Nature Net News
Your portal for tips
& tricks for exploring nature with your kids
April 2010
Outdoor Awareness!
"I go to nature to be soothed and
healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more."
John Burroughs
Dear Reader, What can be better than a chance to
get outside on a beautiful spring day? A stroll outdoors, no matter how
short, can revive anyone's spirit -- the fresh air, the smell of the
earth, little seedlings pushing forth from the ground. It's an amazing
collection of experiences and lessons, just waiting at our footsteps. Enjoy! Kathe & Sarah |
President Teddy Roosevelt conserved more than 200 million acres of land as national parks and forests for you to enjoy today!
What to Do This Month:
Get your school to celebrate Natural Environmental Education Week from April 11-17. National Environmental Education Week is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States. EE Week increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in K-12 classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. By participating in EE Week, you encourage your students to make a difference in their schools, homes, and communities!
Go to the EPA Environmental Kids' Page for elementary age students.
Go to the EPA Student Center Page for middle school students.
Read books about the environment to your children! See below for interesting books!
Visit your local Nature Net Site during Earth Day Bouquet starting April 11 and ending on April 25!
Participate in National TV Turn Off Week and get outdoors April 19-25!
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Hiking with little tots
Be sure to have your tot wear thick clothing, so thorns or branches don't scrape their skin. Also, hiking sticks are fun for the whole family, though you should try and find ones that won't pierce your tot's hands.
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Reading the Clouds
To figure out what the weather might be like today, take a look at the skies for your answers.
If you see short, wispy clouds (called Cirrus), the weather should be fair.
If you see clouds that are thick and look like a blanket over the sky, you're probably seeing Stratus clouds. Stratus clouds usually mean drizzle and, if they lower themselves, fog.
If you see fluffy, cottonball-like clouds (called Cumulus), the weather should be fine. Feel free to start cloud-watching!
However, if you see your Cumulus clouds start to tower up and look more like anvils, you are faced with a Cumulonimbus. This means rain and/or thunderstorms. Be careful!
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Nature Net
Nature Net is a not-for-profit initiative that provides "one-stop shopping" for environmental education resources for teachers and families of South-Central Wisconsin and beyond!
You'll find nature centers, museums and other providers in Southern Wisconsin and all sorts of free ideas, suggestions and free educational resources on how to explore your local environment.
Check out Nature Net for more information on Earth Day Bouquet!
Mushroom
on a Stick
What you need: egg carton, tempera paint, glue, small
brushes, a stick, scissors.
1. Cut out an egg cup and a spike from the egg carton.
2. Wet the cup and pat it rounder. Let it dry before going on to step 3.
3. Paint spike as mushroom stem and the convex side of the cup as mushroom cap.
4. After paint has dried, glue the open end of the spike to the concave side of the cup (the unpainted side).
5. Make a hole in the bottom of the stem. Glue the stick into the hole.
6. Leave undisturbed until the glue is dry and then stick in a plant or wherever you want to display it.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 five more times if you want to
create a fairy ring.
Suggested Reading:
"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss (all ages)
"The Earth and I" by Frank Asch
(preschool)
"I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" by Alison Inches (preschool)
"Cartoon Guide to the Environment" by Larry Gonick (4-8)
"The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest" by Lynne Cherry (4-8)
"The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle" by Nuria Roca (4-8)
"50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth" by the Earthworks Group (4+)
"A Child's Introduction to the Environment: The Air, Earth, and Sea Around Us- Plus Experiments, Projects, and Activities YOU Can Do to Help Our Planet!" by Michael and Dennis Driscoll (4-12)
"Everything Kids' Environment Book: Learn how you can help the environment-by getting involved at school, at home, or at play" by Sheri Amsel (9-12)
"Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment" by Linda Schwartz (9-12)
