Meet the Nut Family
Tucked away in a tree house on the edge of Springland National Park you’ll find a family that loves adventure, learning and laughing together. Mama Cadamia Nut is a scientist with a curious mind. She loves to hike through the Park on discoveries with her three kids: Meg, Brasil and Hazel. They stop by the Ranger Station to pick up their dad Park Ranger Wal, who knows the ins and outs of the entire area.
Together the Nut family encounters strange plants and wildlife, braves dangerous weather and learns to stick together despite their differences. Their travels around the Park are always interesting and give Mama Cadamia lots of ideas to blog about afterwards, kind of a diary for the whole family.
Springland National Park is a vast area of land with plenty of uncharted territory. The Nut family never knows what they will find around the next bend, but they all pitch in special talents, skills and knowledge that will see them through amazing adventures and safely back home.
Mama Cadamia Nut
Science is an adventure, at least for Mama Cadamia Nut! She loves to find the fascinating facts in everything around her and share them with her family. As a mom of three kids, Mama Cadamia has plenty of adventure, cheering on her family and encouraging them to learn more, ask questions and investigate.
In her Hawaiian print lab coat, Mama Cadamia feels at home and ready to experiment. Growing up on the islands of Hawaii she spent plenty of time with the sea life, in the lush forests and climbing dormant volcanoes. Now she loves to take her kids out into nature for similar adventures. The world is her laboratory and she’s always ready for a hike, swim or any other outdoor activity with her family.
But she constantly has her laptop on hand, ready to type up a blog post that details the incredible finds and important data her family uncovers. Mama Cadamia’s spunky personality and fun writing style help all of her blog readers to appreciate and discover more about science.
Life and learning are never dull with Mama Cadamia around!
Wal Nut
Don’t let his tough outer shell fool you. Wal Nut has a warm heart and loves an audience. With a hot cup of tea and his favorite comfy chair, he is ready to tell exciting tales of life in Springland National Park.
As the Park Ranger, Wal sees and experiences plenty of adventure that reminds him of his rugged childhood in Scotland. He loves wildlife, long walks in the wilderness and meeting the families that visit the area.
Wal is always keen to learn something new and sometimes that curiosity finds him in a jam. But the practical outdoor safety tips that he teaches at the Ranger Station serve him well. He’s met up with dangerous creatures, braved thunderous storms and helped out more campers than he can remember. But every night he comes home to his wife and kids who listen patiently to Dad’s adventures as he nibbles on tea and oat cakes.
Wal loves to take his own family out into the Park to discover natural treasures and hidden secrets of the forest. He knows that the time spent and lessons learned are the real fortune!
Nut Meg
For Nut Meg, music is all around. And that’s not just because she wears her portable mp3 player wherever she goes. Meg hears a song and a beat in anything and her bright red pony tails are always bopping to it. Life is exciting and fast-paced for this 14-year-old, but she loves to spend time with her mom and dad, talking (or singing) a mile a minute.
Meg is proud of her Asian roots and knows the history of the Eastern world off by heart. She’s no stranger to any world history and often amazes her friends and family with little known facts about ancient civilizations, famous personalities and legendary battles from around the globe.
Meg dreams of walking along the Great Wall of China one day and longs to visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. But she’s happy with the adventures their family takes in the Park and is growing more and more fascinated with the history of the land around her as well.
Brasil Nut
Look closely, because you might miss him. Brasil Nut seems to be always on the move, kicking his favorite soccer ball around. He’s constantly practicing his moves, trapping, dribbling and passing around his little sister or whoever else is handy. His day is like a game and Brasil loves to tackle the challenge head on and with all of his energy.
A passionate fan of soccer, he never misses watching or reading about a match played by A Seleção, the Brazilian football (soccer) team. He supports his favorite team and wears their green and yellow colors with pride. Their 2009 FIFA Federation Cup win was a fantastic memory for this 12-year-old and he’s looking forward to many more championships.
Brasil’s soccer ball is never far away from him, especially when he’s watching a match. This unique ball, which looks just like a globe, was a gift for his 10th birthday. He loves to study it and find out where the opponents are from, analyzing their chances against his heroes.
Brasil is also a natural when it comes to directions and is fascinated by geographical formations all around him. Rocks, caves, hills, lakes and streams are like a magnet. Wherever he is or whatever he’s learning about, Brasil can pinpoint it on his handy soccer ball. From the North Pole to the South Pole, he’s got it down.
Hazel Nut
The youngest child in the Nut family, Hazel Nut likes to remind everybody that 8 ½ is actually a very grown up age. She can spell “efflorescent” after all, which means “coming into bloom.” In fact, Hazelnut can spell almost anything and her parents are proud of their spelling bee champion.
Hazel always has a book under her arm (or under her nose) and loves a good story. Family adventures keep her imagination active. Between listening to Dad tell tales and reading Mom’s blog, Hazel is always learning and she loves the challenge of fresh, new words. The longer, the better, she always says.
Hazel enjoys reading about her African American heritage and could spell “Emancipation Proclamation” by the time she could print it out. She constantly asks Meg to tell her stories of African history or the Underground Railway.
She loves being around her brother and sister, but wishes they would take her seriously more often.
