Take a walk
Go on a short neighborhood nature walk, observe and record different plants, animals, and sounds, take photos or draw what you find.
Step-by-step guide to take a neighborhood nature walk
Walk Safe, Bike Safe: Tips for Kids
Step 1
Gather your notebook your pencil and your coloring materials and put them where you can reach them.
Step 2
Put on comfortable shoes and any sun hat you need.
Step 3
Tell an adult where you will walk and agree how long you will be gone.
Step 4
Choose a short safe route together with the adult and start at one end of that route.
Step 5
Walk quietly and look closely at the plants and trees around you.
Step 6
When you see a plant pause and write its name or a short description in your notebook.
Step 7
Draw a quick sketch of that plant or take a photo with an adult’s device if you want to remember details.
Step 8
If you spot an animal or insect watch from a safe distance and write one sentence about what it is doing.
Step 9
Stop and listen for sounds and write down each sound you hear and where it seems to be coming from.
Step 10
Use a magnifying glass to look closely at a leaf or flower and draw one detail in your notebook.
Step 11
Pick up one small thing already on the ground place it in your bag and label it in your notebook.
Step 12
At home color your sketches add labels and arrange your photos drawings and notes on one page.
Step 13
Share your finished nature page or collage on DIY.org
Help!?
What can we use instead of a magnifying glass, coloring materials, or a notebook if we don't have them?
Use your phone's camera zoom or a reading glass as a magnifier, crayons or washable markers instead of special coloring materials, and staple a few sheets of paper or use index cards as a simple notebook when you gather your notebook, pencil, and coloring materials before the walk.
What should we do if the child gets distracted, can't identify a plant, or the sketches don't turn out during the walk?
Set a short timer and stay on the agreed short safe route to reduce distraction, write a brief description and take a photo with an adult's device when you can't identify a plant, and keep quick thumbnail sketches to color and label at home if drawings don't turn out.
How can we adapt this activity for a toddler, elementary-aged child, and a preteen?
For toddlers shorten the walk and use touch-and-feel with stickers and simple labels, for elementary children follow the notebook, sketch, and magnifying-glass detail step, and for preteens add research of plant names at home and a more detailed collage to share on DIY.org.
How can we enhance or personalize the final nature page or collage?
Press one small thing you picked up, add scientific names and the sound-location notes you wrote down during the walk, arrange photos and colored sketches into a themed layout, and give your page a title and date before uploading to DIY.org.
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Facts about nature exploration for kids
🐦 Some cities host over 100 bird species across the year — you might spot migrants on a short walk!
🌳 One mature tree can provide food and shelter for hundreds of different creatures.
📷 Kids can use smartphone photos to contribute to real science projects like iNaturalist.
👂 Many animals are easier to hear than see — listening can reveal frogs, crickets, and hidden birds.
📝 Keeping a nature journal boosts observation skills and helps track changes through the seasons.
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