Easy Ways for Your Family to Experience the Benefits of Nature Connection… This Week!

Finally: we got some RAIN! As I write this, I'm riding high off the joys of having gotten actually measurable rainfall lastnight... with more on the way! These past two months of 90+ degree heat and no rain has made this feel more like an Arizona Summer instead of an Ohio one! As a native plant nursery owner, I'm also glad to not need to water for awhile now... plus I now have 3 rain barrels full of water to draw from instead of relying on donated jugs of water (we are on a well... it's been a little tricky but we're making it!). Hallelujah!

Now that we have rain plus cooler weather (hopefully here to stay... for real this time), it's much easier to get some good outside time with kiddos... as a dad of two little ones, it can be a real challenge to get outside time when it's 90 degrees!

All the research says that frequent, loosely-structured and hands-on activities outdoors leads to children that are: sick less often, stronger, greater motor skills, more resilient and confident, less anxious, more creative and more! What parent doesn't want all of THAT for their kiddos?!

On the other hand, outside can be intimidating: what if your kiddo falls and breaks an arm? what about mosquito bites? what if they touch poop? what if they're super bored and get whiny? where can you even go nearby that's "nature-y" and safe? are all the green things poison ivy? The questions could go on and on.

I thought I'd try to help! Here's a quick list of things you can do to reap all those benefits above WITHOUT spending a ton of money, prep-time, or having to drive to a national park!

1. Meet the Neighbors

Yes, building a sense of community with your human neighbors is awesome... but those aren't the neighbors I'm referring to. I mean the other ones: the birds, the bugs, the squirrels, that big oak tree etc.

So how do you "meet" a Blue Jay? First off, official animal/plant names actually aren't super important. Yes, know the offical name of a plant/animals does make it way easier to lookup info about them... but to benefit and enjoy them, you don't need it. Here's how to do it, using the Blue Jay:

Say you're by the window or better-yet, you and your fam are out in the backyard. A bold Blue Jay lands on the fence. Don't run over and try to shake his han- er, wing... he'll fly off and not likely return anytime soon. Instead, from where you are, point him/her out to the rest of your fam and say "Hello!". Then you can ask your kiddos to give him/her a name. Next time you see a Blue Jay in your yard, refer to him/her by that name again and Voila: you've made a feathered friend!

Here's an AMAZING poster I found online. You can order a big one here!

Some Notes:

1. For many animal brothers and sisters (I call them that because we all share this Earth and should treat each other like family), it's hard to tell the gender. When it comes to befriending and individual animal, I either just wildly guess gender and then name them, or refer to them as "them/they". My biggest goal is to avoid calling any animal "it" as this makes them into an object versus a living being.

2. For bugs/plants, a great way to learn their proper name is the iNaturalist and Seek apps for your phone! It's sorta like Pokemon Go! but with real plants/animals.

3. If you want to bring more "neighbors" to the yard, you can put up a bird feeder (although it must stay clean to prevent disease, particularly in colder months) or better yet: Plant native plants! They're easy to care for, are beautiful, and provide pollen/nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies etc AND seeds for birds! I own 2 Chickadees Native Nursery, so reach out if you're interested in this route... NOW is the time to plant! (You can reach me on instagram @jaredthenatureguy or via email: Jaredthenatureguy@gmail.com)

My daughters drew the logo! And yes, I do sell Strawberries & Sunflowers!

4. You can name trees and occasionally notice how they are changing, or making sounds with the wind, or who else is living in them! We have a few named trees around our land... helps make your property (regardless of size!) a bit more magical!

2. Free Art Supplies

Back in 2017, I had the revelation that I could turn bits of nature (leaves, sticks, acorns etc) into artwork! I make a pirate named Leafbeard one day on my lunchbreak (when I was a fulltime LDBB Pre-K Teacher). I then made a tire swing, a Chickadee bird and more... which led to my first children's book in 2018!

My books are currently on sale! $10 for 1 book, or $27 for all 3!

The books are:

Where the Adventure is (Red): Mooshy Moo & Grumpus explore their 5 senses… includes activities in the back!

Right Where You Are (Blue): Mooshy Moo & Grumpus learn how to be nature detectives… includes tracking activities!

