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Category Archives: Nature
Fall A- Z List With Activity Suggestions
Make an A-Z list of fall-related words, then brainstorm some ways to use the list to:
Develop your own games. For ex:
· Charades
· Nature Hunt
· Nature Bingo
· “I’m Thinking Of A Word”
Use as many words as possible to:
· Make a one of a kind criss-cross (fill-in) puzzle on line or on graph paper.
· Draw or write a story.
· Make a Word Scramble
· Think of another word for the chosen words.
· Create a Rebus story.
· Plot out a DIY Word Search Puzzle
· Figure out the Word Values
· Figure out what words can Go Together. (Ex: Crunch & Leaves)
Use the idea provided or come up with your own.
· Decorate your home or room using the words as inspiration.
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Observe Life At A Pond
During the summer, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water are full of life. Take some time to observe what’s going on. Use the following suggestions to create a one of a kind summer study.
Visit a pond, lake, river, creek, or ocean (if another body of water is not available). Observe life at the pond, lake, etc. and take pictures, videos, write, and/or draw what you see and hear.
Study the pond for the rest of the season into the next or for the rest of the year into next spring. Notice how life changes while you are watching.
Bring a chair and observe for as long as you can – unless the bugs are too awful.
If you take pictures or videos, take time to identify, via books, websites, or knowledgeable people, what you observed but could not identify.
Start a pond study and take time to learn about all of the plant and animal life that can be found in the area. Bring a friend.
Bring a magnifying glass or a pocket microscope along with you so you can take closer look.
Adult supervision suggested for this activity.
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Make A Night Of It!
Take advantage of some especially nice summer evenings with a fun family activity under the stars.
Here are some suggestions:
· Observe the moon. Find out when the full moon will be and take some time to moon gaze. Bring a telescope along with you if you have one or view it through a cardboard tube. A spotting scope or binoculars can also prove useful.
· Have a bonfire. Take time to gather up some wood or purchase some from a local store. Find a safe place to start a fire and consider telling stories, roasting marshmallows, hot dogs, or bring a grill that goes over a campfire and cook up something your family will enjoy. Don’t forget a thermos full of hot cocoa! Alternately, some parks offer charcoal grills that can be used by the public. Check your local park for closure times.
· Star gaze. Take advantage of a moonless night. Set up a blanket or some chairs and take time to watch a clear night sky. Bring your telescope, binoculars, spotting scope, or cardboard tube so you can take better look. Print out a SKYMAP and take it with you to help navigate the evening sky.
· Have an evening picnic. Do something different by having a picnic in the early evening instead of the afternoon. It’s a great way to beat the heat of the day! Bring a flashlight along so you can play a game of flashlight tag. Glow sticks/items can be fun to play with too as it gets dark.
· Plan a camping weekend. Plan a camping weekend if possible. This can be at a real campsite, or in your own backyard. Some national parks offer cabins to rent as well. Take time to get away from the rat race and enjoy nature for a while. Being able to listen and watch nature without the traffic and bright lights can give you a new perspective and fresh your senses. Don’t forget to take time to moon and or star gaze while you are there.
· Watch and listen to what’s around you. Sit outside on a pleasant summer evening and take time to watch and listen to what’s going on around you. See how many sounds you can identify: Owls, birds, scurries, leaves rustling in the breeze, ect. How many night creature you can identify such as lightning bugs, mosquitoes, raccoons, opossums, frogs, cats, etc..
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Start A Three Sisters Garden
Have you ever heard of companion planting? Native Americans grew certain vegetables together because they benefited each other during their growing cycle. Start a gardening project that includes plants that will benefit each other during their grow cycle.
Check out the related posts below for more information about the Three Sisters.
To begin your gardening project, find out when your last frost date will be:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates
Then, find a place to plant your seeds or plants directly in the ground, or in a container or a bucket. Put drainage holes in your bucket, or learn how to plant in a self watering container.
The Three Sisters are: Corn, Beans, and Squash
You can decide to grow:
Corn: A type that can be cooked and eaten off the cob, ground up into a meal, or used to make popping corn.
Beans: A type that grows as a bush, called a bush bean, or a type that climbs called a pole bean. There are types that can be picked and eaten fresh and others that need to be shelled.
