Nature walks have so many different aspects to offer. You can garner wonderful experiences in a number of different subjects: geography, science, math, and art are just a few. The best part is that if you are taking a class on a nature walk, the experience is different for each of the kids.
Best of all, being outdoors can boost the overall learning development of kids. Bringing kids out on nature walks can really be beneficial to them and they can garner a greater appreciation for the outdoors than they may have previously had.
There are a few noteworthy activities for nature walks that can be highly beneficial.
Scavenger Hunts
This is a wonderful activity for people of any age, especially for children. Hiding objects throughout a given area, even providing clues, can stimulate a sense of adventure and make the outdoor experience all the more fun.
Have the participants look for plants, objects, animals or a variety of other things that can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like. This makes for a wonderful outdoor activity that will keep both their minds and bodies moving.
And if you cannot organize such an event around your home, consider reaching out to the professionals that can put up a scavenger hunt Chicago, or one closer to you. This could also be a great way to have fun with your friends and relatives.
Cataloguing
Similar to the scavenger hunt, you could have the kids look for different plants and animals throughout the nature walk but the difference here is that you could have them identify and catalogue all of their findings. Keeping track of the variety of different things that they find can really get them invested not only in the things that they find but keep them focused on a specific task.
Learning more about new fauna can lead to cognitive growth in a child. So, the practice of yourself and your child identifying different creatures should be encouraged. Besides, they also learn about different myths associated with wild animals too. They could find stories that show the bluejay meaning, or express the guardian figure of bears, and more.
When kids get to enjoy the outdoors, they further their mental development, stay active, and experience the joys that nature has to offer. It could open the doors to folklore and the mysteries of nature which could fill their minds with imagination and wonder.
Plant some trees
This is a wonderful idea for all of the aforementioned reasons – getting kids out into nature, and experiencing all that there is to offer in the great outdoors – and it has a wonderful benefit for the area as well.
Planting trees allows your students to get far more familiar with the different types of trees that are common in your local areas and allows them to lay the foundation for future nature walks with all new trees.
Kids can plant new trees around school premises as part of a tree planting project so that they can learn to provide care and maintain them. To start with, students could water their tree daily and record its growth, which can be a great side project to keep education fun and practical. As for maintenance, such as Tree Trimming and pruning when the trees get older, a tree services professional should be hired since these tasks can be dangerous for kids to get involved in.
Planting trees will be a valuable activity where kids can understand the importance of the environment and how to conserve it, as well as learn what life changes can be adopted to prevent damage to nature. Moreover, the added oxygen for the environment with this small project doesn’t hurt either. It is an experience for the kids and gives back to the local ecosystem.