Backyard Nature Study

Nature study doesn’t have to take place in the woods or only at special destinations. There are many wonderful opportunities to observe and learn about the natural world right in own backyards. Here are a few simple ways that you can incorporate more nature focused activities into your homeschool week without leaving your neighborhood:

Backyard Nature Study Activities

Bird Watching

Grab a pair of binoculars and a bird guide and find a comfy spot outside to watch for birds, or you can even do it inside from a window. If you don’t have a bird guide, there are several good bird identification apps, our favorite is the Merlin Bird ID app.

When you spot a bird- note its color, size, and other details and see if you can identify it using your bird guide or app. You could also keep a list of or sketch birds that you spot.

If you want to attract more birds to your yard, hang a bird feeder. My girls have one hanging from the tree right outside their bedroom window and they love to watch the birds that visit it!

Mini Beast Hunt

Take a walk around your yard or neighborhood and see how many different types of insects or other creepy crawlies you can spot. Bring a magnifying glass so that you can check them out up close. If your kids know how to use a camera, encourage them to take pictures, then you can try to identify them at home later.

Tree and Plant Identification

Identify and learn about the trees and plants that grow around your home. There are several great apps that you can use to help with identification, we use Seek and Google Lens. Both allow you to just snap a quick photo or two on your phone and then it gives you a list of the plants it most closely matches.

Night Sky Gazing

Did you know that 5 planets can be seen without the aid of a telescope? Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn! Learn how to locate them and prominent constellations. There are some great apps for helping locate celestial objects, my personal favorite is the SkyView app.

Another fun night sky activity is observing the moon phases. Go outside after dark each evening for a full moon cycle (28 days). Encourage your kids to sketch the moon each night and talk about the changes they see.

Rock Hounding

Collect rocks from your yard and record observations and identifying features like color, how hard it is, whether or not it’s metallic, and whether or not it has any magnetic attraction. Then try to identify them using a rock and mineral guide or an online rock and mineral database.

Learn more about identifying rocks and minerals here: Make Your Own Mineral Identification Kit.

Plant a Pollinator Garden

Research about pollinators and wildflowers native to your area. Choose a space in your yard and plant some native flowers for your local pollinators, and enjoy watching them visit your garden! Take note of the different types of pollinators that you see.

Learn About Dandelions

Hunt in your yard for dandelion flowers. See if you can find one in each of its life phases: bud, flower, and seed head.

Look at a dandelion seed up-close. Blow on a seed head and observe the way the seeds move on the wind.

For more dandelion themed nature study activities, check out this blog post: Dandelion Investigation.

Observe the Changing Seasons

Choose a tree in your yard or a favorite view from your home and sketch, paint, or photograph it once a month. As the year progresses and the seasons change, take note of and discuss the changes you see.

Or grab a free season tree template here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4-Seasons-Tree-11406072.

Nature Study Resources

Apps

-iNaturalist (click here for Android, and here for Apple)

-Merlin Bird ID

-SkyView (click here for Android, and here for Apple)

Books

-National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America

-Exploring Nature Journal for Kids

-Practical Naturalist: Field Guide: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of the Natural World

What are some of your favorite ways to study nature at home or in your neighborhood? Let me know in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post check out:

Make a Phenology Wheel- A Fun Way to Study Seasonal Change

Composting with Kids- a Fun Way to Learn About Soil

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