Engaging kids in nature is actually pretty easy since nature offers so much to kids. Nature activates all the senses and is real, something that kids don’t get sitting behind a computer screen. Anything in nature that they see, touch, hear, taste and smell embeds into their hearts and minds where they are less likely to forget.
That’s the beauty of nature bracelets. Nature bracelets are easy to make and give kids something to do while hiking. Just take a piece of tape and wrap it around the child’s wrist with the sticky side out. The child can then stick flowers and other plants on the tape, creating a visual memento of the hike.
We did this with kids from the Northport Community Center last week at Warner Park. We walked the park with Kelly Kearns, retired endangered resources plant expert at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The kids learned about oak trees and acorns, mint, sumac, grapes and lots more. Many of the plants were edible so the kids got to taste wild plants. We of course advised them not do this alone, since some plants are poisonous. Kelly is an expert, so we were safe in her knowledge.
After the plant exploration hike, the kids got to run down the sledding hill just for fun. They had a blast.
