Family Activity
Although it may be summer vacation, it is always a good time to learn new things. This summer, make a nature journal with members of your family and/or friends. Get a small notebook for everyone that can easily be carried with you on your nature adventures. Date your entry and note the time. Also note whether it is sunny or cloudy or rainy or snowy. If you come back to the same location at a later time, it’s fun to compare how things have changed and what different things you experienced. It’s also enjoyable to compare your drawings and what you learned with others.
There are many ways to do your entries!
1) Use your senses! You could find a peaceful spot and just sit, watch, and listen. Jot down anything you see, hear and/or smell. If a child cannot write, they can try to draw the object or animal.
2) Go insect-collecting! First, always use caution for any biting or stinging animals that you might encounter. Use an insect net and catch some insects! Pick up stones and see what is underneath. Carefully place any insect in clear containers with air holes to observe then for a short amount of time. Draw them and describe them in your notebook. Release the insect when done.
3) Go Bird-watching! Have a pair of binoculars and also use your sense of hearing. You will hear many species of birds before you actually see them. Learn their songs and calls and then try to identify the bird. When you see a bird, note the size, beak shape, color, tail size and shape, presence of wing bars, and any behavior. See if you can determine if they are male or female. Write down and draw all of the birds you see. Come back another day and see if the same birds are around. This will help you also learn about which species migrate and which species do not.
4) Look for leaves and flowers! First, it would be important that you do not touch any plant unless you are certain of what it is. There are some plants that cause itching and irritation as well as blisters if you touch the sap. Walk around and look at the different flowers and leaves of plants and trees that you see. Draw them and if you identify the plant as safe, do a leaf rubbing in your notebook. If you come back another time, note whether you see the same flowers or not.
Save your journals and reflect on them later, especially in a different season. When you may be missing some of the birds or greenery in the winter, you can enjoy your drawings!
Get Outside!
A fun adventure to go on with friends or family is to take a bike ride! Go for a ride in a park, around the neighborhood, or on a bike path nearby. Bike rides are a good way to have fun with friends and family outside while getting a little exercise!
Take a family trip out to Elkhorn Creek Biodiversity Preserve on July 27 between 1 – 5 p.m. to join us at our annual butterfly festival! At this festival, participants can join guides on butterfly tours, or look for butterflies on their own.
One fun activity to do in order to cool down this summer is to make popsicles! All you will need is a container (either small cups, an ice cube tray, or a popsicle tray), your favorite juice, and popsicle sticks. Pour your juice into your container of choice, then put your container safely into the freezer. Keep an eye on your popsicle, and when the juice is half frozen, stick the popsicle stick in until frozen completely. Take your popsicle out of the freezer and container, then enjoy with friends and family outside!
Summer Outdoors
Many ideas for summer fun for kids and their families in Summer Activities: Nature Activities for Children, by Irmagard Kutsch, Brigitte Walden (illus.).
On a rainy day, go outside during or after a rain to listen, smell, touch and see its effects. Ideas from Listen to the Rain, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
If it is raining, would you describe it as soft and slow, roaring and pouring, hurly-burly, topsy-turvy, ligihtning-flashing, thunder clapping, sounding pounding roaring or dripping.
- Can you see raindrops of different sizes?
- Can you find any animals moving during or after a rain? Which ones?
- Which plants still hold some rain drops in certain places? Where?
- What can you smell after a rain?