Tools to Help You

It takes some practice to create a memorable learning experience for a group of children. As you lead walks, you will develop scripts, activities, and rhythms that work for you.

In our Prop Closet, you will find materials to help you. You won’t use all of these things on one walk! You will pick and choose depending on the weather, age of the kids, size of the group, etc. Some days, there is so much to see that you will never touch the stuff in your pack. Other days, you will appreciate having a game or activity to entertain and educate your charges.

Explorers Tools

Magnifiers: In the box marked “Magnifiers” you will find bundles of 6-8 magnifiers, each on a string or cord, each with a protective cloth cover. It’s easy to grab a bundle and toss them in your pack. You may need two bundles, depending on the size of your group, or you may have to ask the kids to share. Give instructions for their use. You may want to find a spot where “Using Magnifiers” is an activity and you gather them up before continuing the walk. We find this works better than letting the kids use them throughout the entire walk – and fewer get lost or broken that way, too!
Mirrors: There are two sizes of mirrors in the Prop Closet. The smaller ones are ideal for showing kids the inside of a nest box. Other things you could explore with a mirror: the underside of a mushroom – without having to pick it, what’s behind the bark of a tree, the underside of branches…
Cups: There are so many things you can do with a stack of plastic cups! Suppose you are flipping logs and find beetles, sowbugs, earthworms, and slugs? Cups make great little observation containers. (Be sure to put the critters and logs back after you observe!) Also, kids love to lay on their bellies on the “Forever Bridge” across Spatterdock Pond and see what they can catch in their cups.
Observation jars and bottles: In addition to cups, you may want to pack a jar or bottle that has a lid. These are great for observing creatures that are more likely to escape from a cup… like frogs or insects that can hop or fly!
Dip Nets: Many of the Trail Guides like to carry one small dip net in their packs, along with a stack of plastic cups. One effective way of using this combination is to stop by a pond, and fill one cup for each child with clear pond water. Have the children line up with their cups in hand. Then you do the dipping. Oh, the kids will ask, “Can I do it?” Answer firmly and do some marketing at the same time: “No, I’ll do the dipping. But if you come back this summer for Day Camp, you might get the chance to dip yourself.” Scoop into the muck a little, then start sifting through it for critters. Put something in each child’s cup. Managing mud might be the trickiest part of this. Come down and practice this without a group, if you like!

Have the children observe their critters for a while, then trade with someone who has something different. When you are done observing, carefully return the critters to the pond, modeling gentleness. Depending on where you dip and the maturity of the children, you might be able to let the children release their critters after you show them how.
Aerial Nets: On hot days when the fields are full of insects and the dragons are flying around the ponds, you may want to pack an aerial net. Please never never never never never use the aerial nets in the pond! Bring along an observation jar with a lid so that you can safely observe your catch. Release after observation.

(This photo shows a Day Camper netting a dragon after lessons on how to use the net and remove insects safely from it. During Discovery Walks, we have so little time, it is usually easier for the trail guide to net something and show it to the kids.)

Information Cards

Animal Photos: Often when we’re walking with kids we hear an “Eep” followed by a “Splash!” Or the person in front sees the muskrat disappear into its hole, but the rest of us miss it. When that happens, you can pull out a picture of a Green Frog or a Muskrat to show the kids what they missed. There is a box full of photos in the Prop Closet. We are also working on creating sets that include some basic facts about the animal on the back.
Animal Hole Sizer: It never fails. At some point during the walk season you will have at least one child who points to a chipmunk hole and exclaims, “Snake hole!” If there are any snakes in the world that dig holes, they don’t live around here. (Which is not to say a snake won’t use a hole that it finds for shelter. I’ve seen them curled up in a muskrat hole, for example!)
Rather than just say, “No. It’s a chipmunk hole,” we have created a tool to help you encourage some math, reading, and reasoning skills. It’s called the Animal Hole Sizer – a laminated 8.5X11 sheet with half-circles along the edge that show the range in size of common animal holes and a few facts about the animals that make the holes. Once you use the edge of the sheet to determine the probable hole-maker, read the facts to see if they jive with other clues near the hole. (P.S. These are available for sale in our Nature Store.)

We also have the following information cards to help you remember stuff:

Audubon Overview: just a few facts about Audubon. How many acres? How many miles of trails? Etc.
Liberty Facts: Many of the frequently asked questions are now posted on interpretive signs at Liberty’s cage. But the Liberty Facts sheet may have a few tidbits that aren’t on the signs.
Animal Tracks: If it has been raining and there are puddles about, you might want to grab the animal tracks card to help you figure out who walked through the mud.

Games / Activities

Camouflage Frogs/Worms: We’ve cut colored construction paper in the shape of frogs and laminated them. Each packet contains a variety of colors – some bright, some earthtones. Depending on the age and maturity of your group, you may want to hide the frogs yourself. Older, more mature groups can sometimes be trusted to hide the frogs for each other. You can split the group in half and let one half go hide the frogs while the other half is engaged in some other activity. Give specific instructions for hiding the frogs. “They must be in plain sight and be visible from the trail. Remember the name of the game is Camouflage Frogs, so try to find a spot where the color of your frog blends in with the color of the hiding spot.“ Once the frogs are placed, give specific rules about finding the frogs. For example, rather than just grabbing them when they find them you may want them to walk through the hiding area and count the number of frogs they see, noting which ones were easy to find and which ones were hard.

Camouflage Worms are simply colored pipe-cleaners. Use them the same way you would the frogs.

Try to build on this activity as you continue your walk, looking for real examples of camouflage.
Shadow Catchers: Some people call them Sun Cameras. The idea is to place them so that something in nature casts a shadow on them creating a picture on the card. It’s amazing how excited young students will get by catching shadows on a 5X8 card. Often when a child slows down enough to try this, she will notice things she didn’t notice before – like a little spider crawling on the branches, or a tiny hole in the leaf.
Texture Cards: There are lots of ways to use these small, laminated cards, each of which contains one texture word: soft, smooth, prickly, etc… I like to read them all, then shuffle them and pass them out telling the kids to keep their word a secret. The mission is to try to get someone to say the word on your card by having him touch something you find along the trail.
Shape / Pattern Cards: These stacks of cards are wordless. Instead, each card has a shape – circle, oval, triangle, rectangle,… or a pattern such as polka dots, stripes, zigzags, etc. Give each child a card and see how many things in nature they can find that match. Children can trade cards after they find a few matches. This activity can be used to move the group down the trail.

Color Shards: We’ve taken discarded paint samples from the hardware store, cut them into strange shapes, and laminated them. Give each child a color shard and see if they can find something in nature that matches.
Blindfolds: See the Activities/Games page for ideas on how you might use these.
Squirt Bottles: On really hot days, we often carry squirt bottles to mist the children for a quick cool down. Also, check out the game on the Activities/Games page.