By Felicia V. Gaddis
Summer has arrived, school is out and you are probably trying to find something for your young gifted child to do that will engage and satisfy their insatiable curiosity. May I suggest conducting a backyard safari?
Backyard Safari is a creative way to explore the natural world around you.听 It’s great if you can travel to exotic locations like the Serengeti, the Amazon or the mountains of Rwanda to see gorillas in their natural habitat, however, most of us don鈥檛 have the time or resources for this but we all have a backyard or local park with plenty of wonderful things for us to explore.
You can make it a real adventure for younger children by having them make some of the necessary safari gear.听 A pith helmet can be made from a paper plate, paper bowl and string. 听A safari vest made from a brown paper bag. 听Have your child decorate their items to make them look as authentic as possible as they embark on their safari adventure.
There are also safari kits available to purchase online with hats and vest pre-made but making them yourself adds an additional artistic element to the fun.
Once you and your child have the proper attire, you will need the tools of the trade.听 These are items every naturalist needs to explore the wild.听 Binoculars, a magnifying glass, flashlight, compass, a butterfly net and a container for the specimens you collect are the basics for your naturalist and there are plenty of kits available online.
You can also make most of the items needed yourself.听 Depending on the age and imagination of your child, you can make a simple or quite elaborate flashlight, magnifying glass, butterfly catcher and even binoculars.听 You can find links to instructions and pre-made kits below.
Now that you have your attire and your gear, it鈥檚 time to go out into the wild, but what exactly do you do once your out there?听 Part of the fun is learning how to identify and catalog what you see and there are some great resources out there teach you how to do this.
is a book publisher and website host that publishes practical content for creative self-reliance, covering subjects from homesteading to natural health. Their article is an excellent beginner鈥檚 guide to data collecting.
There鈥檚 also the , produced by Wenatchee Valley College in Washington state, which includes a link to a 听Field Journal Lesson Plan and Field Journal Exercises for 4th to 12th graders that you can download free.
is a publisher that produces books, teaching materials and hold events and classes to promote nature stewardship through science, education, and art.听 Their curriculum, 听 is available for free on their website as well.
If you would prefer to use a high-tech method to collect and catalog your data, there are some new and exciting options.
is an app, available on for smartphones and as a website, that allows the user to take pictures of flora and fauna and with the touch of a button, the app will identify the specimen鈥檚 genus and species, give you it鈥檚 common name and allow you to upload your photo to its database which is accessible to amateur and professional naturalist globally.听 You can also create communities that are age appropriate for your child and confine the community to your local area (i.e., school, friends, neighbor) or connect with scientists globally who use the iNaturalist to collect data for research.
is a website and mobile app that is dedicated to the study of birds.听 Hosted by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a division of Cornell University, eBird allows scientists to crowdsource information about birds from all over the world by using 鈥渃itizen scientists鈥�. It is the world鈥檚 largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year by eBirders around the world.
eBird is an excellent resource for the older student.听 It is geared more towards the undergraduate student and even has online classes designed for beginner and advanced bird watchers through the Cornell Lab Bird Academy.听 The first course, 鈥渆Bird Essentials鈥� is free however other courses are available for a fee ranging from $29.99 to $239.99.
Regardless of whether your child is in kindergarten or college-bound, Backyard Safari is a fun and engaging way to investigate and better understand our natural world.听 I鈥檝e included additional resources below to help with your exploration.听 Enjoy the safari!
Back Yard Safari Resources
Young Naturalist鈥檚 Explorer Kits available online
Adventure Kids – Outdoor Explorer Exploration Children’s Toys Kit 12 pack
A & H Kids Explorer Kit-Outdoor Adventure Backpack with Toys: Flashlight, Binoculars, Whistle, Compass & More for Kids-Gift Sets for Children for Camping, Educational Boy Girl STEM Kit
Xplorerz 23-PACK Outdoor Explorer Kit For Kids-Kids Bug Catcher Kit For Kids-Outdoor Exploration Kit For Kids-Nature Outdoor Kids-Kids Explorer Kit-Adventure Pack For Kids Toys Bug Kit
How To Make Your Own Tools
How to make a portable compass
How to make a safari (pith) helmet
How to make a magnifying glass
How to make a flashlight
How to make a butterfly net
How To Make Working Binoculars
How To Make A Telescope
(This could be adapted to make binoculars)
Data Collection Resources
Ten Tips for Becoming an Observant Naturalist
by in
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Which provides a and听 as well as a host of other resources to teach your child how to be a good, responsible naturalist, regardless of their age.
Which contains a link to a free nature journaling booklet.
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