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Home › Articles › Activities › Fun With Nature

Fun With Nature

Exploring the Great Outdoors

By Kendeyl Johansen

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Cynthia Liljeblad, a former special education teacher from California, says that even severely disturbed children seem to respond to a feather a leaf or a caterpillar. "I think they sense better than we do that nature is alive," she says. So turn off the television, step outside and enjoy your world.

In Your Own Backyard
Start by exploring your own neighborhood. Before leaving, arm yourself with a few supplies to make the journey memorable. You'll need a Bug Hotel to store interesting insects (which your preschooler will release later) and paper and crayons to make rubbings of unusual surfaces and textures. Your child can make a Nature Diary with the rubbings when you return home.

Build a Bug Hotel

You'll need:
A plastic see-through container with lid
Metal fork
Bottle cap
Plastic spoon
Grass/leaves

Poke holes in the lid of the plastic container with a fork. Explain to your preschooler that bugs need air for breathing. Bugs that are found will be scooped up with the spoon and placed in the hotel, along with grass, leaves and a bottle cap full of water.

As you walk with your child, discuss different trees and flowers. Make rubbings of interesting leaves and tree bark. "My girls and I take walks and talk to the trees and about the trees how they get water, clean the air, etc.," says Heather Winne of Indiana, mom to 3-year-old twins. Ask your preschooler which tree she likes best. Which flower? Why?

mother and child viewing bird's nest Keep your eyes open for wildlife. Even the most urban neighborhoods have insects in sidewalk cracks or under rocks. Turn over stones to find a preschooler favorite: potato bugs. Maybe you'll catch a centipede, ant or even a worm. "The first time that my daughter saw a worm she was frightened. I said, 'Oh look Sarah! Worms!' I wanted her to think they were cool which they are. Now she loves to go out after the rain and look at worms," says Michelle Smith. Help your preschooler scoop up an interesting specimen or two and put them in the hotel. Explain habitats to your child and then add leaves and/or grass for your "guests" to eat.

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