One man walks through the world with his eyes open, another with his eyes shut...

“So it is. One man walks through the world with his eyes open, another with his eyes shut; and upon this difference depends all the superiority of knowledge which one man acquires over another.

I have known sailors who had been in all the quarters of the world, and could tell you nothing but the signs of the tippling-houses, and the price and quality of the liquor. On the other hand, Franklin could not cross the Channel without making observations useful to mankind. While many a vacant, thoughtless youth is whirled through Europe without gaining a single idea worth crossing the street for, the observing eye and inquiring mind find matter of improvement and delight in every ramble. You then, William, continue to use your eyes. And you, Robert, learn that eyes were given to you to use.”

( Madame How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley)

How true! The world is brimming over with new things to learn and to notice, if only we keep our eyes open to them!

A neighbour showed us this sprouting horse chestnut (conker) she found growing in her garden...so in true CM style, J7 sketched it!

Looking in the stream for insects



watching the baby Moorhens!

 "The world is so full of a number of things, I 'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.'

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Baby Moorhens! Adorable!

Once in a while we play a game based on this habit of looking and seeing. I keep the game in reserve for when we're on a long walk, in an urban area, usually walking through our neighbourhood roads about 10-15minutes from home, and when complaining starts......it's the "How much nature can we name?!"  game. It's amazing how much the kids perk up and start running up and down the pavement trying to name everything they can. And when you open your eyes the world really is so full of things to notice....

...daffodils....grass.....lichen....moss....silver birch trees....cumulus clouds....a great tit....pebbles made of granite....shepherd's purse....cherry blossom...rowan berries ...ants....magpies....blackbirds...raven...a cat....heather...nettles...lavender...rosemary...gorse...ivy...daisies....buttercups...hawthorn...ladybirds...catkins...dandelion..


As you can see, it's nothing fancy, but those are all things (and more!) that we have seen in the roads around our house.

and it really does open the child's eyes and gets them into the habit of really looking and noticing, and realising that there is so much to see all around them!

You're giving them to gift of never being "bored"!

L4 spotted this ladybird larvae on a leaf