1st and 2nd Grade

Hike With Child in backyard, wooded area, or nature center nearby. Use the Constant Conifer Hike as a guide.

Look for trees that have needles...These are conifers. Predict how many conifer trees are in your yard. Count them and record in your journal.

Talk About Conifer leaves which we call needles.

Find Pine Cones and Compare Sizes of different cones. Compare the size of pinecones to the size of the tree. Does that make a difference?

Talk about what a Pine Cone Is. Predict what happens to a pine cone in the spring. Record a sketch in your journal.

Gather Pine Cones for Craft: Pinecone Craft Ideas for Kids

Watch the video on hibernation.

Read about the fun facts of bear hibernation with your child.

Use your imagination to draw a picture of what it looks like in a bear den. Decorate and label what you think it looks like. Some items might be real. Some might be just your imagination. Put a R next to real items you think a bear's den would have. Put an I next to items you used your imagination or pretending in your drawing.

Hike your yard or a nearby woods. What type of creatures might rest for winter in your yard? What would they need to survive?

Choose a feeder station to design with your child. Build it and find a place to put it where you are able to observe birds using it. Try to count the number of birds on the feeder, near the feeder, above the feeder, or below the feeder.

Consider making a bar chart or bar graph of the number of birds you see for a few days or the number of different color birds you observe. Make a prediction for the next day each time you observe. What might alter the count from one day to the next? Write in the time you observed your birds. Draw the clock face in your journal when your observation is done.

Find a quiet spot in your backyard to sit and listen for bird calls. Morning is Best! Record predictions for how many different calls you would hear in the time you are sitting? Were you right? Were there more or less than you predicted?

-How many different calls/songs do you hear?

-Are the calls high or low pitched?

-Are the calls fast or slow paced?

Walk around and listen to birds:

• Try to mimic the noises with kids (quietly, loudly, while “flying” (running and flapping arms) around)

• Play noises on Merlin phone app if adult recognizes call

Scavenger hunt (Talk about the similarities and difference in size, color, and height):

• A bird singing

• A bird in a tree

• A bird on the ground

• A bird with white

• A red bird

• A big bird

• A little bird

Links:

• Bird species present in Ottawa Co. and when they can be found here: Link

After observing what parts of a birds’ habitat are in your yard, create a plan with your child to add more food, water, and/or cover to your backyard.

Manipulatives are sets of materials that kids can use to help them learn to count, add, subtract, and just think about number sense and logic.

Gather a set of manipulatives from nature. These can be sticks, seeds, stones, bark, or just about anything your child enjoys collecting.

Use the manipulatives to help your child count up to ten. Arrange different series of manipulatives and have them tell you how many of each there are in your pile. Have your child use the manipulatives to set up and county by twos. Tell your child to create a pile that is less than four or more than five etc.

Want to do more? Here are 25 activities using Math Manipulatives from Nature for you to try.

Find a day where it still warms up enough to melt ice! Grab a bunch of ice cubes and head outside...

• Give your child some unstructured time with ice outside.

• Give children a plastic bowl of ice cubes and let them play. You can play, too, but participate as a peer, not a teacher. The goal is to let kids make their own discoveries.

• Kids might try the following:

  • Stirring

  • Pouring

  • Stacking

  • Building

  • Rubbing

  • “Painting” (i.e., drawing ice cubes across different surfaces to see what tracks they leave behind)

• If you like, you can also encourage kids to record their observations by drawing.

Discuss: What makes ice melt? What eventually happens to your ice "paintings"?

Help your child understand that the energy from the sun still drives change in materials even during late fall!

• Make predictions before beginning the experiment. Discuss about what makes ice melt. Ask kids to make a guess:

  • Where do you think ice will melt faster?

    1. In the sun

    2. In the shade.

• Have kids put one ice cube in the sun and the other in shade.

• Watch and note the results.

Discuss: Why did the ice left in the sun melt faster? Ask kids to stand in the sun and then stand in the shade. Can they feel the difference?