A Day with Nature

For Take a Child Outside Week, the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher branched out to the community. Renee Weeks, special activities coordinator, participated in a day full of outdoor activities when she visited the Sampson County Cooperative Extension for the Home Runners 4-H Club. The group, which is recognized as the 4-H group of the year in Sampson County, had their day filled with interactive activities that focused on the environment.

One of the activities that the children completed was called “listen and feel”. The activity involved the children going outside and closing their eyes to listen to the sounds of nature. They also retrieved items from the environment to touch and feel the texture. The activity is used to help children become more in tune with nature.

Another activity the children completed was a bug juice demonstration. The children got to watch Renee create the bug juice, which was a mixture of molasses and bananas. Then each child dipped a paint brush into the creation and lathered a tree with the mixture. The children were extremely excited that they were feeding bugs in the environment.

After completing all the exciting activities the kids learned about pollution and why they should recycle. The outdoor fun day turned out to be great success!

Take Tree Time during Take a Child Outside Week

The week of September 24-30 is Take a Child Outside Week, which is designed to break down barriers that are keeping children from discovering the environment. The week was created by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in an effort to get children outdoors. The museum created activities that are simple ways for parents, teachers, and other caregivers to go outside with a child.

According to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, “The goal of the week is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration”.

Going outside not only helps connect children with nature, it also helps them focus in school and lets some of that built up energy out. Here is one activity to get you started with your outdoor play date.

Let loose, and instead of singing “rain, rain, go away” indoors; go outside an embrace the watery fun!

Rainy Days

Best age range: all ages
Location: anywhere, but a natural area such as backyard or park is the best
Best time: anytime it is raining (but not during a thunderstorm and/or lightening)
Season: any
Special materials: raingear, if you want to stay dry
What to do: Dress to stay comfortable but keep your hands free— no umbrellas today! Peek into puddles; listen for bird and frog calls. Discover how many kinds of raindrops you can see. Find a plant with rain dripping from the tips of its leaves. Try to find out where animals go when it is raining.
*Activity provided by http://www.takeachildoutside.org/

Stay tuned for more interactive outdoor activities throughout the week!