What Can You Do?

Want to get your kids outside but don't know where to start? It's easy -- here are some tips to get you started:

Let your children take the lead and follow their pace. Instincts can be a child's most valuable guide when discovering nature. With their innate curiosity, your kids will quickly find something for the family to explore.

Don't be afraid of not knowing the answers. You don't have to know everything about plants and animals to help your children enjoy them; half the fun is asking questions and building a sense of curiosity and wonder together.

Enjoy nature in your neighborhood. You don't have to go far. Planting a garden or climbing trees with your kids can launch a life-long love of plants, insects and animals.

Hold a scavenger hunt in the park or backyard. Ask kids to find flowers, bird tracks, squirrels, something that makes noise, colors in nature, worms and insects in the soil. Click here for an animal discovery activity suggested by the staff of the Chicago Park District.

Explore Lake Michigan. With miles of public beaches to explore, you can engage all of your child's senses as you discover the treasures of this key natural resource. The Education Department of the Shedd Aquarium has put together a list of activities your family can do at the lake. Click here to begin your exploration.

Follow birds throughout the year. Observing birds in their natural habitat can be a thrilling experience for novice and experienced bird-watchers alike! Follow the tips offered here by the Education Chair of the Chicago Audubon Society.

Explore the night sky. Discovering the natural world doesn't happen only during the day. Take your child outside at night and look up. Do this daily, or at least weekly, for a month and note the many phases of the moon. Make up names for constellations and then look up actual names. Draw the phases or "faces" of the moon. Don't forget to listen to the sounds of the night. How do they differ from the sounds heard during the day? (This activity is adapted from the Chicago Park District Urban Naturalist newsletter)

Find inspiration in the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights. As a family, resolve to check off all ten items on the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights this year or this summer. Your local park district, forest preserve district, nature center, school, educational farm, or nature museum likely offers outdoor programs that would help your family along the way.

The richly illustrated, full-color Enjoying Chicago Wilderness with Your Family book is packed with kid-tested activities you can do throughout the year. There are backyard and neighborhood activities like Raising Monarch Butterflies and making Insect Traps. You'll want to take a nature expedition for activities like Casting Tracks and a Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt. Try a sample activity: Raising Monarch Butterflies (PDF, 0.6Mb). The book is available for a suggested donation of $5 (includes shipping/handling) at the website of the Chicago Wilderness Magazine.