Earthmerlin Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) Howdy. With the weather turning, I'd like to stock up on things to put in my 7 yr old's outdoor nature basket. We've got a few field guides, 2 pairs of binos, a loupe, a magnifying glass, buttefly net & a critter container. She spends LOTS of time in our backyard & so adding any more exploratory items would get tons of mileage. Any other ideas? Many thanks. Edited April 29, 2017 by Earthmerlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 How about a sketchbook with drawing pencils? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) How about a sketchbook with drawing pencils? You're quite right! I thought of that immediately after I posted. Thanks! Edited April 29, 2017 by Earthmerlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) Ours has a little first aid kit with Band-Aids, which make the kids feel very capable when they hurt themselves and can get a Band-Aid and move on on their own. (ETA: Of course I'm not talking about serious injuries! I'm always available. 😊 But the little cuts on the fingers and knees... they love to deal with those themselves.) We also have a little bag of bird seed for hikes, especially since in our area the chickadees on a lot of trails will land on our hands! Edited April 29, 2017 by indigoellen@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Ours has a little first aid kit with Band-Aids, which make the kids feel very capable when they hurt themselves and can get a Band-Aid and move on on their own. (ETA: Of course I'm not talking about serious injuries! I'm always available. 😊 But the little cuts on the fingers and knees... they love to deal with those themselves.) We also have a little bag of bird seed for hikes, especially since in our area the chickadees on a lot of trails will land on our hands! Thanks, I like the first aid kit & I'll add it to our basket. I agree that self-sufficiency is a confidence booster. The next time we go on a hike I'll also try to remember birdseed--great idea! We currently have chickadee & swallow pairs building nests in our backyard birdhouses--how fun--I love this time of year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Ours has a compass. On a nearby shelf are our Take A Walk books (Take a Bird Walk, Take a City Walk, Take a Beach Walk...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintosrock Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 A shovel! Or other assorted gardening tools. Papa has plowed up our garden, but half remains unplanted (waiting for summer vegetables) Do loves looking for worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) LOVE the idea of a Nature Basket! :) We always took a few sandwich-sized ziplock bags for collecting leaves, seeds, pinecones, special rocks, mica, or whatever we would inevitable find and have to bring home (or into the house) ;). Perhaps a clean, empty glass jar and lid, if you go to a pond? Also, these are tangential, and probably more because of where we live, but having a water bottle, hat, and sunscreen handy are musts here for going outdoors for any length of time. ;) Maybe one of these books would be of interest for ideas for daily using the nature basket: The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences** Nature Connection Workbook One Small Square books -- esp. Backyard; Pond; Woods Fun With Nature Take Along Guide Also, I'd suggest rotating some nature informative books from the library through the basket -- not that they are the tools and supplies for exploring nature, but because they can encourage excitement and interest in exploring nature. So maybe read a new book a week: - A Backyard Birding Adventure: What's in Your Yard (Cummings) - Birds in Your Backyard (Herkert) - Backyard Birds of Winter (Lerner) - Owl Moon (Yolen) - Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard (Loewen) - The Honey Makers (Gibbons) - For the Birds -- free gov't PDF publication on how to attract/feed/house birds And explore nature biomes you can't get to physically through books in your nature basket: - Coral Reefs (Gibbons) - Cactus Hotel (Guiberson) - Tree Tales series: Desert Giant; Tree of Life (Bash) ** = ETA I just noticed that the Amazon page has no "look inside" option, so I'll summarize this one for you: It is an activity idea per calendar day. So a few entries for May, are below, each with several paragraphs of explanation or information: May 5 = make a study of an animal's behavior May 6 = look for bird feathers May 7 = make a birdbath May 8 = watch birds in flight May 13 = make a plant press May 14 = start a scrapbook of tree leaves May 15 = learn which plants not to touch Edited May 1, 2017 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domestic_engineer Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 A ruler If you'll be by water, a magnifier that will also hold water might be nifty. Our nature park has these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 I second The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences. It is the basis for our nature studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Hand held mirror for looking under toadstools to see if they have gills or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 Ours has a compass. On a nearby shelf are our Take A Walk books (Take a Bird Walk, Take a City Walk, Take a Beach Walk...). We have 'Fun with Nature' in her basket--a kid's field guide--& I really like it (wish I had it when I was her age). I also have a kid's compass sitting in my Amazon basket & just haven't bought it yet. Any suggestions on a brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 A shovel! Or other assorted gardening tools. Papa has plowed up our garden, but half remains unplanted (waiting for summer vegetables) Do loves looking for worms. Good idea! She's got gardening tools hanging out in the garage but I think you're wise in pulling all outdoor supplies in one location. Her dad is also woking on building a worm viewer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 (edited) LOVE the idea of a Nature Basket! :) We always took a few sandwich-sized ziplock bags for collecting leaves, seeds, pinecones, special rocks, mica, or whatever we would inevitable find and have to bring home (or into the house) ;). Perhaps a clean, empty glass jar and lid, if you go to a pond? Also, these are tangential, and probably more because of where we live, but having a water bottle, hat, and sunscreen handy are musts here for going outdoors for any length of time. ;) Maybe one of these books would be of interest for ideas for daily using the nature basket: The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences** Nature Connection Workbook One Small Square books -- esp. Backyard; Pond; Woods Fun With Nature Take Along Guide Also, I'd suggest rotating some nature informative books from the library through the basket -- not that they are the tools and supplies for exploring nature, but because they can encourage excitement and interest in exploring nature. So maybe read a new book a week: - A Backyard Birding Adventure: What's in Your Yard (Cummings) - Birds in Your Backyard (Herkert) - Backyard Birds of Winter (Lerner) - Owl Moon (Yolen) - Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard (Loewen) - The Honey Makers (Gibbons) - For the Birds -- free gov't PDF publication on how to attract/feed/house birds And explore nature biomes you can't get to physically through books in your nature basket: - Coral Reefs (Gibbons) - Cactus Hotel (Guiberson) - Tree Tales series: Desert Giant; Tree of Life (Bash) ** = ETA I just noticed that the Amazon page has no "look inside" option, so I'll summarize this one for you: It is an activity idea per calendar day. So a few entries for May, are below, each with several paragraphs of explanation or information: May 5 = make a study of an animal's behavior May 6 = look for bird feathers May 7 = make a birdbath May 8 = watch birds in flight May 13 = make a plant press May 14 = start a scrapbook of tree leaves May 15 = learn which plants not to touch Wow, thanks for all the ideas!! I will put baggies in her basket--she'll love those! We have a pond in our back yard but we can always take a jar with us on hikes & outings (in case we find either land or water critters to investigate). I will also add a rotating stock of books into her basket--we already have some that're spread out on our bookshelves. The activities-based one you mentioned looks like one we can definitely use. Thanks! Edited May 2, 2017 by Earthmerlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 Hand held mirror for looking under toadstools to see if they have gills or not. Great idea, love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 A ruler If you'll be by water, a magnifier that will also hold water might be nifty. Our nature park has these. A ruler's a great idea, especially since she's recently learned how to use one. Do you have a suggested brand or link for a water magnifier? I've never heard of it but you've piqued my interest. We also have a microscope but I keep that indoors in order to ensure its longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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