I don’t know if you noticed or not, but it’s been HOT lately.  A way to beat the heat, and still get outside for some nature time is to take a night walk.  I like the time just after sunset until true dark.  It’s  light out so you can see, but the sun isn’t beating down on you.

  • Listen – What do you hear as you walk through the neighborhood? Ask the question and then let your kids answer first.  On my walk last night I heard crickets, toads, cicadas, cars, kids playing, and an airplane.
  • Bugs – Be careful while walking under street lights.  Bugs tend to congregate there and if you don’t keep your mouth closed  you may have an uninvited snack (found this out the hard way).  But, under street lights is a great place to see all sorts of insects.  Take a bug net with you and see what you can catch!
  • Sky- Look up at the sky…is there a moon?  Half?  Whole? Waxing?  Waning? (Those last 2 are great vocabulary words for the kiddos.)  Are the stars out?  Can you see more starts at the end of your walk than you saw at the begining?  How many constellations can you find?
  • Look Everywhere – On my walk last night I saw a toad just sitting alongside the sidewalk.  He was watching and waiting for something tastey to flutter past so he could have dinner.  Don’t forget to look up, down, under, beside, and on-top of everything on your walk.  My guess is your kids will spot critters and cool things to explore before you do :)