Kids In Nature

7 Simple Ideas for Family Fun

1. Look for purple coneflowers blooming on prairies and roadsides. To attract butterflies and birds, plant a purple coneflower in your yard.
2. Watch fireflies in the evening. Fireflies, or lightning bugs, are flying beetles that emit light from their lower abdomens. Each species of firefly has a different flashing light pattern. See how many different patterns you can see.
3. Look under a log or rock to see what lives there.
4. Dig for worms. Go fishing and use a worm to bait your hook.
5. Look for spiders in your yard or neighborhood. Count how many you can find in one outing.
6. Try to attract a Baltimore oriole to your yard. Put out a dish of grape jelly. Be sure to replace the jelly every couple of days to keep germs from growing in it. Orioles also like oranges. Cut an orange in half and set it outside.
7. Find a tulip poplar tree and enjoy its yellow flowers during the first part of the month.

Kids in Nature Photo Contest!

Break out those cameras and send us your best images of you and your family enjoying the outdoors for our new photo contest. Once again, we will be accepting entries via the online photo sharing service, Flickr. If you are not a member of Flickr, it is easy and free to join. Once you are a member, just navigate to our kids in 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 it on our website. All of the monthly winners will appear in the January 2014 issue of the magazine.