Fun Ideas: Exploring Nature with the Kids! – Part I
Little Harvard has made a list of some fun activities that will help the kids all year around to explore and learn from the wildness that’s just outside your back door or down the road. So let’s all explore nature with the kids!
Let the outdoor fun begin:
Explore the surroundings – no need to be in a forest to explore nature. Start at the areas nearby, looking at all the tiny details, such as imperfect corners of your backyard, types of trees and leaves from the green, or the overgrown edges of city parks. You might be amazed at how much wildness you can find in it: spiders, snakes, caterpillars, ladybugs, Etc., not to mention interesting plants!
Use a magnifying glass – seeing the world through a magnifying glass changes our perspective and makes all of us see the world differently: hairs on leaves, flower parts and the details of a little bug. Kids love to observe things in a different way, and they also love all the tiny details!
Catch a bug – you can let the kids find little creatures with the magnifying glass, and then use a little container or bag to collect the bugs. After the bug hunting is done, you can tell them everything you know about the tiny animals, and then release them back into the wild! Inexpensive bug catchers make observation easier: simple plastic boxes with removable lids can be temporary hotels for crawly critters. Some bug catchers have magnifying lids that make detailed observations easier.
Plant a flower –start by digging a hole and exploring what’s under the soil. If your child is able for it, give him his own shovel and bucket and watch him go to work. As your child starts digging, ask him what can he see: worms? Rocks? Dinosaur fossils? Plant roots? After the hole and the exploring part is done, let him plant a flower, and remind him to look after if every day.
Mud, mud, mud – for this one, you can use the soil that your child has just dug in order to plant a flower. Now all you have to do is let him get dirty, by using his hands to create things from mud: mud pies, castles, mountains, etc. Creativity is all that matters!
Collect Leaves & Explore – autumn is the best season for it! Collect all the different types of leaves, and discuss about the colours, texture and shapes. After that, get some art & crafts material and start working! Examine items carefully and draw what you see. You and your child can imagine you are scientists, observing and documenting what you see.
We hope you have enjoyed it! We will be back soon with ‘Exploring Nature with the Kids Part II’.
