Easter Nature Table

He Is Risen!

Earth Day, First Bloom & the National Park Service

If you have read my profile, you know I am a Park Ranger for the National Park Service. The very nature of our daily service revolves around preservation, and in my particular devision, Interpretation and Visitor Services, helping people make an intellectual and emotional connection to our resources. In the NPS we are thankful for the public who recognizes Earth Day, and this year, it falls within National Park Week, when we celebrate the founding of the National Park Service.

In a nutshell, our mission statement is:

"...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.

For the past few years, many parks have participated in First Bloom, connecting youth with their National Parks through native plants. Visit the main website for First Bloom where you can vote for your favorite garden design and find printable activities and games.

Palm Sunday

Today's take home paper from Sunday School.

John 12:12-19

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Waving their palm branches.

"Let the little children com to me, and do not hinder them,for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke 18:16)

Little Hands add Palm Branches to our Spring Nature Table.

The Toymaker

Have you heard of The Toymaker? Marilyn, the creator of the website, provids delightful paper-craft toys available to the public. They are great fun on these rainy April days.

Pictured is a small selection of her whimsical, beautifully illustrated toys.

Farm Animal Fun

Host a Dog Show

Silly Bears

Sweet little Birds for the Spring Nature Table

Fairy Furniture

Three Billy Goats Gruff & the Troll

A Special Place for our Pixie

Tiny Puppet Theatre

Moving Picture Pages & Storytelling

This post is now published at Rhythm of the Home .  Please read it here.