Summer Nature Study
Tips for Summer Nature Study ::
Arrange your schedule to go outside early in the morning (tip: eat breakfast outside)
Arrange your schedule to go outside late at night (tip: full moon hike or scorpion hunting)
Many local nature sites, such as Desert Botanical Garden, offer early/late hours during the summer
Take spray bottles of water to mist the kids during outdoor nature study
Turn on your sprinklers before or after nature study in the yard
Visit a nature site with water (i.e. a creek, Hassayampa River Preserve, Gilbert Riparian Preserve, Arizona Falls)
The Phoenix Zoo has great splash pads to cool off before or after nature study
Visit a pool or splash pad and do nature study nearby while the kids are still wet
Do outdoor nature study near a library and then relax in the library's cool air conditioning afterward
Find indoor areas such as an aquarium or the koi pond at Embassy Suites Biltmore
Study pets, insect farms, and/or indoor gardens
Add a bird feeder in your yard where you can watch from indoors
Pull out specimens you have collected throughout the year and revisit them
Borrow a resource box or kit from the Arizona Game & Fish Department (click here)
Watch episodes from Arizona Wildlife Views (click here)
Watch episodes from The Desert Speaks (click here)
Take day trips to the mountainous areas of the state (don't forget Mt. Lemmon in Tucson)
Pack your nature study materials when you go on vacation to the beach, etc.