Spring is here! At this time of year our natural world starts to really come to life! Wouldn’t it be great if we could help others identify what they are seeing on their daily walk? Spring Identification makes your walks, scoots and cycles more exciting and helps us learn and teach others about the nature we have around us.
What you will need
- A space to visit (this could be the local park or your street or anywhere with some natural space)
- Chalk
- Biodegradable tags and string (optional)
- Younger people will need an adult to walk with
- INaturalist Free App (optional)
- An identifying book or information from the internet
- Pen and paper/notebook
What to do
Watch this helpful video with all the instructions of the activity. There are also step by step instructions below:
Firstly gather your materials and a friend or family member and head out on your travels. You could be going somewhere very close to home or somewhere a bit further away.
When you see something natural that catches your eye, for example, a flower, a tree or even some animal droppings stop and try to identify it.
It could be that you already know what the natural object already is or it could be something you haven’t noticed before! If you don’t know what you are looking at you can use the INaturalist app on a smart phone (or take a picture and upload when you get home) to help identify what it is. If you do not have a smart phone or the app then you could use other ways to identify such as looking at a book (from the library) or looking on the internet. Of course you could also ask someone else if they know what the natural object is!
Once you have identified what you are looking at from your mind, book or app chalk out the name of the plant, tree or flower if there is a hard surface to chalk on. If not you could use a biodegradable tag and write on the name and attach. This way other people who are passing by can learn how to identify plants, trees and flowers and learn more about the natural area.
Take it Further
If you find something new on your adventures share with us on social media using #DreamBigAtHome
If you enjoyed identifying the nature on your adventures check out Nature Detectives to start collecting your findings and knowledge and then sharing with others from your area and far away.
