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Backyard Discovery Zone
by Brenda Hyde
Many zoos and nature centers have "discovery
zones" for kids to learn about different animal skins and other items in
nature. You can do the same thing in your backyard. All you need is a bandana
to use as a blindfold, paper and pencil, a table and nature from your backyard.
Setting up:
Using your picnic table or other flat surface, place items from your backyard
in a row. Prepare this step where the kids can't watch. These are the types
of items you can use:
- Leaves
- Flowers; especially ones that have interesting texture such as globe
thistle.
- Seed pods like milk weed (open it up to the silky part), acorns, pine
cones, and flower seeds too.
- very tiny stones
- grass
Basically, you want to look around your yard for any type of natural item
that the kids can feel and try to identify. Set up each item in a "station"
with a number in front of it. This becomes your Backyard Discovery Zone.
Using Your Discovery Zone
Guide each blindfolded child to the stations, one at a time, and ask them
to identify the items. Write down their answers. As each child finishes,
they can watch the others. After everyone has taken a turn, look over the
answers as a group and see who did the best. Discuss why they thought their
answers were correct and what characteristics did each item have that made
it unique. At this point you can either make a trip to the library for nature
books, or have them picked out ahead of time and available for the kids to
look up the items.
Once you have set up the first time, the kids can take turns finding items
for their own zone and watching everyone, including Mom and Dad, try to identify
the items they have chosen. You can allow this to be as elaborate as you
like. Each child can make a notebook of their zone items with identification
information and drawings. They could also keep a box with the actual items
and 3x5 cards with the identification of each thing. A field trip to the
park or beach with paper sacks would be a great for finding new zone items!
A Backyard Discovery Zone is a great family project. It sharpens our children's
observation skills, as well as inspires creativity and an appreciation for
the natural world around us.
More You Might Like:
Garden Bug Rocks
Spring Bug Cupcakes
Visit a National Wildlife Refuge
Backyard Camp
Fun Outdoor Play
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a mom to three, a
freelance writer and editor. For more family projects, activities and crafts visit
The Treehouse at Old Fashioned Living
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