Bundle up the Kids and Play Outside

 

When the weather is cold, you may hear kids complaining that there is nothing to do.  Video games and computer games keep kids indoors even when it is not cold. It is no surprise that kids like to play games so make a winter outdoor game fun and inviting.  Check out this month's wildlife news article featured below on winter activities for children and let the games begin - outside!      - Melody Bell Wilkes  

  

 

 

 

CONNECTING CHILDREN TO NATURE AT YOUR LOCATION

    

 

 

 

 

"Snow Babies" - A NEW Wildlife Program on Winter Hibernation for Kids!

 

Children love learning how animals survive the winter in our new wildlife program called "Snow Babies."   In this exciting program, children learn about hibernation, migration, torpor in bats and different techniques a variety of animals use to get through winter's wrath.  In our recent presentation pictured above, the kids had fun choosing an animal and figuring out where to place it in our simulated winter scene.  Children decided if their animal lived in the big black cave, under the tree log, snuggled in a burrow under a leaf pile, hiding in a tree cavity, buried in mud or if it flew south to the tropics. Of course, live animals rounded out the program with each child getting a chance to touch some tropical and temperate zone animals. 

 

Snow Babies is our newest seasonal program only available during the winter months. 

If you would like a Snow Babies program at your site, please call 704-436-9048.     

 

 

 

 

 

Teachers & Students at Stanly Community College have a new

online course on Sea Turtles

 

Getting children connected to nature starts early and the students and teachers at Stanly Community College thinks so too.  We were happy to present our program on Sea Turtles "Gentle Giants of Sand and Sea" to Christy Hopkins's students, the college's Early Childhood Coordinator, Advisor and Instructor.  Our taped presentation is now available online to the college students for supplemental viewing under the math and science category.  Thanks Christy and all the undergraduate students that have made it a priority to teach about nature. 

 

If you are interested in a teacher workshop, please let us know.  

We work with many educators providing tips and techniques in incorporating

hands-on environmental science lessons in the classroom.    

 

  

 

UPCOMING PUBLIC PROGRAMS FROM A WALK IN THE WOODS 

 

 

 

Pictured:  Children are in awe over the size of "Digger"

 a Brazilian salmon pink birdeating tarantula from the South American Rainforests. 

She travels to programs in a locked tank that houses her huge web. 

Enjoy her and other large arthropods in our insect program.   

INSECTS - "Nothing BUGS ME"     

Where:  Camp T.N. Spencer, 3155 Foxford Rd, Concord     When:  Saturday, February 13, 2010   Time:  1:00 - 2:00 pm      Cost:  $5 each

To register, please call Camp Spencer at 704-920-3350

Insects - fast, flying, creepy, crawling and good for the planet.  Learn about the world of insects and understand why they are so important to our environment.  See the largest moth in the world, the Atlas Moth, and the bluest butterfly on the planet, the Blue Morpho, plus other interesting insect mounts from China and Southeast Asia.  Live and large tropical insects will be there too.  Meet "Digger", a 6-inch bird eating tarantula from Brazil and watch "Esmeralda", an African Emperor Scorpion, glow in the dark.  The crowd favorite will be there too for you to meet and touch, "Miss Hiss and the Cupboard Crew," the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.  Don't get bugged but learn the bug basics!

We have a variety of wildlife programs for everyone.  There are programs for adults as well as programs for preschoolers to high school students.  Celebrate your child's birthday with live animals!  Scouts can even earn their wildlife badges.  To schedule a wildlife program for your group, call 704-436-9048.  For more information about programs, fees and scheduling, please visit the website at www.awalkinthewoods.us. 

 

 Winter Activities for Children

By:  Melody Bell Wilkes

A Walk in the Woods

All rights reserved

It’s winter, it’s cold outside and the children are complaining that there is simply not enough to do.  Sometimes it is not easy to get the kids outside in the middle of winter to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine but there are tactics you can use.   Making a game of outdoor activities is a sure way to keep the kids connected to the outdoors instead of spending more time watching TV. 

An easy way to involve kids with outdoor winter activities is to design a scavenger hunt for natural objects.  You don’t have to have a big yard to find natural items.  A park, trail, garden or even a walk down the street can produce some amazing things.   With some ingenuity, a scavenger hunt can be played continuously and modified to make it interesting and fun.  Offering a small prize as they find objects will pique their interest to find everything on their list. 

Deciding what to put on the list is simple.  Go outside and look around.  In a tree, can you find a squirrel’s nest, an old bird’s nest or a tree cavity that might house a raccoon or owl?  Are there berries for bird’s to eat on your holly bushes or other plants (make sure the kids don’t try to eat the berries)?  What kind of leaves can you find?   Can you find evergreen leaves from a pine tree, cedar tree, holly or other evergreen plant?  Hunt for natural items on the ground such as mosses, different colored leaves, mushrooms and lichens growing on bark or rocks.   Can you identify the leaves that you find?  Can you find fungus growing on a rotting log?  Do you see any holes in the ground that may house a hibernating animal?  Did you find any birds eating seeds or berries?  To keep it fun, list some items that are easy to find as well as other items that are more difficult. 

With a little effort on your part, kids can spend their time and energy outside enjoying a beautiful winter day.  The excitement in seeing kids using their senses to discover something new is quite rewarding, for you and them.   So get outside and enjoy a winter walk in the woods!

A Walk in the Woods is proud to work in cooperation with local newspapers to provide them with wildlife articles on a monthly basis.  Learn about the wonders of wildlife - it's in the news of the following papers:

Harrisburg Horizons - servicing the Harrisburg community 

The Salisbury Post - servicing Rowan and Cabarrus County

Please check back for more upcoming programs!