A Summer of “Vitamin N”
Cut up oranges and hang them in your yard to bring Orioles to your place! Native fruiting plants work too!
It’s May! The Warblers are returning, the Baltimore Orioles (the bird, not the baseball team) are wowing us with their colors and songs, and we are wrapping up Nature Class. This Summer I’ll be leading our Big Voyagers summer camp… we will explore lots of local parks, connect with local nature, and basically be outside as much as possible. Last Summer, I truly believe our camp was crucial in helping both kiddos and us as teachers cope with Covid and all its challenges… here in Columbus, Ohio I know at least 14 kiddos and a handful of teachers were able to have a blast outside with a healthy dose of what author and inspiration Richard Louv calls “Vitamin N”, otherwise known as a connection to nature.
Seriously, this book has SO MANY good ideas!
You might be saying: “But Mr.Jared, my kiddo isn’t in your summer camp… how are we gonna get our Vitamin N this Summer?”
Good news! There’s lots of opportunities for your family to connect and grow this Summer:
Ask your kiddo how a Robin sounds when they’re happy!
Bird Language!
This Spring we have been exploring the idea of bird language… the fact that birds are talking about WAY more than just “tweet tweet”! Ask your kiddos about the different emotions of a Robin or a Chickadee! You can play all sorts of games, making up situations birds have to react to or just trying to live as a bird for a bit! I’ve even got two bird games you can buy! (Email me at Jared@ldbb.care for details and to order) Also checkout my bird language children’s book, available at the amazing local bookstore Cover to Cover!
You can listen to all sorts of local bird sounds and learn more here!
Throw a Wildlife Party at your house!
If you’d like to relax at home and still enjoy all sorts of exciting local wildlife such as hummingbirds, butterflies, songbirds and more… plant native plants! I’m just a teensy bit passionate about this… so I’ve written about it here, here…. and also here!
But seriously… even if you only plant one native plant (from one of our local native nursery partners mentioned on our nature page) you will bring real pollinators to your house. Save the bees, meet the caterpillars, feed the birds… and have a pretty garden! What’s not to love? I’m always excited to see what people are planting and answer questions about native plants… so email me at my address above and let’s save the world together! (Oh, also checkout the super awesome Scioto Gardens… I love this place!)
A Wild Summer Checklist
▢ Watch Tree Swallows and all their aerial acrobatics at Glacier Ridge Metropark, Prairie Oaks Metropark or the OSU Research Wetlands
▢ Enjoy the amazing natural playground at our Franklin Park Conservatory
▢ Explore the creek and cliffs of Shale Hollow in Delaware
▢ Sit and watch a flower for a few moments… who visits?
▢ Explore the amazing parks around Yellow Springs
▢ Checkout the natural play areas of Blendon Woods Metropark and Sharon Woods Metropark
▢ Sit in the wildlife blind at Char Mar
▢ Look for salamanders under logs after/during a rain at Glen Echo park (be sure to have wet hands if you want to pick them up… gently)
▢ Find the hidden prairie at Tarpy Woods in Grandview
▢ Checkout the amazing Indian Run Falls in Dublin
▢ Take a road trip down to Wayne National Forest
▢ Read one of my recommended books on the Balanced by Nature page
▢ Visit the amazing nature center at Battelle-Darby Creek Metropark (there’s a super cool one at Scioto Audubon Metropark too!)
▢ Send me messages to jared@ldbb.care or on instagram @jaredthenatureguy and let me know who you meet and where you go!