We hope you enjoy these 10 easy ways to connect you and your family with nature. These fun ideas are some of our favorite activities compiled from previous lists and handouts of ours for a range of nature-themed family fun--or if you prefer some nurturing, soul feeding moments. If some of these are second nature, we encourage you to share your experience and guidance with another family and friends! Be sure to include your own experiences and ideas with us in the comments below.
Happy full moon by the way, you can start with #10 as soon as tonight!
1. Fight habitat fragmentation, create a backyard habitat. Get yours certified here: http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/
2. Create a personal meditation garden. Include the sights, smells, sounds of nature that relax you: rocks, birds, water, citrus, jasmine…
3. Why not take an evening to learn about the stars/constellations you can see. Call your local astronomy club and go to their next star party!
4. Go for a walk in the rain and notice the changes in nature. Talk with your child(ren) about new smells, how things feel, sounds. What happens to the birds, insects, trees, flowers, and people?
5. Photograph the letters of your name found in nature. Does that tree make a good Y or V? Do you see a B at the base of a leaf?
6. Plant a salad garden, a pizza garden, fruit salad garden, or even a salsa garden! There are plenty of online guidance for all ages.
7. Refill your birdfeeders. How about offering some creative—safe!—nesting materials as an additional resource for your feathered friends?
8. Collect leaves from your yard showing the life cycle of a particular tree/plant. From new green leaves to yellowing, to dried and brown.
9. Establish a secret garden for your child where they can create their own unique garden to plant collected rocks, sticks, plastic dinosaurs...
10. Go on a full moon walk. What will you experience? Once, our group encountered a drum circle in the canyon, another time a curious tarantula!
Photo: Ecosalon.com