Embrace the beauty of the fall season with a child- led walking adventure while creating a unique nature necklace! Preschoolers and early elementary children are naturally curious about the world around them. Discovering treasures on a walk, such as leaves, twigs, grass, and seeds, will surely be a big hit with this particular age group.
BOOKS/EDUCATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS & THOUGHTFUL REMINDERS:
Are you looking for book recommendations to enhance
your nature walks? Check out We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger, Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, and Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. These books will undoubtedly spark curiosity and make this outdoor activity even more exciting!
Before going on a nature walk, remind young children to collect fallen items instead of picking beautiful flowers. As tempting as it is, perhaps taking a photo and not disturbing nature can help them reflect on their experiences and learn more about preserving nature, thus creating a lifelong love for the environment. The images taken on the walk could be added to a science center or home photo album, and if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, check out https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app. This informative application helps to identify plants, animals, insects, birds, and fungi through a scanned photo from a phone. When young children are exposed to binomial nomenclature, they often remember various plants’ origins and scientific names rather than common names (even at this age) because they are wonderfully silly to say. Have fun and slowly learn the botanical names and origins with them. Children get excited when exposed to big words that they can ultimately tie to the projects they discovered and created; a lot of learning is happening, and they don’t realize it! This, by far, is the best kind of learning! Remember to make the activities age-appropriate and fun, allowing all children to learn at their own pace to foster a love for nature and scientific exploration.
Follow the steps below to create this unique nature necklace while walking on a fall adventure:
MATERIALS NEEDED:
7- inch Square Posterboard
5-inch Square Clear Con-Tact Paper
Natural Treasures Found on Walk
Ribbon or Yarn
Scissors
Hole Punch
DIRECTIONS:
- Cut a 7-inch square from a posterboard.
- Using markers or colored pencils, write the child’s name at the top of the square and decorate if desired.
- Punch two holes (one on each side of the child’s name, then thread yarn or ribbon through the hole, creating a necklace chain that suits the child’s preference. Ensure it is long enough to fit around their neck comfortably.
- Tape a slightly smaller square of Con-Tact paper (approximately 5-inch square) and center on the posterboard square so the sticky adhesive side of the clear Con-Tact paper faces outward.
- Once the necklace is around the child’s neck, it’s time for a walking adventure. As items are discovered, they should be gently pressed into the square-shaped necklace.
The necklace could be worn and enjoyed, displayed in a science area, or hung from yarn or ribbon to celebrate fall within the home or classroom. Children should be encouraged to share their stories of their walking adventures with friends and family.
LEARNING EXTENSION:
Scientist for a Day! Allow children to pretend they discovered a plant no one has ever seen. What does it look like? Where does it like to live? Does the plant have other exciting features? Ask them to come up with a scientific name for their plant. My guess is they will be silly!
