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It’s almost Valentine’s Day!. This week, head outside with a camera or cell phone and find some hearts in nature!   Photo by keencarlene   Photo by pippalou     Featured image by pippalou

Is the weather snowy where you live? If so, chances are you’ve made a snowman, snowballs, and even a snow fort. But have you ever made a snow maze? All you need is a yard full of snow and some willing participants to shuffle, stomp, and move through the snow. Need more inspiration? Check out …

The weather’s getting warmer, and the flowers are beginning to bloom! Here are some fun ways to get outside and celebrate the season! 1. Visit a farmer’s market. 2. Plan your garden with the help of a planting calendar.  3. Fly a kite. 4. Go camping in your backyard. 5. Watch a sunrise. 6. Create …

This weekend, see what kinds of textures you can find in the bark of the trees around your home or neighborhood. Take along some paper and crayons to record the textures with bark rubbings. If you already know the type of tree it is, write it down on the back. If not, take along a …

This week, have your students find real-life examples in nature of the terms they learn in geometry. On a sheet of paper, have them draw and label the ones they find. These could include: point lineline segmentraypolygonvertextrianglequadilateralpentagonhexagonangleintersecting linesparallel linesperpendicular linessquare rectanglecircleovalobtuse angleacute angle

Before going outside this week, discuss weathering and erosion and it’s effects. (NE Geology Kids presents a nice summary.) Then, take the class outside to search for signs of weathering around the school. Photo by taliesin https://www.onegeology.org/extra/kids/earthprocesses/weathering.html

Is there a park in your town you’ve never been to? If you’ve been to them all, chances are there’s one in the next town you haven’t seen. This weekend, explore a new park or playground with your family. You may discover a new favorite place! Photo by keencarlene

This week, send your students outside to look for parts of speech. Instruct the students to first find a noun and write it down. Then have them think of three to five adjectives that describe that noun and write them down as well. You can have them search for verbs and adverbs, too. Photo by …

You don’t need many supplies for this craft! Just a pair of scissors and some white paper (although you could add a little glitter!). For directions on how to make a paper snowflake, click HERE. Photo by reccaphoenix

Wintry weather can get students down with the bare trees and grey skies. This week, teach your students about a fascinating feature of the season: snowflakes! For information and instructions on how to make paper snowflakes, click HERE. Photo by FidlerJan

  Your students may have an idea about how much they weigh, but have they ever weighed objects they find outside? For the activity this week, you will need:  Bags for collecting the objects A bathroom scale  A kitchen scale  First, head outside with your students to collect 3 different natural objects. Instruct them to …

This weekend, head outside and search for animal tracks! Don’t just look for tracks made by your pet — see what other types of tracks you can find. Even if it has not snowed in your area recently, you can also find tracks in the dirt or mud. When you find some animal tracks, snap …

Whether mild or cold, winter is here! Take your students on a nature walk in search of signs of winter. Instruct the students to make a list of what they see (or don’t see!). When you reach the end of the walk, have the students compare their lists. Photo by Erean

Sometimes the new year is so full of new resolutions and goals that it can be a bit overwhelming — and stressful! If you’re already feeling over-committed, try these simple ways to help you relax, refresh, and reconnect. Take a walk every day. This can be a nature walk, a walk to work and back, or …

This weekend, get together with your family and brainstorm ways you can spend time outside together on a regular basis. Some ideas may be: Walking or Hiking Playing an outdoor gameBirdwatching Gardening Going on a picnic Stargazing Next, choose one that everyone would like to do this year. It could be once a week or …

Play a guessing game! Have your students choose something they’ve seen outside (they can refer to their lists of objects if necessary). Instruct the students to write down adjectives and phrases describing the object, making their descriptions as detailed as they can. Teach them how to choose words that are vivid and exact rather than general …