I make it a personal goal of mine to show young people how important learning about nature is and how it can add to the quality of their lives. I know some of my son’s fondest memories of his childhood involved camping. He would seek out other kids to hang out with or ride his bike. He even enjoyed camp chores like gathering kindling for the fire, setting up the tent, and, above all else, loved cooking over an open fire. Other activities that we enjoyed as a family at camp included hiking, boating, and playing cards together in the evening. I always tried to incorporate teaching about the trees, plants, and animals during this special time together. Our son is almost 30 now and he still loves to go camping. These days it is with his wife or sometimes together as a family. He has added new activities like using alternate methods to start a fire and other more primitive skills.
Not only are these nature activities a great learning opportunity and a way to build wonderful family memories, it can also be a way for children and teens to experience time with their family in an environment that is lower stress and more positive. This builds a foundation for a family to get to know each other as people and not just “mom”, “dad”, “son”, “daughter”, and so on.
Some of the activities I would recommend include (but are not limited to):
- In the fall gather leaves and make a scrap book. Have your child identify the tree the leaf came from and write a brief description about that tree.
- Nature photography is great for all ages and most people have a cell phone with them at all times to capture a surprise photo opportunity. The more this happens, the more attuned to nature they will become.
- Nature scavenger hunts are a fun and active way to learn about nature. As children look for items on their list to find, they are bound to learn. Examples could include acorn, maple leaf, pine cone, a feather.
- Bird watching is another activity that can be interesting for all ages. This can include identifying birds by sight or by sound.
- Learning more about wildlife by finding out what they eat and what kind of home they live in. An example would be a squirrel. They eat nuts and often raid bird feeders and they have nests in trees made from leaves.
I hope these ideas serve as inspiration to you and encourages you to include your family in your journey to learn more about nature.