50 Ways to Explore Nature in Your Own Backyard!

Exploring nature is good or the body and the soul! Playing outside creates meaningful connections with peers, siblings and family while also providing necessary exercise. We can learn so much about our planet and ourselves by just stepping into the forest. Enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t have to be limited to hiking, camping or heading to the mountains for a weekend getaway (although those are all fine ideas). Connecting with nature is as simple as heading out the back door! Why not try one of these ideas in your very own yard this Summer?

1. Go cloud watching
2. Build a fort
3. climb a tree
4. Roar at the moon
5. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
6. Plant a garden
7. Create a backyard beach
8. Explore a flower
9. Run barefoot through the grass (especially wet grass)
10. Dig in the dirt
11. Watch ants
12. Camp out in your backyard
13. Tour your neighbor’s front gardens
14. Take a color walk and name all the colors you see
15. Jump in puddles
16. Birdwatching expedition
17. Bake mud cakes
18. Raise a caterpillar; release a butterfly
19. Build a fairy house with twigs and leaves
20. Make leaf, rock or bark rubbings (get creative and make an outside art project out of it)
21. Start a back yard field guide (complete with a drawn  map and descriptions)
22. Create rock art (trying to balance as many rocks on each other can be fun too–Rock Jinga!
23. Gaze at the stars and find shapes
24. Plant a tree from seed or some flowers
25. Play with sticks (sword fights are always fun but be careful!)
26. Build snow animals during the Winter
27. Watch a sunset or a sunrise from your yard; look at it each day and see how the sun moves!
28. Go butterfly watching (and maybe catch a few!)
29. Host a back yard garden tour or throw a planting party!
30. Make a moon journal
31. Run through a pile of leaves
32. Start a seed collection..or a rock collection!
33. Paint with mud
34. Take a flower walk (collect some, place in a thick book, for a fun, beautiful dried-flower craft!)
35. Create a fairy garden
36. Go on a backyard photo shoot and make a album of your findings later!
37. Search for spider webs
38. Go on a back yard safari
39. Explore a tree
40. Design a backyard hiking trail
41. Create a treasure map
42. Enjoy a backyard campfire
43. Go on a bird scavenger hunt
44. Make a bird-feeder
45. Start a nature journal
46. Paint rocks
47. Create land art
48. Take a compass walk
49. Make sand angels (or a nice snow angel in Winter)
50. Go on a backyard bug hunt

There’s so much to do with out going very far! For more ideas and inspiration to get you and your family outside and connecting with nature, visit: http://goexplorenature.blogspot.com. Get outdoors and get Chipper today!