Homeschool environmental education activities

[Gellar]

I work at a nature center and we are closed to the public so I will share with all of you some of the activities we do here and are adaptable for different ages and any environment.

activity 1: scavenger hunt

we try to use all of the senses, this one is for young kids, less then 2nd grade. You can make it harder or easier.

 

[Gellar]

Activity 2: owl pellets

everyone loves owls. An owl pellet is what the owl can’t digest, including bones, feathers and fur. We find owl pellets under pine trees and even more in bird houses.(open the birdhouse and clean all the debris out being careful to find the pellets.)

 

[Gellar]

Activity 3: Unnature hike

this works good if you have a trail or not. Find 15 objects around the house and hide the within 3 feet of the trail, sidewalk,driveway or whatever and below eye level. Lead the kids on the trail not showing them any of the objects. At the end of the trail ask them how many objects they have found. Take them back along the coarse and show them each object.

 

[Gellar]

Activity 4: life cycles

spring is the rebeginning of the lifecycle for many critters. Make this cool insect lifecycle wheel and talk about how they start as eggs, hatch into larva,form a chrysalis and go through metamorphosis and finally lay eggs themselves to continue the lifecycle

 

[Gellar]

Activity 4: decomposing log ( my favorite) find three logs small enough to carry to you garage in different stages of decomposition. If they have moss and fungus growing on them even better. Acting like a scientist note the different smells, textures and feelings of each log. Using your hands, tools or whatever tear apart the log and look for things that may be inside it like pill bugs, spiders, worms, etc. if your library is open or is delivering books “a logs life” by Wendy pfifer is a good accompaniment. Sorry no pictures of this activity.

 

[Gellar]

Activity 5: survivor
Give your students a scenario in which they are lost or need to survive. Give them a list of things they have and ask for their level of importance or tell them they may only take some of the items. Which ones would they take and why? Talk about their reasoning and if you think it was a good decision.

 

[Gellar]

If you can go to the library or have it delivered this a book I use for impromptu field trips. They all take little resources and preparation.

 

[AggieHunter]

So far my environmental education is hiking through the mountains looking for turkeys!

 

[Gellar]

So far my environmental education is hiking through the mountains looking for turkeys!

The best environmental education happens when you start a hike with intentions of finding something but stumble on something else. Trees, tracks, bugs, erosion, rocks. lots of good environmental education opportunities while searching for turkeys. Happy scouting!

 

[AggieHunter]

Very true, so far it’s deer, elk “, and a couple of lion kills

 

[Gellar]

The National Park service has wonderful education resources for students. Here are some that Glacier National Park shares!

Glacier Lesson Plans - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov