Getting a new perspective on nature. (Part 2)

This post includes some great ideas for getting a different perspective of nature using your sense of smell, taste and touch. In case you missed Part 1 of this post, you can find it here.

As I mentioned in part 1, these activities can be a great way to enhance observational skills and expand your child’s vocabulary! I hope you will spend some time outside and try them.


Smell

Scents are all around! Close your eyes and take deep breaths to smell all the different smells of nature around you.

· Smell a flower, a blade of freshly picked grass, the air, and even a rock.

· Find something that smells good and something that smells not so good.

· Notice the smells in nature at different times of the day, and at different times of the year.


Taste

I usually leave taste out of my adventures, since so many things in nature aren’t safe to eat. Occasionally we’ll do something like taste of snow or look up and catch raindrops from the sky. But for the most part we explore taste by going to a local farm with a u-pick operation and pick fresh apples or strawberries. Then we can talk about the taste, and whether it’s sweet, or sour etc.

If you happen to be a connoisseur of wild plants, nuts or berries, go for it! But be very careful and only allow the tasting of things you know are safe.


Touch

Just a quick safety warning on this one as well…only touch plants that you are familiar with and are certain are not poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. They have the potential to cause itchy rashes, which are no fun!

Also, take care not to pick anything unless it is in your yard or unless you have permission from the landowner.

With that said, feel different things around you!

· Look for different textures…the roughness of bark, a smooth leaf. Talk about whether they are soft, hard, flexible, smooth, bumpy wet etc. You can also compare and contrast the textures. Talk about how objects are the same and how they are different.

· Don’t forget to turn things over. The underside of leaves and flowers can look and feel quite different than the tops.

· Feel the sun or wind on your face.

· My son loves going outside in the rain. If the weather is cool, we get on our rain gear or take an umbrella out with us. If it’s warm, we just wear clothes that can get wet and go for it. We jump in the puddles and try to catch raindrops.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas for finding a different perspective in nature using the 5 senses.

Happy exploring!


Have a great idea that I didn't include?
Suggestions for future post topics?
Just let me know in the “comments” section, thanks!

You may also enjoy the post Find a Natural Space in Your Area.

To reference this post directly, use this link.