5 Activities to Teach Kids About Nature

Kids are naturally curious, so getting them engaged in nature is easy. Explore the outdoors together with these 5 Activities to Teach Kids About Nature.

Watching a child learn about the world that exists around them is one of the most pleasurable things we can do as adults. The wonder in their eyes as they watch the miracle of life and nature is almost like living it all over again for yourself. Kids are naturally curious, so getting them engaged in nature is rather easy. Simply find something that they don’t know about and you generally will have a captive audience.

Here are 5 Activities to Teach Kids About Nature and have a heck of a lot of fun in the process!

5 Activities to Teach Kids About Nature

Collect and Compare Leaves- Leaves are all around us and we often take them for granted. If you want to really watch your kids get excited, have them go on a leaf collecting journey. Have them collect leaves and explain to them that they should only get one of each kind. This is always a good time for them because it is relatively easy and fun to find leaves that are different.

Once they have gathered a significant number of leaves, sit down in a circle and compare them all. Talk about how leaves are part of the cycle of plant life and what their functions are. Kids will be captivated by every moment of this nature activity.

Catch Tadpoles- If you are fortunate enough to have clean water and a stream to visit, catching tadpoles can be a great deal of fun. If you are unable to catch tadpoles, you could always hunt for crawfish. One or both of these species will be found in most creeks and are totally harmless. Just be sure that you are careful if you try to go after crawfish and actually catch them. They will pinch a bit. Use caution and be watchful for snakes.

Teach Snake Safety- Most areas of the country have at least one or two venomous snake species. These snakes are not our enemies, but they are certainly worthy of our respect and distance. Teaching kids the truth about snakes will not only keep them safe, it will also help to eliminate the culture of fear surrounding these wonderful creatures. The basics are simple, discuss where you find snakes, how to avoid them, what not to do, and what they should do if they ever are bitten. This is one nature activity session that will keep them totally zoned in and listening.

Build a Shelter- Shelter building is not something that we should take for granted. If our children ever became lost in the woods, it would be a vital skill to help them survive. Knowing these types of skills also gives a child confidence in themselves and their ability to survive in a scary world. Every skill we can give them helps in that regard. Basic shelter such as a lean to or dome shaped coverings are very easy to make and are wonderful projects to do as a class or group.

Teach Foraging Skills- Again, this is something they will probably never need to do. Despite that, knowing how to “live off the land” is a skill that every person should know. Kids learning it will certainly boost their confidence levels. People do not realize the countless plants and herbs that are found naturally throughout our world. Do some studying in your local area of what plants to look for and take your kids out and teach them. You can also teach them home remedies that are found in nature such as mud for bug screen and aloe for burns.