Autumn Nature Walk
Even in the midst of the city, a nature walk around the block can be made into quite the event.
I give the students tiny little dixie cups to collect nature “treasures” and we talk about what we might find before we go outside collecting. We stick together and stay away from the street as we explore our block. My only collecting rules are that they have to be natural finds (no garbage or rubber bands, etc.) and that the item must fit in the cup. Seeds, leaves, rocks, mosses, twigs, bark, etc. are usually the order of the day–as always, we found lots of specimens–sweet peas in dried seed pods, tiny flowers still blooming, ginkgo leaves, and three different types of moss in the sidewalk cracks.
Children come in and dump out their haul, using hand lenses to see more details. They get pretty excited about their finds and we do a lot of, “turn and tell your neighbor” things–most interesting, smallest, most colorful, etc.
Our art tie-in was a leaf-rubbing wax resist, painted with water paint.
Storytime was “The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle, which is wonderful and apropos.
science | Comments (6)6 Responses to “Autumn Nature Walk”
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You’re such a great teacher! Love that idea.
I love this exercise! It reminds me of my grammar school years, where so many “projects” were based on natural themes: sprouting plants from seeds, making collages out of prairie debris, visiting the local wildlife preserve, and so on. These lessons pay huge dividends down the road, as the next generation has a more profound appreciation for the earth (and everything living on it)–in an era where exposure to the environment entails tuning in to the Discovery Channel.
I have done this with my students and was surprised of the wide range of prior knowledge each student brings to the table! It was great to see them sharing their thoughts on what kind of leaves they found and producing excellent guesses on how the objects came to be found on the ground. This activity was also a great way to have students notice littering and how it hurts the environment. This is a great activity!
We actually did that project at the Boys & Girls club here in Menominee, MI. The kids really enjoyed getting to be outside and gather up their tiny “treasures”. What a wonderful idea to get kids to be active and learn at the same time!
Amy,
This is a great way to get kids to take a walk – AND – have some fun. They actually start noticing their neighborhood and commenting on it. My kids are always looking for rocks and sticks and would probably love an exploration like this one.
Yarina
I love this! Avery and I were planning on doing something very similar to this idea this weekend.