Indoor nature study activities are a great way for you and your kids to connect with nature when it's too cold or stormy to spend much time outside. Here are 11 simple ways to bring nature study inside!
Window Bird Watching
Hang a bird feeder somewhere where it's easily visible from a window. Observe and try to identify the birds that come to visit. You could even keep a list of the birds you see or record them on a bird watching app like eBird.
Windowsill Garden
Start a small windowsill garden. Many herbs and succulents do well indoors. We currently have a small spider plant, a small cactus, and some mint growing in our kitchen window.
Snail Terrarium
To set up a snail habitat you will need:
•A small glass or plastic terrarium with a tight fitting lid and plenty of ventilation
-Some sort of chemical free substrate for the bottom of your tank like terrarium soil or coconut fiber
-A spray bottle
-A few garden snails (check your yard after a rainstorm)
Start by spreading some substrate across the bottom of your terrarium, about an inch thick.
Dampen the substrate with the spray bottle. You should spritz the tank several times a day to maintain a good humidity level in your terrarium.
You can add rocks, sticks, or even plants to your terrarium to make it more homey for your snails. Limestone rocks are great, if you have access to any, because they also provide a calcium source for your snails.
Garden snails are herbivores and eat most fruits and vegetables. Avoid acidic fruits like the citrus family. Offer lots of vegetables high in calcium (snails need it to maintain their shells) like kale, spinach, and collard greens. Snails also love cucumbers, apples, and carrots. Slice vegetables and fruit into thin slices for your snails once a day. Remove any uneaten food the next morning.
Nature Crafts
Make make nature crafts like leaf rubbings or collages made out of collected nature items.
Nature Journaling
Start a journal for sketching and recording nature observations in. Record things like birds that visit your feeder, changes you observe in the weather, the moon as it moves through its phases, and plants and wildlife that you can see outside your window.
Weather Observation
Observe and record the daily weather. Record temperatures and rainfall totals. Observe cloud formations.
Check out this blog post for some creative ways to track your weather observations:
5 Creative Ways to Track the Weather
Dissect Owl Pellets
Since owls don't have teeth, they have to swallow their prey whole or in chunks. Food travels down the esophagus to a series of digestive organs that break down food via churning and digestive enzymes. Any parts of the food that cannot be broken down, like bones and fur are compacted into small pellets and are regurgitated.
You can order owl pellets to dissect. It sounds a little gross, but it's actually really fun. A single owl pellet can contain the bones of several small mammals (or even small birds)!
You can order pellets and dissection kits here: Oregon Owl Pellets.
Grow Mushrooms
Buy a mushroom growing kit and try growing a mushroom garden!
Rock and Mineral Identification
If your kids are anything like mine, they probably have a sizable rock collection. Choose a few to try identifying. Use a rock and mineral guide or try using an online app or database like the Rock Identifier app or Mindat.org.
You can make your own rock and mineral identification kit out of items you likely already have around your house. Check out this blog post to learn how: Make Your Own Mineral Identification Kit.
And definitely check out my printable Rock and Mineral Journal!
Make a Wormery
To make a wormery you will need:
•A large jar
•Sand
•Damp soil
•Dead leaves or compostable food scraps
•A small piece of fabric
•A rubber band
•A piece of black construction paper
Fill the jar about 3/4 full with alternating layers of sand and damp soil. Add some dead leaves and/or compostable food scraps. Tape a piece of black construction paper around the jar to keep the light out. Earthworms like it dark.
Add some worms. The best time to find them is after a rainstorm. Or you could use bait worms.
Poke some holes in your fabric scrap and secure it over the top of the jar using a rubber band.
Keep your wormery in cool dark place. Feed your worms compostable food scraps and yard scraps as needed. Keep the soil damp, but not overly wet.
Play "Window I Spy"
Sit by a window and play "I Spy" with things that you can see outside.
If you enjoyed this post, check out:
•The Ultimate Nature Study Pack
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