One of the news items circulating recently on the Internet talks about the discovery of Ghost Octopus and Yeti Crabs in the Antarctic. The scientists were “thrilled”, “amazed”, and “absolutely stunned.”
These comments reminded me what it’s like for kids when they discover something. But they don’t need to go all the way to the Antarctic, they can explore at home. Sometimes, there’s strange creatures lurking right under the bed! Dust bunnies are proof of that. Outside is almost another world, backyards, neighborhood parks or just along the street. 
Early in the morning, there might be a squirrel sunning himself in the backyard.
The park may have trees with berries.
But even a dead, dried flower is worth exploring 
and a leaf on the ground, left over from fall, is a discovery.
Observing is an important skill for kindergarten readiness; a meaningful connection to nature is a gift. What can you discover and explore with your child?
I was reminded today of a great resource for numbers that we hardly every think about anymore. What is it? Cards! (the real ones, not the ones on our computers) Regular, ordinary, made-out-of-paper playing cards. I even remember in the ‘olden days’ making sets of them with my sisters and cousins using the thin cardboard from shirts. Why do we forget to let our kids use real decks of cards? Noticing numbers, counting, matching, sorting, making groups and just having fun with numbers is all part of kindergarten readiness.
