Greening & Gardening

FUN SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
 
While school is out this summer many of us will have the opportunity to spend some extra time with the children in our lives. Below are ten fun activities for children that will help them learn about conservation and nurture their connection with nature. So if you’re looking for some child-friendly activities here are some to consider or perhaps you might want to share the list with some moms or dads you know who may be looking for some ways to fill those summer days.
 
1.     Go on a nature hike and a picnic at a local park.
 
2.     Have a nature scavenger hunt. One way to do this is to hand out an egg carton and a list of 12 natural items to collect. Items can be collected in a small box instead and the hunt can be repeated with new lists of items to find. Here are some ideas for natural items for the hunt: soft, hard, spiky, rough, blue, white, yellow, strong, beautiful, old, fragile, yummy, sharp, smooth, closed, open, wet, dry, from an animal (e.g. feather, shell), pine cone, acorn, flower, leaf. 
 
3.     Make a solar oven out of a pizza box and cook s’mores or cookies on it (instructions at www.solarnow.org/pizzabx.htm)
 
4.     Plant a vegetable that the child involved likes to eat or plant pumpkin seeds to make your own mini pumpkin patch for Halloween time.
 
5.     Make a pressed flower and leaf book. Collect flowers and leaves and put them between two pieces of tissue paper. Then put the tissue paper inside a heavy book. When they are dry (about two weeks), tape them into a notebook and see if you can find out the names of the plants.
 
6.     Go camping in your yard for one night or go on a camping trip.
 
7.      Provide your kids some tools for exploring nature to be used in the yard, a local park, or the beach (e.g. compass, net, magnifying glass, binoculars, tweezers, buy or make a bug catcher)
 
8.     Let kids use a camera to take photos of plants and animals and make a photo album.
 
9.     Purchase a kit to make a bird house at a craft store or online at a site such as http://www.birdfeedersonly.com/kits-to-build-bird-houses. You can paint and decorate the outside of the house and select a place to hang it.
 
10.Visit these fun websites for kids that teach through games and activities: www.loseyourexcuse.gov; www.epa.gov/kids; http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids; or this cute one from New Zealand www.ecokids.co.nz.