Activities – Page 5 – Kids Discover Nature

13 Tips for the Great Backyard Bird Count

by Editorial Staff

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today and runs through February 17, 2020. It’s a great activity for kids, especially for those who live in the northern climes, when the temps are low and the winds do blow. It’s easy, fun and only takes 15 minutes of your time each day.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society together launched the Great Backyard Bird Count back in 1998. It was the first opportunity for citizens to collect data on wild birds and post it online. The uber cool thing is that results are displayed in near real-time.

More than 100,000 people from across the globe have joined the count each February. It’s important to bird conservation because it creates an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. Having this data helps scientists understand the status of bird populations and develop conservation plans based on their needs and distribution.

Your kids can play a role in real scientific research. Here’s how to participate:

Go to the Great Backyard Bird Count page and register.
Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or all of the days. You can count in the same location or anywhere else you happen to be.
Keep your lists tallied by species (i.e. – Cardinal, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, etc.)
Enter your results on the GBBC website by clicking “Submit Observations” on the home page. Or download the free GBBC BirdLog app to enter data on a mobile device.
Download any of the helpful documents such as instructions, online bird guides, and helpful videos.
Go to the online world map via the GBBC landing page and watch near real-time submissions.
Read the results from previous year that are downloadable from the landing page.
Print out the participation certificate available on the website and have your kids fill it out.
Encourage them to enter the photo contest. They can also view photos of past winners.
Participate in local events if in your area. The list is available on the site.
Choose one species and spend time learning more about it.
Draw pictures or write stories and poems about the bird.
Go outside and refill the bird feeders when you finish counting. Birds depend on a specific food source all winter. Don’t let them down.

Join thousands of people world-wide and encourage your kids to “Count for the Birds!”

Outdoor Activities for Kids

13 Cool Things to Do with Snow

by Jodi Valenta

Mid-winter presents challenges when you are a parent with the goal of spending time with your kids outside everyday. Luckily, with all the snow also comes a host of new opportunities for fun. It is easy to find creative ways to play even with piles of snow in your yard — they can become an awesome new snow slide.

Following is a list of some creative ways to have fun in the snow. They are perfect activities for when kids are rammy and need a way to blow of steam and rid them of the the indoor itchies (as I like to call them).

1. Making snow angels is always a big hit!
2. Dig tunnels into the snow and build a snow city.
3. Create a personal snow mountain and play “man/woman on the mountain.”
4. Similarly, use the snow mountain to make a slide or “ski” run.
5. Dig holes in the snow and observe the blue light and look for the snow fairies that created it.
6. Create a snow fort by piling snowballs to form a wall.
7. Get out the buckets and shovels from summer and play with the snow as if it is sand.
8. Build a snowman, of course!
9. It doesn’t just have to be snowmen, how about snow creatures like a dog or deer?
10. Play snow tug-of-war — the losing team will crash into a soft pile of snow!
11. Build an igloo or snow den and decorate it with leaves and branches.
12. Jump from snow covered rocks or even the edge of a terrace or deck into soft piles of snow. (Safety note: check to make sure there isn’t a hard surface or sharp edge under the snow into which children are jumping).
13. Make giant snowballs. Hold a contest for characteristics such as the largest, smallest, roundest and bumpiest.

What are your family’s favorites things to do with snow?

Outdoor Activities for Kids

When Life Gives You Snow, Make Snow Forts

by Editorial Staff

Don’t let the kids use the excuse that there is too much snow outside to go out and play. It is sometimes tough to navigate the yard when the snow is up to their waists, but excuses are not acceptable! It’s important that kids get outside, especially when they are cooped up inside due to freezing temperatures. Kids need vitamin D from the sun, fresh air and exercise even during the winter months when they naturally become sedentary.

If your kids are complaining about going outside, don’t let them get away with it. Boot them out the door by suggesting they make snow forts. The plowed or shoveled snow in the driveway offers the perfect place to build unique creations, whether they simply dig holes or make walls. After they get started, they’ll most likely spend a lot of time doing it. All that digging and building is terrific exercise and a great way to put their mind to work. The only supplies needed are shovels and snow! The bin you use for recyclables is great for making bricks if they want to get fancy.

Here are a few fantastic examples of snow forts:

Ultimate snow fort by Dale DeVries

Snow Fort by Emily Carlin

If they really get into it, they can even add lights. What a fun way to sit outside and look at stars on a clear winter’s night.

snow fort by Andrew Luman

Nature Activities for Kids

Involve Nature in Holiday Preparations

by Jodi Valenta

Wreath-making is a great way to encourage a connection to nature during the winter.

