Why Do You Blog?

Blogging offers one a forum for communication -- a chance to make your voice heard. A blog also allows the writer to gather her thoughts and try out ideas on others to see how they are received. Blogging allows us to become part of a wider community, to seek out the expertise of others who know more than we and to offer our own advice. Friendships are made through blogging. Sensitive topics can be discussed in a tell the whole world kind of anonymous way. Afterall, there is the possibility that everyone is listening, but how many of our readers really know us personally? Blogging allows us to keep a diary easily, remembering changes in our lives from day-to-day and year to year. We are encouraged in our efforts by responses from others and therefore the diary goes on. It is easier to avoid the journal sitting near my bedside than the computer I use every day anyway and our fans. (Hello? Is there anyone out there?) If you are fairly new to blogging, as I am, blogging can become like a game. How many people can you get to read your words? You can even gain some notoriety or kudos.

Alternately, blogging takes a lot of time. I could be gardening right now instead of writing. Or, I could be working on my next book, looking for my next client, exercising or planning my lunch...(hmmm, I am getting hungry.) Yet, this idea hit me and here I sit.

I view myself as an idea person. I have lots of ideas coming at me all day long. There are too many for me to attend to. When I was getting to know my now significant other twenty years ago, I told him that I wish I had a typewriter in my brain to record my thoughts. (Now I want to say a computer chip instead of a typewriter, but I'm afraid that raises an image of a sci-fi computers taking over humans kind of thing.) Blogging allows me to get out thoughts, like this one, in short bursts. I do not need to make the idea into a major project, yet all my little ideas are working into this wonderful little blog that seems like a worthwhile large project when put all together. Little ideas can make big things...

I convinced a friend of mine to start her own blog the other day and she told me this morning that she began her writing yesterday.. Her husband doesn't understand why she is doing it. (Is he afraid she will say something about him?) Though I have not yet seen her blog, I know it will be very different from mine. In time, she will find her own community of bloggers. It will make her feel good. Her husband doesn't have to understand. She won't need me to read it to think it is worthwhile to do it. We are great friends, but I'm sure our blogging relationships will take different paths.

I would love for you to share the reasons why you blog. Here are some other things for you to possibly share if you respond. How much time does it take you each day? Do you think about your blog even when you are not actually blogging? How do you plan what you will write each day? Do you keep other blogs? If so, what are they about? Where do you see your blog heading in the future? Do you keep a personal diary? What emotional satisfaction do you think you get from blogging? Is anyone disturbed by your blogging? Have you ever blogged about something you regretted later on? Who do you think reads your blog and does it matter to you if anyone reads it at all?

Blogging about Kids in the Garden

I find that I spend one-half hour to an hour a day on the Garden Portraits blog. I have so many ideas for different types of blogs that I could probably make it a full time venture. I recently started another blog about kids gardening and aimed to give a new idea for things to do with kids in the garden every day. It is unrealistic for me to maintain both blogs and to do it well. So, instead, I will devote one day a month to listing garden ideas for kids. Here are my favorites that I've already listed on "Kids in the Garden" (these ideas are intended for pre-spring weather):

Seeds - Remember planting a seed in a cup as a kid? Remember how exciting it was to watch the seed crack open and the little green shoot sprout out? Buy your seeds today. There are many online catalogs to review with your kids or order catalogs online. Burpee and Park Seeds are great for vegetables. Vegetables are a good way to start. Kids can start thinking about growing their own food. Let kids look through the shiny pictures. Let them see the many varieties of foods. Let THEM choose what to buy. When the order comes, we'll be ready to plant.

Nature Visualization - Create a nature visualization for children. Have your child close his eyes and create a nature story. Have the child imagine that he is a living thing in your yard. You may want to try the following words. "Imagine that you are a tiny bulb who hibernated beneath the ground all winter. Imagine your first days pushing out of the soil in spring. As the earth warms while we look toward summer, it warms you. You tingle and stretch yourself awakening to the warmer weather. You feel the strength of your stem, through which you will suck up water and nutrients to make you grow. Imagine that you have grown into a tiny new flower swaying in the spring breeze. The wind gathering beneath your petals and making you flutter like a butterfly." Create your own imagination stories about kids being birds, bugs, and trees. Also have the child imagine that he is himself playing out in nature, lying in the grass, running his toes in fresh dew, etc. This exercise can also be done with movement. I find that the quiet, eyes closed (meditation) version is great to use after a nightmare. It helps calm the child.

Books - As a librarian, I tend to turn to books to help teach me about any subject. And while the best way to learn about nature is by experiencing it, there is a lot a child can learn about the subject through the world of books. One can be drawn into a character's world and become excited about a topic by experiencing it through another's stories. I highly recommend The Secret Garden. It's poetic language and charming story about the adventures of three children interacting with nature is magical. On a cold rainy day, a nature book is the perfect prescription for a little sunshine. For more nature books see Suggested Readings on Children and Nature.

Photography - Around age two a child can begin to play with a camera. If she is old enough to look through a viewfinder, she is old enough to take pictures. Use a disposable film camera or one of the new durable digitals made especially by kids. Take your child outside and let them point and shoot. You'll be amazed what they come up with. You can help out by pointing out things such as the melting snow in a rushing brook or moss growing on trees. Using a camera helps one better learn to see the world by forcing the photographer to scout out the details. Consider taking the camera with you on a nature walk.

See more ideas at Garden Portraits Kids.
What nature activities do you like to do with your kids this time of year?