Green Hour

The National Wildlife Federation website Green Hour advocates

"...giving our children a "Green Hour" a day -- a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world -- we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being. .. Each week we publish a fresh issue full of activities and information to help guide the exploration and focus on fun."

I like the idea (however planning an hour of 'unstructured play' seems a contradiction in terms) of intentional nature study.

Here's a couple of examples that, with a little adaptation, can become part of a hike or camp out or Troop program:

Issue #91: Nature Table

What is it about kids and collecting things? Baseball cards, action figures, rocks. You name it, and they seem to collect it. Giving in to this natural drive to collect, I've let the kids start a small nature table in the family room. We started out with a shoe box, but delicate items like dried leaves and seed pods were getting crushed, so a table seemed to be a better solution.

We have a few rules. No more than 10 items each on the table at one time. If you collect an 11th, you have to take one of your other items back outside for someone else to find and treasure. Items larger than Dad's hand count as two. This system seemed fair to all, and the kids loved tracing his hand as the official measurement tool for our little museum.

Rocks, Leaves. Seed pods. A piece of bark. Pine cones. Simple things that are safe and easy to collect and have in the house. My daughter has made labels for each of the items, and a "Nature Museum" sign proudly hangs on the wall. They both delight in showing their friends what they have collected, and are always anxious to go out and find more "inventory."

A drawer in the table is now the home for our nature journal. We keep a couple of magnifying glasses and our binoculars and field guides there as well. It's become a one-stop-shop for all our nature discovery needs, and is fast becoming this mom's favorite part of the family room.

Hands-On Fun

No room for a Nature Table? No problem. You can make a nature shelf, tackle box, or even use a hanging cosmetic or shoe organizer to save space. Limit the size of your child's collectibles. Rotate out the inventory so it does not grow beyond your space.

Issue #54: Treasure Hunt

X marks the spot, and today the whole family is out looking for treasure! After reading a book about buried treasure to the kids, my husband got the bright idea that we should go on a family treasure hunt. Arrgghh -- a family of pirates are we, matey!

So, that’s exactly what we’re doing today. Each of the kids has made a colorful map -- featuring different nature paths at our favorite local park -- as the basis for our treasure hunt. They've also made a bunch of clues, written on slips of paper, to be hidden.

At the local dollar store, I’d purchased some stickers, magnifying glasses, and a few other trinkets to serve as the treasure, all of which fits neatly into some small boxes I had lying around the house. Instant treasure chests.

We've divided into teams and have hidden our treasures in the leaf litter alongside the trails, and have left clues under rocks and tied to tree branches along the way. Next, the kids will swap maps (and parents, so we can't tell them where to find the clues we’ve just helped to hide) and the true adventure can begin.

Oh, the fun we all will have! The kids are so excited that they’re already asking when the next treasure hunt will be and if they can bring their friends.