Kids In Nature

7 Simple Ideas for Family Fun

1. Lay in the grass and listen. Name the summer sounds you hear.
2. Watch for hummingbirds at feeders.
3. Finger paint with mud. Scoop some from a puddle or dig a hole in your backyard. Sidewalks and driveways are great places to draw temporary artwork.
4. Try to spot a blooming blazing star flower.
5. Look for a yellow garden spider on its web in your yard or in the park.
6. Purple martins are gathering for migration. See if you can spot one.
7. Visit a pond or lake and look for wildlife. Keep a nature journal and draw pictures and write descriptions of what you see.

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.