Connecting with Nature

Kick off Earth Week with a couple of activities that connect you with the Earth through Nature Observation. You can use each of your senses to better understand the world around you and you might notice something that you didn’t even know was there! Print them out and take them with you to your favorite outdoors spot. Or you can just do them around your home. 

Activities Resources/Actions Needed

Sound like an animal: Choose one animal you can see outside — it can be a squirrel, bird, butterfly, frog, or even a dog or cat — whatever you choose! Watch and listen to it for 5 minutes, then imitate how it sounds. nothing neededDraw an animal: Go outside and look at one wild animal — it can be something like a squirrel, bird, or frog. You choose. Then draw the animal and, if you can, label it with its name. need paper, pencil Make a nest: Using natural material found outside, “be the bird” and make a nest. leaves, sticks, grass, and other natural materials found outside nothing neededWatch a wild animal outside for 10 minutes. Draw a diagram of the area — like a map — and write down where it went and what it did. need paper, pencil Listen to Nature: Spend 10 minutes outdoors with your eyes closed. Write down everything you hear. need piece of paper, pencil Watch a tree: • Sit down outside and choose one, large tree to observe. • Sketch the tree on your paper, and then draw in every animal you see in or near the tree in 15 minutes. • Label the drawings with the name of the animal if you can. If the animal moves around in the tree, pick one location for it in your drawing. • Remember that animals include mammals, birds, amphibians, and even bugs! need piece of paper, pencil Choose One: 1. Identifying Bird Sounds in Nature: Using your phone or your parent’s phone, download either “SongSleuth” or “Bird Genie” (the first is free, the second one might have a price — this has been changing). Both use a spectogram to visually show you the sound wave patterns made by the birds — a cool science connection that allows you to narrow what you’ve heard. Both are fun, but not always accurate… works in progress 2. Go for a nature walk, and use your phone to identify what you see. The “iNaturalist” app is used by naturalists around the world and is very accurate! It includes bugs, birds, plants, butterflies, and lots and lots of other animals. If you don’t have a phone, this website is a great resource for West Indian flora and fauna: http://www.kingsnake.com/westindian/ 3. Go birdwatching! Downlad the free “Merlin Bird ID” app and load up the pakc for the Caribbean. There are many online bird guides, but this is the one to start with! 4. Draw a map of a place outside — your yard, a park nearby, or a tree. Then label the map with all the wild animals — including insects — you see in the area in a 10 minute period. Use the apps above to identify the species with their proper names. need smart phones

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