Nature walks are a grand, old standby when it comes to great family activities and things to do with children of all ages. Even in snowy, cold or wet weather, getting out of the house for a brief nature walk can put a new spin on a day that seems to be deteriorating quickly. Nature walks provide exercise, a change of venue, and some great science lessons all just by putting on some good walking shoes and heading out the front door!
One of the main delights of a nature walk is the unpredictability of it. You never know what you’ll see–new plants and flowers sprouting, you may find a bird’s nest, or a snake skin, or lizards sunning themselves on a warm rock. Depending on the season and the location, you can expose your children to a major variety of natural experiences without spending a cent or going to much trouble at all. When my kids were smaller, nature walks often gave us interesting curiosities to do more research on when we got back to the house. We’d want to find out exactly what kind of butterflies we saw, or identify a plant or frog we’d seen along the way.
As children get older, the nature walk can morph into more sophisticated science and natural appreciation such as bird watching, rock collecting, plant identification, etc. By getting your kids out in the natural world, you may spark an interest that becomes a life-long hobby or even a career. My eldest daughter is very interested in the biological sciences and wants to go on to college to study science. I’d like to think that all those nature walks we took when she was a tiny thing contributed to her natural curiosity and fascination with the science of the natural world.
Here are some tips for making the most of a nature walk–you might want to keep a little bag or knapsack handy with some binoculars, a journal and pencils, a magnifying glass and some specimen cups or plastic bags. While I taught my children that we didn’t remove live creatures from nature, we did collect leaves, snake skins, and other natural artifacts to bring back and look at under the microscope. My eldest daughter used to love to collect water samples from puddles and rivers when she was little and look at the little live creatures swimming around under the microscope, while my other daughter liked to draw pictures and write about what she saw when she was out in the natural world. You might even want to take along your digital camera and see if you can spark some interest in photography while you’re out and about. Make sure to wear good walking/hiking shoes and dress for the weather. That may mean dressing in layers in case it gets warmer or colder.
Teach your children to respect the natural world, stay on paths and not remove creatures and plants from their natural habitat. In addition to science and exercise, you’ll also be instilling an appreciation for co-existing with nature and an understanding of the intricacies of the natural world.
See Also: Fun Activity: Painted Rocks and Coping With Cabin Fever