We love to build woodland houses! We pretend they are for fairies or gnomes or other teeny creatures. One time we found a lady bug living in a little house we built. Use big pieces of bark, small branches, cones and leaves to make a structure. Moss makes a beautiful soft floor for the house, small leaves can make a path. Acorn caps are great little cups or plates, tiny cones make pretend food. Exercise your imagination!
Dig into the dirt to make a small tunnel for imaginary woodland creatures to burrow in. What kinds of animals live underground? What could you make for them so they can be cozy and comfortable in their burrow?
Go back inside and get crafty! We have woodland house kits available to get you started, or look around your house for items you can use to make fun additions to your imaginary houses.
Look for Tracks:
Can you find any animals tracks? Is there a place nearby that gets muddy? Check out Vashon Nature Center’s blog post about animals tracks and find a link to learn more!
Dirt Graph:
Choose a place where it is safe to do a little digging. Get a shovel and a bucket, a piece of paper and clipboard, and a garbage back or large plastic container or tray. We are going to find out what is in one shovel-full of dirt!
Scoop with your shovel and put what you find in the bucket. Move to a flat space where you can sit and work for a while. Dump the bucket onto a large tray or plastic bag and start sifting through to organize the contents. Rocks can go in one pile, sticks or leaves in their own spot. Make notes about what you find! Are there worms or other living organisms that you can see? What was on top of the soil when you dug in? Leaves? Moss? Lichen? Sticks? Fungi?
You can get as detailed as you like. Make notes, count items, tally it all up. When you are done, make a chart or graph of your findings. This could be organized any way you like- pie chart, line graph, picture diagram. Isn’t it amazing to see what there is inside one small shovelful of earth?!
Nature Sketchbook:
