. These guys are perfect to take outside on fantastic adventures in the yard! You and your kiddos can build fairy and gnome houses from sticks and leaves, your fairies can explore giant trees and spy on birdies. What will your fairies and gnomes get into?

Fairies on Amazon

Gnomes on Amazon

Binoculars & More for Looking Closer

I was always fascinated with microscopes, magnifying glasses etc as a kid. The idea of seeing into a whole miniature world was just incredible. It’s also super fun to zoom in close on a bug (just don’t squish him!). Here are some of my favorite exploration tools:

Handheld Microscope by Carson

High-quality Magnifying Glass from Acorn Naturalists

High-quality Binoculars from Acorn Naturalists

…also, Acorn Naturalists has SO MANY OTHER COOL THINGS!

Awesome Animal Puppets

In Nature Class we have a whole cast of beloved puppets- Bob the Skunk, Chicka-Boom-Boom the Chickadee, Queen Fuzzbuzz the Queen Bumblebee and a whole bunch more! Most of these puppets are from a company called Folkmanis… their puppets are the best! They last forever (even when used a lot) and are pretty biologically-accurate!

Here’s the Turtle Puppet, but definitely checkout their full catalog!

The Incredible Books of Jan Brett

from Jan Brett’s book Mossy

Jan Brett’s books are all masterpieces… each and every one. The fact that she’s made so many is hard to believe! Her stories, often centered around traditional tales from cultures all over the world, are richly illustrated with amazing natural detail. Often multiple side-stories are taking place in the margins, all rendered in the style of the culture the tale comes from. Some favorite titles of mine: Annie and the Wild Animals, Mossy, The Easter Egg, The Mitten.

Find her books on Amazon, and on her website!

Oh, and Here’s a Free Tool I Made!

Winter is a perfect time to look for clues outside… that’s why all Winter in class we focus on being Nature Detectives! I made this handy guide to give you and your family a big headstart knowing what to look for, where to look and who to expect!

Download, Print, and take it outside!

Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy these gifts and all the adventures they’ll bring!