February 9th, 2012 
Studies show that children who play and explore outdoors are less stressed and may develop more confidence and social skills. Don’t let the cold weather scare you away – whether you live in a part of the country still under winter’s blanket of snow or like me, in a warmer, desert climate, February is a great time to explore nature with your kids. Here are three easy ways to get outside and learn about the wildlife around you.
Photo Credit: naturerocks.org
1) Nature Rocks
Log onto NatureRocks.org, a non-profit partner of groups like the Nature Conservancy, REI, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a slew of ideas on ways to get your family out into nature. Nature Rocks is a national program to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature.
Use their website’s online tools to search seemingly endless exploration activities that are sure to engage the whole family. Simply enter your region or ages of your kids and plan your weekend fun today!
Photo Credit: naturerocks.org
February is National Bird-Feeding month (who knew?!) and the National Bird-Feeding Society wants to encourage families to experience the wonders of the birds in their own backyards. Feeding birds during the winter months helps them when food is scarce. Kids can observe them from inside or outside. Visit their website for information on America’s most wanted backyard birds and download their guide to better bird feeding.
I recently stumbled upon a great way to involve my preschoolers in observing the birds in our backyard by making birdseed cookies for them.
3) Take a Hike
Just because there’s snow on the ground, doesn’t mean the kids can’t observe plenty of wildlife. Bundle up the kids and take a nature walk around your neighborhood, or through the woods to observe the natural signs of the season. Look for animal tracks, observe icicles and collect pinecones. Kids can also take photos or draw their observations after returning home.
