Nature Trail – Learning Activity for Children

There are many wonderful outdoor activities you can share with your children and a nature trail is a perfect example.

When the weather allows, children should get as much fresh air as possible, and running around outdoors is a perfect way for your kids to learn more about the world around them. It will also help them to appreciate nature and learn to respect the environment.

Pick a walk in a national park, that is specified to be an easy trail and suitable conditions for children. Try to stick to shorter walks, your kids won’t tire as easily and will absorb much more in shorter patches of time.

* Point out different objects to your children:

Talk about all the different things that you see, and allow your children to do the same. It will be very interesting what they observe and they might even notice things that you missed. You could encourage this by playing the old favorite “eye-spy” Don’t make it too hard for younger children, and there is no harm in giving them clues. This will help kids look more closely at their surroundings, and notice things they wouldn’t have noticed before. Ask your kids to name everything they see that is a particular color, or everything that flies, or breaths, for example.

* Make up a story:
Get creative with your child, and help them use their imagination. You can make up a story about what you have both observed in nature. Make it fun, by taking turns in telling what happens next. It doesn’t matter if the story makes not sense, or is funny, or silly. Your children will thrive on the experience.

* Listen to the sounds of nature:
Ask your child what they can hear, and see if they can guess what is making that sound. Encourage your child to be a quiet as a mouse for a short amount of time, and see how much they can hear that they couldn’t before.

Talk about the seasons with your child, and help him observe the changes that are happening in nature at that time of the year. Flowers might be in different stages of growth, animals might be hibernating if it is the right time of year. The leaves on the trees might be changing color depending on the season.

If the park you are in has an observation or information center, be sure to visit it with your child before you leave. This will be an excellent learning experience as well, as there might be maps, and further information on what you and your child have already observed during your walk. Many national parks also have exhibits that are very hand on learning for children, and an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Nature walks are a perfect outdoor activity, and better still there are so many different ones to go on, that your child will learn new things about nature and different landscapes and types of environments. For example a nature walk by the ocean will be a very different learning experience from one in a forest, but just as valuable to your child’s learning.

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