Kids in Nature

7 Simple Ideas for Family Fun

1. Watch for box turtles crossing roads. Keep track of how many you spot this month.
2. Look for coreopsis flowers blooming on prairies and roadsides.
3. Look for caterpillars and draw a picture of one.
4. Go for a walk and look for birds’ nests. Count how many you find.
5. Watch for common nighthawks over cities at night. You can see male nighthawks take long dives to impress females. When they pull up out of these dramatic dives just before hitting the ground, it makes a loud whirring sound. At dusk look for their erratic, insect catching flights.
6. Birdsong at daybreak is at its peak during the last week of May. Take an early morning walk to enjoy nature’s music. for flowering dogwood trees.
7. Make a toad house. You can encourage toads to live in your yard by building a toad house. Find a cool moist place in your yard. Dig a shallow hole, lay a clay pot on its side, and bury it halfway in the dirt.

Kids in Nature Photo Contest!

Break out those cameras and send your best images of you and your family enjoying the outdoors our new photo contest. Once again, we will be accepting entries the online photo sharing service, Flickr. If you are not member of Flickr, it is easy and free to join. Once you are a member, just navigate to our kids nature group page: www.flickr.com/groups/mdc-kids-in-nature and submit your photos. MDC staff will select a winner every month and display at mdc.mo.gov/node/20869. All of the monthly winners will appear in the January 2014 issue of the magazine.