At-Home STEM Activities: Your 5 Senses and the Wilderness
For New Hampshire’s April school vacation week, when none of us is actually going anywhere, we decided to focus on things we could do if we did have some sort of wild vacation adventure and ended up on a deserted island- how could we problem-solve our way through being stranded and get back home again?
The week has been rainy, but that didn’t stop us for going outside and getting in touch with nature! This activity is great for getting outside and active during the stay-at-home orders across the country, without breaking any rules! For this activity you will need a notebook and a pencil to jot down all of your findings on your nature walk. (If you do not live near nature trails, try going for a walk around your neighborhood, or in a local park.) Bring along a camera if you want to take photos of your finding. If you or your parents have a camera phone, see if they can take it along for your nature walk.
As humans we have 5 Senses, Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight and Hearing. We can use most of these senses on a nature walk to better connect with what is around us. We can record our findings and make educated guesses about what we discover, and then take these findings back and consult a textbook or the internet to confirm what they are. Knowing your surroundings is an essential skill that could be used if you ever did find yourself lost or on a deserted island!
Consult a map before entering any unknown woods
First you will need to find a good spot to conduct your nature walk. Before entering any unknown wooded areas, make sure you know how the trails are marked and what route you will take to make sure you do not get lost and can get back to your starting point. Always stick to the trails! This is not only important to not getting lost, but plants like poison ivy usually lurk off trail paths.
It was a muddy day, so we made sure to wear boots. Make sure to wear the proper walking shoes and a jacket if it is cold or windy!
Your Senses and Nature
Bring along your notebook and pencil on your nature walk. When you begin your walk write down what you see along the way.
A man-made rock wall used to divide farmer’s boundary lines in the 18th and 19th century
What kinds of trees do you see? Not all trees are the same, so even if you don’t know the trees name, try to describe it in your note book. Does it have bark? Is the bark brown? White? Is it tall, small? Does it have leaves or needles?
What season is it? Is there leaves on the ground or on the trees? Are the leaves you find green or brown or a different color? Bring home leaves if you can. This will help you identify the tree after your walk.
What is something particular that sticks out to you on your walk? Something unusually. Is there something man-made or not made by nature in the woods? On our nature walk we discovered an old rock wall. These walls were used for anything from animal pounds, boundary lines or animal fencing.
Did you see any wildlife? Birds? Squirrels? Maybe animal scat?
While you are seeing on your walk, don’t forget to smell!
Close your eyes and take a big breath in through your nose. What do you smell? Use describing words to write down what it smells like in your notebook. Does it smell like a fire is burning in the distance somewhere? Do you live near the beach and it is low tide? Then it must not smell very good! How about, does it smell wet? Dry? Like spring flowers?
My favorite sense is to listen. Close your eyes one more time and tune everything else out by what you are hearing.
What do you hear? Birds chirping, a dog barking, a brook babbling, cars driving by on the highway? Record what you hear.
We can also touch nature.
A poison ivy vine we found growing up a tre on our nature walk. do not touch these vines! (notice the green paint on the tree to the right side. we were following the clearly marked trail.)
Sometimes connecting with the Earth beneath our feet is beneficial to our well being. Bend down and feel the dirt in your hands and the leave on the ground. What does it feel like. Jot this down in your notebook.
Touch the bark on a tree. Feel the moss growing on a log. How do these things in nature feel?
Make sure to watch out for poison ivy on your walk and to NOT touch it. Poison ivy is a plant with 3 almond shaped leave on each stem and can range in color from light green (young) to dark green (mature), but turn red, orange or yellow during the fall. Mature leaves are slightly shiny. It can also present as a vine growing on trees.
On our nature walk we did not taste anything. Although tasting nature is absolutely doable, we do not have the expertise or training to eat what we find in nature. Please do not try this unless you have a parent or guardian who has this training. If you have a backyard garden, try tasting what is in the garden!
2. When you get back from your walk consult your notebook for what you discovered. Was there any plants or animals you saw that you didn’t know the name of? Try and look them up so you can learn their names.
Take the Adventure Further
Creative Writing Prompt
Used your findings for some creative writing. Spend 30 or 45 minutes writing a creative story that includes your findings from your nature walk.
Nature BINGO
Bring along the worksheet below on your nature walk. A scavenger hunt or BINGO game will help kids focus on specific things to find in nature. BINGO worksheet created and distributed by Michigan PLT state program.
The Fallen Log Activity
Watch Maine PLT's Laurie Haines as she explores rotting stumps in her backyard, then head outdoors to find out who's living on rotting stumps and logs in your own backyard! Haines is able to give a detailed look at what is growing on rotting logs and stumps and maybe what creatures would have used the stump as a home or just for a quick bite to eat!
