BEFORE YOU START Unless your activity is taking place in the garden, you will need: 1. A Day Pack With children you will need a few basic supplies. Your day pack should always include: to eat – snacks or a packed lunch depending on the outing. * Something Drinking water * Small First Aid Kit * Camera * Binoculars * Magnifying glass * Cell phone * Paper hankies or toilet paper * Coins for bus or parking *
Then, depending on the time of year, age of child and other circumstances: and/or bug repellent * Sunscreen * Hat * Underpants jacket (young children can get very cold if they aren’t moving very fast.) * Extra Pocket knife * Walking stick *
2. A Plan Check the weather forecast. If rain is a possibility bring a lightweight poncho that can go over a jacket. A wet child is a miserable child. Make sure everyone has sturdy footwear – sneakers not sandals. Have the child(ren) help in preparations. This generates its own excitement and builds the feeling of being a ‘team’. Plan how long you will be out. Start with short outings, work up to longer ones. Be considerate of parents’ feelings. Say how long you will be gone, when you expect to return (and come back on time – that way you will be popular all round).
How about a gift membership in the YOUNG NATURALISTS’ CLUB of British Columbia for your grandchildren? You can go with them on monthly Explorer Days to discover nature in your neighbourhood. One year family membership is:
Sharing Nature with your Grandchildren Enjoyable activities for all ages
$25.00 and includes the YNC ‘s magazine NatureWILD
The only quarterly publication for children that focuses on the environment and wildlife of BC. Download a membership application from our website www.ync.ca or pick up a brochure in the office.
YOUNG NATURALISTS’ CLUB
of British Columbia 1620 Mt. Seymour Road North Vancouver, BC, V7G 2R9 Email: info@ync.ca
“Young Naturalists Observe and Conserve”
IN THE GARDEN
GOING TO THE PARK
AT THE SEASHORE
Did you know that there is more life and biodiversity below ground than above it? Thousands of small organisms or ‘mini beasts’ live, on or under the soil.
ALONG THE WAY
At the seashore one hardly needs to encourage children to explore, but once again it adds to the fun to set out to discover a multitude of different organisms beyond crabs.
Mini-beast hunt: Hunt around the garden with your magnifying glasses and a clear plastic container with lid to temporarily hold your finds. Look for worms, pill bugs, millipedes, spiders, ants, slugs, snails, caterpillars, nematodes, ladybugs, aphids. You may see wasps and bees - don’t try to capture them! Handle mini-beasts gently as you put them in the container as many are very fragile. (Remember where you found them, and put them back there. They may have family waiting!) As you find the creatures examine them carefully with the magnifier. There will be lots to discuss as you carefully observe the mini-beasts. It would be great if you could take notes and/or if you have a guide to identify and name your garden’s wildlife. Questions to ask about the mini-beasts. • What is its habitat (where did you find it on a leaf, under a piece of rotting wood?) •
What colour and shape is the body? Is it all one piece or segmented (more than one piece). Is the head large or small? Does it have antenna?
• Does it have wings? How many? • How many legs (if any)? Are they jointed like yours? Does it have hairs on its body? • What else is special or different about this mini-beast? This activity might lead to your setting up an ant farm or worm composter. To find out more about life in the garden, you can build a simple pitfall trap. Most books of nature activities will have the instructions - you should be able to find a book at the local library.
Play ‘I SPY’ but stick to objects in nature - birds, trees, insects, etc. For smaller children you can ‘spy’ colour, shape, etc. Example: “I spy something square “(nest box), “something that is crawling” (ant) and so on. WHEN YOU REACH YOUR DESTINATION Use your senses Sight: Take turns telling what you can see - from up in the air to down on the ground. Touch: Rub your hands together until they are hot and tingly; feel the heat energy between your palms. Feel the bark of different trees. How many different kinds of bark can you find? Smell: Smell the bark - do different trees have different scents? Smell leaves. Sniff the moss. Shut your eyes - what else can you smell? Hearing: Block your ears for a moment and release. Then listen. What can you hear? Cup your hands behind your ears , making ‘deer ears’ Can you hear better? Turn around slowly, catch more sounds. Taste: If it is raining, taste a raindrop. If on the beach, taste the seawater. Otherwise, wait until snack time for tasting! Natural Treasures Hunt If you, the grandparent, are familiar with the park, organize a `natural treasures hunt`. Depending on the season, the kind of park and age of children, set them to look for such things as a tree stump, a nurse log, a beaver lodge, a blackberry patch, a nest or nest hole, a nest box (swallows, wood ducks, bats), a tree with blossoms or berries, sapsucker holes, a heron in the marsh or on a tree, other birds (crows, chickadees, pigeons, robins). Or make a leaf collection (only one leaf from each plant!)
Finding crab shells. Smell it - if it smells bad, it’s just a dead crab. If it smells OK, check out the back, upper edge of the crab’s shell. If it opens like the lip on a garbage can, it is a shell the crab has moulted as it grew bigger. In tide pools, look for anemones, sea stars and little fish. On a rocky beach look for shells mussels, clams, oysters, limpets, barnacles, periwinkles, bristle worms, sand hoppers, many types of seaweed including sea lettuce and rockweed (that you can pop). Best time to visit - low tides during June. A wonderful resource is the waterproof pamphlet “Explore the Rocky Shore at Stanley Park” applicable to any rocky shore and available at the YNC office, Lost Lagoon Nature House and the Aquarium.
EXPLORING PONDS AND MARSHES Wetland areas teem with life also - aquatic creatures live above, below and beside ponds. A fine mesh net from a dollar store or homemade from a wire coat hanger and a piece of stocking will do to catch creatures. A zip-lock plastic bag makes a fine temporary aquarium to study the creatures more closely. Ensure that children understand all creatures must be returned to their habitats. Remember ‘sedges have edges, reeds are round’. Discover the difference! At the same time have the children hunt for discarded cases of dragonfly nymphs that are left clinging to plants at the waters edge. These you can take home for a more detailed look.