Squash: There are many varieties of squash available to grow. You can try a vining variety, such as pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti, acorn, watermelon (part of the gourd family),or cucumber.
Another type of squash “bushes” such as zucchini, where the plant grows wide and large, but does not vine out. Fruit is grown close to the main stem of the plant. Yellow crookneck is another squash that bushes.
Learn more about planting a garden so you know when to water, how much sun your plants should have, and how to take care of pests and other problems naturally.
While you are waiting for your veggies to grow to maturity, look up some delicious ways they can be enjoyed.
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Flower Values
What you’ll need: The chart provided below, printed out, or paper and pencil, a calculator, a website, book, or another source of spring flower names
What to do: Choose 5-10 of your favorite spring flowers (common or scientific names) and figure out the number value for each word.
If you need a little help with Spring flower names, Names of Flowers can help you out, but feel free to look for names on your own via other websites, books, and any other resources you want to use. If you did the Wildflower Project, many of those flower names can be used.
Begin by writing down your flower choices. If you use lined paper, rather than the chart provided below, you will need 3 line: One for letters, one for their number value, and one to leave blank so letters and numbers do not get mixed up together.
Next, either print out the chart provided, or make your own letter to number values.
Often times, A=1, B=2, C=3 is used, but you can use A=26, B=25, C=24, or you can use any values you want.
Write the name of the flower you want to figure out the value of, then write a number value under each letter. Write the total value on the value line.
When you are done, compare the name values.
Which one has the highest and lowest value?
Does the longest word have the highest value?
Does the shortest word have the lowest value?
Do any have the same value?
Example:
Copy and save the Flower Values graphic below and print it out if you want.
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Measurements of Spring
If April showers bring forth May flowers, how much precipitation does the spring season receive, and how much does the temperature change?
You can find out by doing the following simple experiments:
Capture rain and snow during the season, or for a month, and keep track of the day and night temperatures for a month. If you would like to record the whole season, find a weather site that keeps track of the weather conditions in your area, and grab the info you need to fill in the gaps. Otherwise, you can start any time you like, and go on from there.
Take pictures, draw your findings, or write them down. Use a calendar for the month too.
Measure Precipitation
To capture rain/snow, you can use a wide mouth container and a ruler.
What’s in the rain? As a bonus activity, find out what’s in your rain/snow by taking a closer look with a magnifying glass and a microscope. Instructions can be found in the offered link.
Temperature
Keep track of the day and night time temperatures in Fahrenheit and Celsius. You can use the following formula, if you would like an extra challenge, or use the following site to get the conversion.
Fahrenheit to Celsius formula: Celsius (°C) = (Fahrenheit – 32) / 1.8
Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion
If you would like to keep track of the temperature in your area, get an inexpensive thermometer or have a little fun making your own with the instructions in the following link:
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Wildflower Research Project
As the weather warms up, and nature starts to awaken from its slumber, the beauty of the season begins to burst free. Much of that beauty is reoccurring in the form of wildflowers that can be found on the roadside or in private and public gardens. If you enjoy the colors and smells of Spring, you may find these activity suggestions inspiring enough to grow something on your own.
#1 As wildflowers bloom on the roadside, in your yard, in public gardens, or in your neighborhood, take pictures, and then spend some time learning how to identifying them.
Need help identifying wildflowers?
https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Wildflowers
http://mywildflowers.com/identify.asp
#2 Collect different types of wildflowers when possible, make a flower press, or learn how to preserve them. Think of some ways you can use the flowers: Cards, pictures, scrapbook pages, writing/drawing journal, wildflower identification cards, nature journal, poems, display them in a vase, etc.
#3 Grow your own wildflowers in an selected area, as a garden, or in a planter. By growing your own, you can keep track of what you have planted. Collect seeds at the end of their growing cycle and save them for the next growing season. Label them clearly so you know what you are growing.
#4 Take some time to sit and enjoy wildflowers. Observe the insects and other creatures that come to visit. Take pictures/videos, draw or write about them. What do they do? How long do they stay?
#5 As you learn about the wildflowers you identify, find out how they can be used. Which ones are edible and/or medicinal? Learn about the rules of collecting them in order to ingest them.
For example: You will not want to collect wildflowers on a roadside that has been sprayed with chemicals, or has a lot of car traffic, because they are not edible or usable medicinally. Also, some wildflowers need to be collected carefully and boiled to be enjoyed.
Most public gardens will ask you not to pick or cut flowers.
Tip: Grow your own wildflowers in areas away from the roadside if you would like to ingest them.
Fun Ways to Learn At A Public Garden
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From Bud To Bloom
For this activity, please choose a tree in your yard or somewhere very close by.
Next, choose one or more methods to document your observations: Drawing, writing/journaling, picture or video recording, or an audio recording device.
Observation Suggestions
What kind of tree is it?
Find out its name and the type of tree it is.
Guess how old your tree is.
How often will you observe your tree?
Everyday? Once a week? Once every two weeks? Once a month?
What does your tree look like without its leaves?
Observe how the branches formed.
How thick is the trunk? Measure it if you can.
Take a rubbing of the bark on your tree with a crayon and paper.
Guesstimate how thick the thickest branch is.
How tall is your tree?
https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-the-Height-of-a-Tree
If your tree has leaves, or needles, observe how its structure looks and consider how it formed, to the best of your ability. Observe new growth when possible.
Watch as your tree bursts to life with flowers, seeds, and/or leaves. Notice if the flowers have a smell, what the pollen looks like, how the seeds or fruit form and disperse. Notice how the leaves form and grow. Take a fully matured leaf and make a stamp print of it, draw it, or take a picture of it. Back and front.
Observe parts of your tree through a microscope.
Use a small microscope or a magnifying glass to get a closer look at your tree.
Where is your tree located?
Is it close to your house?
It is in the shade or full sun?
It is in a neighbor’s yard?
In a park?
What Can You Look For?
Does your tree have buds on it?
Are bugs crawling on it?
Does it have a nest?
What birds visit your tree?
Do other animals live in it or hang out in it? If so, who comes to visit?
How does the weather effect your tree?
What does your tree look like with ice/snow?
What happens when it rains?
What happens when it is windy?
What does it look like on a clear, sunny day?
The more you observe your tree, the more you will learn. As your tree changes with the spring season, notice how it blooms and grows.
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Wind, How Is It Measured?
Use the following questions to help research wind, then use the experiment suggestions below to do some measuring and observing of your own.
What is wind?
Where does it come from?
How is wind measured?
What types of winds are there?
Where can they be found?
What effects wind?
Why is wind measured?
What tools are used to measure wind speed and direction?
Wind Experiments
Keep track of dangerous/severe wind events that happen around the world and how they effect the people and areas: Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Wind Chills, Gales, Squalls, etc..
Measure wind with your own:
Anemometer, barometer, weather vane, or windsock
What is in the wind? Find out by making a wind trap.
Observe the sound of wind for yourself.
Observe wind and its effects. Go outdoors to observe and then watch from a window. How are animals and plants effected? How are you effected? Compare your experiences.
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Snowflake Fun Page
How many words can you make from the words:
CATCH A SNOWFLAKE
Note: Add some fun twists and turns to your game with the info in this post.
Snowflake Word Search
Snowflake Related Activities
Snowflake Experiment
Online Activities
Online Puzzle: Snowflake – How long will it take you to do this online puzzle?
Coloring Pages: Snowflake – Choose from a variety of pages to print.
Videos
Related Posts
The following topics can be found on FranW.com
Snowflake Activities & Resources
Snowflake Language, Social Studies, History and Geography Skills
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Fibonacci Fun Page
How many words can you make from the words:
ARTISTIC MATHEMATICS
Note: Add some fun twists and turns to your game with the info in this post.
Fibonacci Fill- In Puzzle
Fibonacci Related Activities
Fibonacci Nature Hunt A-Z
Write down the letters A-Z on a piece of paper or on an electronic device, then go look for patterns. Do your best to fill in your list of letters with patterns you find in nature, at a store, or wherever you my go. If you need more help filling in your list, do a quick search, and look for images you may not have thought of or noticed. More than one word can be used for each letter if you choose.
If you do not know who Fibonacci was and you do not know how to look for patterns in nature, do a quick search, or view one of the videos below to help get you started.
Online Activities
Online Puzzle: Cauliflower– How long will it take you to do this online puzzle?
Coloring Pages: Spirals– Choose from a variety of pages to print.
Videos
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