DELIGHT IN DISCOVERY!

Get away from the screens and get outdoors! Any time of day, or season of the year, in any weather, something wonderful is going on in the natural world outside your door.

Explore the wonders of nature with all of your senses:

• Listen to the music of birds, frogs, rain or rustling leaves.
• See all the colors and textures, creatures and plant life
• Look a little closer. Look up at the sky.
• Feel the breeze, and the sun on your face.
• Touch all the different textures of plants and rocks.
• Smell the flowers, fresh grass or fallen leaves.

BE A BACKYARD DETECTIVE

Every time you head outdoors, take along your nature journal and pencil to keep track of all the wildlife you see. You may be surprised to find how many animals and birds make their homes in your neighborhood even if you’re in the middle of a city.

Use your ears as well as your eyes to listen and look for bugs, beetles, birds, squirrels, snakes and more. Make a list of what you see. How long will it take to reach 100 species? Online or at the library, you can look up the names of and information about the plants, animals, rocks and birds you observe for your journal.

It would be fun to also take along binoculars, a magnifying glass or a camera -- and a friend or parent -- on your Backyard Detective adventures.

REMEMBER:

• Do not disturb the environment.
• Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO OUTDOORS?

Camping, hiking, star-gazing, playing soccer or ball? Let us know what you like to do outdoors, in 25 words or less at kidscorner@ecology.com. We’ll post some of your answers here.

LINKS ABOUT THE GREAT OUTDOORS!

Leave No Trace
Center for Outdoor Ethics
http://www.lnt.org/

Leave No Trace is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb.

Leave No Trace Australia
http://www.lnt.org.au/

Leave No Trace Canada
http://www.leavenotrace.ca/