I always knew I wanted to raise boys. To be exact, I hoped for three boys and a girl. This may happen yet.
As a mom of boys, I pictured lots of adventures. Lots of dirt. Lots of skinned knees. And certainly lots of hugs. I can’t say that I ever imagined going on a nature walk in search of poo. And yet, that is where I found myself yesterday. Walking through our woods looking for animal poo. Or scat to be technical, which is what I am teaching my boys to say so that maybe people won’t know what my boys are talking about when asked what they did that day.
The woods behind our house– green and full of natural treasures to find.
In the past two days, we have looked for scat and animal tracks, identified trees, handled bugs (alive and dead), and discussed all manner of things about each subject. I can honestly say that these are far and away some of my favorite moments with my boys. Learning and exploring together isn’t just about acquiring more knowledge or being able to rattle off facts about how many legs insects and spiders have. It is the togetherness that I love. Entering into their excitement. Experiencing anew the wonder of the natural world. Sharing some of my (limited) knowledge of fauna and flora.
Exploring our yard and the outdoors is not new to us. But I wanted to share a couple of the books that we have been using that are enriching our experiences and giving our explorations a little more meaning. These books were given to the boys as Christmas gifts but we are just now really starting to dig into them and are finding that they are treasures for young kids who love the outdoors. Or for parents who want to help guide their littles in that direction. Boy or girl!
Fun With Nature: Take Along Guide
Fun With Nature: Take Along Guide is an awesome field guide for children. It has sections on all kinds of plants and animals you might encounter outside. Each section gives easy to understand details in small chunks and there are great illustrations on every page. We have read pages together before nap time and while we are out in the woods.
identifying a tree from it’s leaves and seeds
From a practical standpoint, I appreciate the hardcover and thick, glossy pages because I know that the book will need to be durable if we are going to be carrying it around in the woods all the time.
Each section also includes a few pages of related activity ideas (low-tech Pinterest!) and several blank pages to add your own notes and pictures.
Honestly, I think my favorite section might be Tracks, Scats, and Signs. I love how searching for signs that animals have been around makes our walks so much more interactive (albeit slow). I also love that the author lets the readers know that “most [scats] are not stinky”. Good to know.
The Secret Live of Backyard Bugs
The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs is much like the Fun With Nature field guide, but is specific to only bugs. The book is filled with over a hundred pages of colorful pictures of all kinds of insects. Most insects have two dedicated pages of facts, and again, the facts are presented in small chunks that are easy to follow.
Today when Jack found a dead bug on the ground, we used this book to identify what kind of bug it is. Later the boys used their magnifying glass to give it a closer inspection too.
Keeping Track of Nature Treasures
I’m all for the kids collecting treasures outside to study and enjoy. As long as they.all.stay.outside.
I emptied out a container that previously stored beads and gave it to the boys to keep their finds. Repurposed and organized…Score!
I look forward to many more days of observation and learning.
And I’m sure once Molly is bigger, she will participate to some degree. For today, her natural exploration just involved trying to eat grass…
What are your kids favorite things to look for when outside?
Ai says
“I’m all for the kids collecting treasures outside to study and enjoy. As long as they.all.stay.outside.” That’s my motto too! 🙂