It is so much more difficult to encourage kids to go outside when it’s cold! Lately, my daughter always says “no” when I ask “do you want to go outside?” My son, who has become the poster toddler for the “terrible two’s” refuses to take one step into the snow. I really can’t blame him. For someone with very little experience with the cold, wet and (now) crunchy stuff, it is hard to deal with. He wants me to carry him everywhere we walk in the yard. This doesn’t go over well with me, so he stands on the deck and watches us while complaining the entire time. I just chuckle to myself knowing that next year, I won’t be able to pull him away.

Last weekend, determined to get my daughter outside and helping to prepare for Christmas, I encouraged her to help me make the wreath for the front door. We walked around the yard
collecting natural items that could be used to augment the plain balsam wreath I already had on the door. Without knowing what to expect, we liked how it turned out! We used clippings from a white pine, a beech tree and a viburnum bush. Then we added a few branches that had red berries and a little artificial cardinal I had in our Christmas decorations.
Here’s the result of our creation:

If you would like to make a wreath for your door, you will need the following materials:

One 22″ wreath (you can buy it a the local garden center)
Sharp scissors to use for clipping
Clippings from your yard – use your imagination! You can collect anything such as bare or pine branches, even branches with dried leaves or berries, feathers (washed and disinfected), leaves from evergreen vines, trees and bushes, pine cones or anything that looks pretty or interesting.
Green craft wire
Ribbon to make a bow

Once you have everything collected, bring it inside and arrange it all on a large table or work area. Begin placing the clippings in the wreath by pushing them one-by-one into the wire that was used to hold together the wreath. Arrange the clippings any way you find appealing. For pine cones and the like you will need to use the craft wire to attach them to the wreath. You can either wrap the wire around the item and wire it to the wreath, or drill holes into the item (such as acorns) and go from there. Finally, add the finishing touch by adding a bow using the craft wire.

You will find that you enjoy this project. You might even finding yourself signing carols! During this time of hustle and bustle, it really helped me get into the holiday spirit. As for my daughter, she feels proud that the wreath on our front door was created with her help and your children will, too.

Lastly, to all my readers, thank you for your support!! I really enjoyed writing for you this year. As you know, I only do this part time (and often only when I have some spare time), and I thank you for continuing to follow my blog even during the slow periods. I am planning some great new features for 2010, so please stay tuned. I wish you all the best for a wonderful and happy holiday season. I also pass on to you a nice verse in a card I received from friends which says,

May we live peacefully

with one another and

in harmony with the earth.

Outdoor Activities for Kids

Include the Outdoors in Thanksgiving Traditions

by Jodi Valenta

So the BIG day is just around the corner! In three days we will be gathering around the table to enjoy a delicious turkey dinner with family and friends. My little ones are getting excited about the upcoming holiday. We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner and our family members will be starting to arrive on Wednesday. The preparations for the feast started on Saturday with silver polishing, meal planning, grocery list making and centerpiece creating. Now the hustle and bustle begins with grocery shopping, cooking, ironing, setting, baking and everything else I am forgetting to add to the list.

It always takes so much effort to prepare a feast that lasts for an hour (15 minutes for the kids). But it’s about more than just the eating — it’s about family, creating memories, relaxing and enjoying a delicious meal that was lovingly and thoughtfully prepared and being thankful for all that you have and have been given. I have been hosting Thanksgiving for many years and with each year my meal and timing improve (I think), though I am still having trouble with the timing the making of the gravy. Thank goodness my Mom is always there to save it from being a total flop.

If Thanksgiving is a tradition in your family, you can include the outdoors. One of our favorite activities is to go for an stroll after Thanksgiving dinner. It’s usually dark, but but we arm ourselves with flashlights and go anyway. There is something about taking a walk in the brisk air that keeps you from feeling like a big lug after the meal. On clear nights you can look to skies to enjoy the sight of the moon and stars. In the arc of the light from the flash lights, you can see leaves blowing across the road and sometimes a raccoon or fox scurrying into the woods.

Some families play football or go to watch a football game, some go hunting and others go for a hike or run in a turkey trot. How does your family include the outdoors in your Thanksgiving tradition? Instead of passing out on the couch, why not get everyone together do something outside this year? It is a great way to spend time with family, doing something healthy, and connect with nature. Why not create a new family tradition?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy!

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13 Tips for the Great Backyard Bird Count

13 Cool Things to Do with Snow

When Life Gives You Snow, Make Snow Forts

Involve Nature in Holiday Preparations

Wreath-making is a great way to encourage a connection to nature during the winter.

Include the Outdoors in Thanksgiving Traditions

Take the 30-Day Outdoor Challenge