Nature Sights and Sounds For Kids

Nature Sights and Sounds For Kids

- in 2024 Editions, June/July 2024

Summer is a time to be outdoors, and with a little exploration, you can discover a whole world of fascinating creatures right in your own backyard or at your local park. Summer invites us to explore, transforming our backyards and local parks into vibrant ecosystems teeming with life. From buzzing insects, to chirping birds, and other creatures there’s a whole world waiting to be discovered. 

“There are a lot of common insects that are out in the summer,” says Megan Hart, parks biologist at Lake Metroparks. “That’s kind of the buggy time of the year when all the insects come out.” 

She says families may see monarch butterflies, eastern tiger swallowtails, cabbage whites, and the spicebush swallowtail butterflies. 

“There are a lot of other common butterflies, and you will see those in areas where you have good wildflowers, and where that’s a bit more open,” Hart says.

As families are exploring, they should look for the milkweed plant because many insects use that plant, so people will usually find insects on them, such as a variety of milkweed beetles. 

 “Kids typically really love them, because they’re a bit bigger and are more easily viewable,” Hart says.

 In addition to these insects, there are a lot of dragonflies that can be found in the parks near ponds. Eastern fireflies are common to see. There are also a variety of moths that can be seen in the evening, dusk hours – especially around areas where there are porch lights.

There are other bugs that can be seen in the parks like six-spotted tiger beetles.

“These are brilliant green beetles that you can find on the paths, and they’ve got little white spots on them,” Hart says. “Kids can actually get pretty close to these. What’s interesting is that once these beetles pop up and fly away they just fly a few feet down the path. So if you miss your opportunity to see it at the very beginning, you can usually pick it up again later down the path.”

If families want to view a number of bird species in the summer, they should consider hanging up a bird feeder.

 “Birds like the Northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, and a variety of woodpeckers often come to feeders,” Hart says. “This makes it very easy for families to observe them. Eastern bluebirds are often found in parks, but you can see them in your yard if it is big enough.”

In addition to birds who visit bird feeders, there are other birds that are easy to see in Northeast Ohio. These include Canada geese, mallard ducks, and even bald eagles. 

Northeast Ohio is also home to several different squirrel species that can be seen including the: fox squirrel, gray squirrel, and red squirrel. Families also have a very good chance of seeing deer and chipmunks, whether it’s in your neighborhood or in a park.

If you’re visiting a pond, you may see bullfrogs and green frogs, along with snapping turtles or Midland painted turtles. Hart adds, “you also have a fair chance of seeing a beaver if the pond is big enough.” 

How can children and families be nature explorers?

Families can help foster their children’s love of nature by just being in nature. So go outside, whether it is in your backyard, neighborhood or park. 

Hart encourages families to use butterfly nets to capture insects, take a look at the birds on bird feeders, grab binoculars and examine nature, and flip logs to look for salamanders and frogs. 

 “Your best tools are your senses so take the time to just look and listen,” says Lisa Golba, environmental educator in residence program manager at Shaker Lakes Nature Center. “You’re going to hear so many more animals than you would, you would see — especially the different types of bird calls. Also, always ask questions because that’s how we learn.”

In addition to being in nature, check out the regional programming.

 These are great ways to encourage kids to learn more about nature. There are a number of different parks that families can go to including the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, the county park districts, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and numerous other state and local parks.

Local nature centers, nature clubs and parks often put on programs or organize hikes. “Having an expert there to help you identify plants and animals which can make learning a lot more fun and easier overall,” Hart says.

For Younger Children

With younger children you can do
nature-based crafts where you use items you find in nature like leaves or seeds. Also, consider going on a nature scavenger hunt where you look for different plants or animals around your neighborhood or in parks.

Golba suggests families do leaf rubbings to help identify the plant or spot things with different colors or shapes.

 “I used to use paint samples you get at the store and ask the child to find a matching color, which depends on the season,” she says. “You can even allow children to dig in the dirt and get their hands dirty.”

For Older Children

Technology can also be great to use while exploring nature. Apps or field guides can be used to help kids identify what they’re seeing in nature. This is a powerful tool to facilitate learning. 

“Older children tend to have their phones on them as much as adults do,” Golba says. “Sometimes we try to steer them from technology, but you can also embrace it to help them learn.”

Seek by iNaturalist. This app uses the camera on your phone. Once you hover over a plant or an animal, the app will give you its best guess of what that plant or animal is. It also has challenges each month that you have to try to meet, like seeing 10 different wildflowers, or 10 different pollinators.

eBird Mobile. This is a great app to create trip lists as you go into parks and see how many species that you observe while hiking.

Merlin Bird ID app. This app has the ability to identify birds by sound. It also has the capability to identify birds based off of photos and also has a field guide based on the birds that you could see at that time of year.

The summer is a great time to take your children outside to parks, the creek, rivers, ponds, and areas with forests or fields. Visit a variety of different habitats. 

“We really have an awesome resource of all the different parks,” Golba says. “The parks are free to visit, and there are so many different things families can do together.”

About the author

Aisha Taylor is a single mother of twins who helps corporate moms create the financial foundations to support turning their idea to income so they can exit their full-time job, walk in purpose, and spend more time with their children. Aisha has been featured in Black Enterprise, Jet Magazine, ESSENCE, Go Banking Rates, and The Detroit Free Press. To connect with Aisha, visit www.myideatoincome.com or email [email protected].

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