Explore Nature in Your Area

for National Wildlife Week

   This year's theme asks families to explore nature's wonders in their communities. Here are some fun ways to do this with your child:

Nature Scavenger Hunt. Make a list of things you might find walking through your neighborhood. Flowers, trees,

                animals, bugs, birds, plants, etc. Then walk and see if your child can find these things. Add other things they find to

                the list.

Sock Hike. Put on old socks over shoes. Take a hike. Afterwards, try to identify the things that stick to your socks!

                 Guess where these things came from.

Mystery Bag. Put nature items from your yard in a paper bag. Blindfold your child. Let them pull an item from the   

                  bag and guess what it is.

Cloud Watch. Lie on your backs outside. Make up funny or scary stories about the clouds you see drifting by.

Color Match. Walk outside to find something that matches each color of the rainbow--red, orange, yellow, green,

                 blue, indigo, and violet.

Leaf Rubbings. Find different shaped leaves. Put each one under a sheet of paper. Gently draw back and forth

                      with a crayon or pencil to make a tracing.

Outdoor Senses. Keep a log or journal as you walk through your neighborhood. Write down all the different

                    things you smell--like grass, flowers and rain. Also note the things in nature you hear. Walk at different times to

                    see if what you smell and hear changes through the day.

Nature Drawings. Take a photograph or draw something you see outside. Hang the picture inside to remind

                       you of your outdoor sightings.

Bird Calls. Learn the calls of three common birds in your area. (Check the library for audio recordings) Then see

                   if you can hear birds outside that sound like this.