A Nature Walk with Daddy

Spending time together as a family is something we highly treasure and value.  One of our favorite ways to spend time is outside exploring and experiencing nature.  My husband loves teaching our son all about the plants and animals we encounter.  Here is an example of a nature walk we took this past week while visiting my parents.

Not only did we get to be outside, but Aiden also learned new words and practiced identifying plants.

Aiden shows off his new found object.  {And, of course, he has a dandelion in his other hand.}

 While exploring outside, pay attention to the different smells.  How do the flowers smell?  What about the grass?  Or the water?

These honeysuckles smelled sweet.

Gently touching plants that you know are 100% safe is okay, too.  Learn to identify plants that are not safe – like this poison ivy we found right next to the sweet smelling honeysuckles.

If you know the name of a plant or animal, tell it to your children.  Help them recognize how to tell different species apart.  This also helps them work on vocabulary and language skills.  If you don’t know the name, you can always describe the animal or plant.  Talk about its features – its colors, shapes, size, etc.  {Daddy knows the names of tons of plants; mama does not know nearly as many.  I have fun learning along with Aiden.}

Point out familiar plants that are in stories you read.  These cattails are in the book Daisy and the Egg.  This will form connections to words that will help your children remember the names.

Aiden was first introduced to cattails in the story book.  On our walk, we pointed them out to him for the first time outside.  A few trees later, he sees them again, points, and excitedly says, “cattails!”

Pay attention to little details as you are walking and show your children what you find.  Do you spot the nest in the picture below?

 

As we’re walking, we stumble across some berries on the ground.  We look up to determine the source.  A mulberry tree!  Here’s a great opportunity to talk about edible plants and not so edible plants.  Tell your children it is never okay to eat anything in the wild unless they have your permission first.  Some plants can be dangerous while other are very yummy.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.

You could also talk about what animals might eat the berries.  What do they think?  Birds, squirrels, raccoons??

Aiden has a thing for rocks, so of course we had to stop and admire this “big giant rock.”

Here’s another great connection to a book we were able to make.  Do you see the white foamy spit on the plant below?  A spittlebug is responsible for this.  The spittlebug covers itself in spit bubbles to hide from predators.  Cool, huh?  Aiden and I learned about the spittlebug in On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library).  The Cat in the Hat shows you all kinds of different insects in the typical Cat in the Hat rhyming way.  {Daddy learned about the spittlebug a long time ago.}

You can play a game of I Spy while you’re out and about.  I spy some purple flowers!

More fun with plants.  This is a redbud tree.  Take notice of the heart shaped leaves.  It makes them really easy to recognize.

The seeds of the redbud tree are found in these pods.  Oh what fun it would be to collect seeds from as many trees as you can.  Then, you could compare all of the different types of seeds and talk about why they are different or how they will be dispersed (wind, water, animals…).

The moon is rising.  We always love looking for the moon (and planets and stars).

What a great nature walk adventure.  We saw so many wonderful things.

The next time you’re exploring outside, take the time to teach your little ones what you know.  Practice colors, shapes, and counting.  Describe what you see, smell, and hear.  Work on your observation and listening skills.  Enjoy your time together as a family.

What’s your favorite nature walk memory?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

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