Education Corner: Nature Walks and Plant Identification
Have you ever seen a tree, flower, or vegetation and wondered what plant is that?
How do you identify a plant? How do you teach young children about plants? How do you get younger kids to be interested in the various plants in your own backyard? I’ll be discussing some of these answers and more in this month’s edition of Education Corner.
Activity #1 Name: Nature Walk and Art
Age: Preschool and Elementary School
Supplies needed:
Paint, markers, chalk, stickers, or crayon
Plate
Paintbrushes, Cotton balls, Q-tips
Paper
Tarp, posters, large boxes
Clay
Leaves, sticks, acorns, pine cones, rocks, branches, shells, flowers, feathers, seeds, etc.
Procedure:
Go on a nature walk in a local park or your neighborhood. As you enjoy the beautiful outdoors, collect various items such as leaves, sticks, acorns, rocks, shells, flowers, and seeds.
Place a tarp, poster, or large, flattened boxes on the ground to create a workspace for the kids. Get out your paints, markers, chalk, crayons. Have another area with the items you found on the nature walk such as leaves, sticks, acorns, pinecones, rocks, shells, flowers, feathers, seeds, etc.
Have fun together! Get creative making lots of nature art on the posters, tarp, or large boxes.
Additional ideas:
Press leaves, shells, or flowers into air drying clay to make a nature print. You can decorate them if you want. If you poke holes in the clay then you can make it into an ornament, pendant or magnet. Make sure to give it enough time for the masterpiece to dry.
Create a nature mobile using the items you found and clay/string.
Make a nature diorama with the items you gathered on your nature walk.
Questions for kids:
What colors do you see? Try sorting the items by colors.
How does each item feel (rough, smooth, fluffy)?
For younger kids: count the items you found. For older kids: separate items into categories (leaves, sticks, feathers, etc.)
What kind of bird do you think this feather came from?
Take pictures of the artwork or nature items. Repeat this activity again another time (e.g. a different season, month, or location) and then ask what’s different about what you see today compared to last week/month/season.
Activity #2 Name: Nature Hike and Identification of Plants
Age: Middle School
Supplies needed:
Magnifying glass and binoculars (optional if you want to look for birds on the hike).
Bag to collect various items on your nature hike
Gloves (recommended)
Various nature identification books from the library You can also check out the Florida Native Plant Society website.
Notebook and pencils
Procedure:
Explore a new nature park or neighborhood with a wide variety of vegetation. Each family member picks out a different plant to identify. Where do you start?
Use the magnifying glass to really look at the parts of the plant. As you look at the various plant characteristics, use the nature identification books to help you identify the type of plant it is. See the questions below to help.
Some great learning or reviewing concepts for this age group can be photosynthesis, parts of plants, native vs invasive plants, and deforestation impacts.
Fun activity: Discover if all leaves are the same.
Questions for kids:
Determine what is the plant type (shrub, tree, flower, vine, etc).
Recognize what part of the state you live in and recognize that there are so many different ecosystems throughout Florida (is your neighborhood located near shrub pines, swamps, marsh, etc.?) Is this plant growing in full or partial sun?
Does it flower and if so, what is the shape, color, and structure? Where do the flowers grow on the plant? When do the flowers bloom (certain time of day, months, or seasons?)
In order to identify a tree or certain shrubs, observe the bark texture and color. Stem structure and texture are also important in identifying certain vegetation.
Observe how the leaves grow on the plant (on the base of the plant and do they grow out opposite or alternating).
If you cut a flower or branch off the plant, does it excrete sap? What color is it and how does it feel?
Does the plant have any berries, seeds, thorns, or fruit? Make observations on the shape, texture, color, and size. Have you noticed any particular wildlife near the plant?
Over time you might be able to make observations if a plant loses its leaves in fall or if it dies back to the ground. As time passes, you will be able to determine if the plant grows back in the same spot or sprouts up in a different location. You can probably determine over longer periods of time if the plant is perennial or annual.
Additional learning resources:
For teens and adults:
Enjoy exploring together as a family!
Until next time,
Mrs. Bandy :)