With Feathers and Feelings (Green): Mooshy Moo & Grumpus learn how to talk to birds… and you can too (for real)!

To Order: Venmo @Jared-Goodykoontz the amount, with name of book(s) and BFA location

Now, back to the nature art: you guys can do this too! Just go out in your yard, start picking up sticks, leaves, acorns... anything! Then see if you can make: a butterfly? a person? a house? Just a few minutes of touching all of this nature treasure will literally boost you and your kiddos immune systems, making you sick less!

Some Notes:

1. Don't just tell your kiddos to make something... do it with them! This screen-free activity is a great (and free!) way to connect.

2. Acorns do NOT trigger tree nut allergies... yay! Just watch out for poison ivy leaves (see this blog post for ID help!)

3. Speaking of the leaves... consider leaving them be (as opposed to bagging or burning). Leaving them feeds the yard, protects countless "neighbors", and they're fun to play in! Checkout these blog posts for more info/ideas about this!

3. Turn into the Neighbors

Sticking with the theme, another great way to connect with/build empathy for your local wildlife is by turning into them! Of course, by "turning into" I mean using your imaginations to have some fun and build some skills!

Here are two easy-to-play and super-fun outdoor games your fam can play... they're real favorites in nature class:

Sneaky Coyote

After reading Coyote Moon I love to play this game, in fact: it was the first game I ever played in my very first nature class ever!

Coyotes rely on stealth to sneak up on and catch prey for their young (they also eat fruits, nuts etc). They'll stalk mice, rabbits, ducks, turkeys... but never humans, don't worry!

For the game, go outside and find or make an area of crunchy sticks/leaves... your kiddo has to be the Coyote and sneak through the loud crunchy things to get to you, who is facing away from them, pretending to be one of theprey animals above. (Note: this game is way more fun if you really sell being the prey animal: strut and gobble like a turkey, hop and groom yourself like a bunny etc). Everytime the Coyote makes a sound on the leaves etc, you turn around and look at them... and they have to instantly freeze! If they're way too loud, or if you see them move... run away! Prey wins! But, if they're stealthily make it close enough to you to tag you without scaring you away... Coyote wins!

Chipmunk's Harvest

It's all connected out there... isn't that beautiful? The Oak trees are dropping their acorns... just in time for Chipmunks to gather them up to store and eat all Winter!

For this game, your kiddos get top be the Chipmunks. Go somewhere (perhaps your yard?) with a lot of nuts already on the ground... Walnuts, Acorns, Beech Nuts etc. The Chipmunks must decide where their dens will be (make with a ring of sticks etc) and then must get to work collecting as many nuts as possible before Winter (set a timer to represent Winter coming). Sounds easy, right?

Not so fast: there's another harvest going on... but this time, the Chipmunks are on the menu! Enter the dog! You'll be the dog.... wander around, barking and doing goofy dog stuff BUT if you see a Chipmunk, go nuts and chase them barking! The Chipmunk must make it back to their den before you tag them to survive. After Winter comes, count the acorns... do they think this would be enough for the whole Winter? Fun fact: They actually need around 5000 nuts... per Chipmunk!

Other Fun Ways to Try:

1. Use a stick as a magic wand to change each other into common local animals... who can be the best Robin? Rabbit? Crow? Squirrel?

2. Play Follow the Leader... with an animal neighbor! Find an animal nearby just going about their business... then, from afar, try to copy their movements with your kiddos.

3. Can't find any neighbors? Put on Deer Ears: Cup your hands behind your ears and slowly turn from side to side, "scanning" your surroundings... who do you hear? Or, put on Owl Eyes: unfocus a bit and try to look around you as widely as possible... snapping your sight to any movement... who's in the trees?

4. Lastly, be an Ant! Get down low to the ground and slowly explore with your eyes just above the surface... who did you meet?

So There You Have It!

Did you notice: none of those ideas above require substantial nature expertise, money, or travel! Huzzah! Try one or all of these ideas out with your fam and let me know what happens! Reach out to me on instagram @jaredthenatureguy! Happy Fall, ya'll!

P.S. I (Mr.Jared) will be hosting a Fall-a-bration nature exploration 10/19 at Leaves for Wildlife Native Plant Nursery in Sunbury. Keep an eye out in your kiddos classroom folder for the flyer!