1. Life Cycle Walk
Find an interesting plant or animal in your backyard or neighborhood, and think about its life cycle. What do you think the different phases of your organism’s life cycle are? What phase is it in now?
For example, does a plant have flowers, seed pods, or young shoots? Are there any birds tending their nests, do they have young? What does a young bird need that might change as it grows?
2. Backyard Birds
Learning to identify birds is one of the best ways to learn about them, their life cycle, and how we can support their habitat needs. Color in this diagram to learn the basic features that you can see on a bird. These features are extremely important to telling different kinds of birds apart from one another.
3. Warbler Word Search
Warblers are some of the most colorful birds that we have in Indiana, and many of them are just passing through in May. Warblers are migratory, spending the winter in warmer climates in Central and South America and flying to northern regions in the spring. They are small and are usually found high in the treetops, so to spot and identify them is exciting for any bird watcher!
You may have warblers in your backyard if you’re lucky, or you can visit a nature preserve near you to see them. Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, Coulter Nature Preserve, Barker Woods, and Lydick Bog Nature Preserve are great places to spot warblers and dozens more migratory birds!
Printable Mini Nature Journal and Activity Book
Print our the additional activities and keep them with you on your outdoor adventures. There’s plenty of space to sketch and make notes, and you can share your creations by taking a picture and sharing it on social media or with your friends!
Register to Win!
By participating in Nature in My Backyard Challenges and Activities, you are eligible to enter into our monthly drawing! One winner will be randomly chosen on the last day of the month.
To register, send an email with a photo, video, or story of how you participated in this month’s challenge. You can keep it simple, or be creative! Media may be shared on our website or social media sites. If you do not wish for your content to be shared, just let us know in your message.