Unsurprisingly, while we are still going to try to get out and collect as many observations as possible, we will be doing this while social distancing. For many of us this will mean observing the natural world in patches of green space in our neighborhood, our back yard or even just from our windows. The other big change is that this year will not be a competition and some of the organizers are using the phrase "City Nature Celebration." They also put together this guide on exploring nature at home.
I also recently wrote about exploring the natural world at home, even if it means you can't or don't feel comfortable going out into your neighborhood and wanted to share that here.
Even though we may be spending most of our time at home
there are still ways to explore nature with your family! Whether you are able to get outside to a park,
green space, yard or you can only make observations through windows or from a
porch there are lots of options for looking closely. Here
you will find resources, tips and ideas for you and the young people you care
for to engage with the natural world!
The Big Picture
No matter where you are exploring there are a few basic tips
and tricks for helping young people explore the natural world you can always
rely on:
- Look closely and ask questions: what colors do you see? What do you think this animal is doing? How many legs does it have? How many trees can you see? What do you think we might find next? What is the weather today?
- Record what you find: use whatever paper and writing tools you have available at home to keep track of what you find and notice. If you have the ability to hang pieces of paper or keep your observations in the same notebook over time that can provide an opportunity to look back and talk about what patterns you see, what is always the same and what changes. But if not, just the act of drawing or writing down your observations is a great way of focusing attention and solidifying observations in memory.
Window
Observations
This is a
simple, flexible activity you can use to connect with the natural world even if
you don’t have access to green space at or near your home. As written, you make observations through a
window but you can also take a short walk through your neighborhood, go to
a yard or park, if you are able, to make observations. Try both and see what differences you notice
between the window and your walks!
What you
need: a window
(optional: chart paper or any smaller kind of paper, pen/pencil/marker/etc,
book or online field guides [see web links below], binoculars).
What you
do: Choose a
window, or several windows, where you can see a variety of plants, animals and
weather. This activity can be done with
a single observation or over the course of days, weeks, months or even
years. No need to plan ahead if you
don’t want to commit, though. If you are
using paper to record what you see, get out your paper and something to write.
Here are
some things to look for and guiding questions as you observe:
·
Start off open ended: what natural things do you see? What colors do you see? Trees, animals, weather, sky, clouds,
rocks? Start to get acquainted with your
window or the section of your neighborhood you have chosen to watch.
· What is the weather like?
Recording weather across a week, a month, or a longer period of time and then going back and looking for patterns or trends (does the temperature go up
each day, down each day, up and down?
How many days were sunny vs. rainy vs cloudy?) is a great but very simple way to engage with
the natural world.
· What animals do you see? Don’t
worry about having to identify species at first. Squirrels?
Birds? Can you describe
them? What colors are they? What do you see them doing? Are they big, medium or small?
· As you get to know the animals outside your window or in your
neighborhood you can start to use field guides to identify what species they
are.
· What trees and other plants do you see? Like animals, don’t feel you have to know the
specific species at first. Are they tall
or short? Do their branches go up or
out? Do they have leaves or needles?
· Don’t forget rocks! Rocks will
be a little trickier to identify from afar but go back to those open ended
observations: what sizes do you see?
What colors? Try to challenge
your young people to get more specific than “gray” or “brown.” Light or dark? Greenish gray? Try to get them looking and thinking as
closely as possible.
· If you’re able to be up after the sun sets (and it is safe for you to
do so), try making some observations after dark. What are some things you notice that are
different? What’s the same?
· If you choose to continue making observations over many days, choose a
time (maybe each week?) to go back and look and what has changed over
time. Are you noticing different animals
across the weeks? Do you notice
different behaviors? When do plants
grow, lose their leaves, grow their leaves?
What patterns or trends have you noticed in the weather?
Identification
Guides for Window Observations
Mass
Audubon Insects and Arachnids: https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/insects-arachnids
Exploring
for Nature Inside
What you
need: you can
explore inside or outside your house for insects and other invertebrates
without using any special materials. If
you have a small jar or Tupperware container at home that can be helpful to
place small creatures for viewing but it’s just as easy to observe them where
you find them!
Just as
with window observations, you can add a record, note-taking or drawing
component to help your young people look closely, find patterns and ask
questions about longer-term animal behavior.
While not
everyone agrees that they are the most welcome inhabitants, most of our homes
are also inhabited by a range of insects, spiders and centipedes. Hunting for these smaller animals in your
basement, attic, bathroom or other out-of-the-way areas is another great way to
engage with nature without leaving home!
While these creatures may not be the most popular, it is perfectly safe
to explore for them. There is only one
potentially dangerous species of spider in Massachusetts, the very distinctive
black widow. While you are unlikely to
encounter it (these spiders are much more common in the South and West United
States) you can find information about identification and their behavior here.
Identification
and Resources for Bugs in Your Home
Exploring
for Insects and Other Invertebrates in Your Yard
What you
need: As with
exploring inside, this can be a very engaging activity without any
materials. If you happen to have a small
shovel for digging into the soil that can help find certain creatures,
especially earthworms and insects that winter in the soil. Again, a small jar can help keep creatures in
place to view them but is not necessary for observing outside.
If you are
able to explore a yard, park or other green space in your neighborhood you are
likely to be able to find not only birds, squirrels and other vertebrates
[animals like birds, mammals and reptiles that have a backbone], but also a host of smaller
invertebrates [animals without a backbone like insects, spiders and snails] hiding
on plants, under rocks and logs and in the soil. Here are some resources for how to best find
these smaller creatures all around us.
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