nature Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Nature for Kids Observing Spring with Your Senses

Just before the pollen took hold of our region of the United States JDaniel and I explored the nature trail in his Nana’s retirement community. It was such fun to take in all the spring had on display on that pretty trail for us to view and take in. We decided to make this a nature for kids learning activity by looks for signs of spring we could smell, see and touch.

One of JDaniel’s favorite parts of the trail is the swings that are scattered up and down it. As he sat of the swing and I pushed him from behind, I thought about how we could use four out of our five senses to observe spring.

Hearing Sounds of Spring

He could sit for hours and listen to the sounds of the spring. There are the calls that come from birds in the lush trees. There is the rippling of the water feature that was right across from this swing. There was the movement of the tree branches as a slight breeze went by. There was also the squeak that came from the swing as I pushed it. It almost said spring as it moved back and forth.

Smells of Spring

The tree blossoms weren’t in full bloom , but we could smell the initial perfume that they put out. The new green leaves also gave off a fresh scent. There was also a slightly damp smell coming of the swing. Spring is filled with some many different smells.

Seeing Spring

JDaniel couldn’t slow down once he got off the swing. He was all over the trail looking at all the plants and trees. There were so many different shades of green and brown to observe. There were early spring plants that were festive and dressed up for Easter. Some plants were still dormant and hadn’t realized winter had passed and spring had arrived. Others were just starting to show their spring displays.

Thankfully each plant had a sign in front of it. JDaniel kept asking me what each plant was.

Touching Spring

JDaniel had the best time showing me each of the treasures and describing what it felt like. Some were soft and smooth while others were hard and bumpy. There were seed pods, pine cones, leaves, small twigs and so much more.

There were some many treasures that plants had deposited on the ground for JDaniel to find. By the end of the trail I wished that I had brought a paper bag with me to hold all of them. Since I didn’t, I asked JDaniel to find special places to hide them on the trail for others to find.

I hope you will each be able to head and out observe spring. It has so many things for us to see, hear, touch, and smell. This nature for kids activity is one your kids will ask to do again and again.

Here are some more nature for kids activities:

Backyard Nature Table

Do You See Animals When You Hike?

This post is linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday.

JDaniel dragged a plastic table off the deck and began searching the yard for items that he could display on his backyard nature center table.

He took the job very seriously and placed only things he really wanted to display on it. Flowers from bushes in the yard didn’t make the cut. Wood and dirt along with other ground coverings were necessary.

Once the items had been gathered, they had to be arranged in a specific way. The background of why each item is placed where was not shared with me by the display’s curator. I was advised that it should remain just the way it is.

When he finished, he was left with a dilemma. Who would visit his nature center table? The two preschool-age boys next door were invited over along with their dad to view it. One visit seemed to be enough for them.

So, today I am inviting you to view his backyard nature center display. A display of this kind deserves visitors beyond the ones available in our neighborhood.

Feel free to stop by often and share your thoughts on this wonderful exhibit. The actual display will remain open until early summer when the director of the backyard will probably remove it.

If you choose to open a display like this in your backyard, please let me know I would love to visit it virtually too.

This post is being linked to Alphabe Thursday.