Outdoor Geography Activities for Children that Cultivate Awe and Curiosity in Nature

In the spirit of fostering a deeper understanding of geography, here's a guide on how to engage children in nature-based learning activities.

Start a nature journal to document landscape changes over time, capturing seasonal shifts in local plant and animal life. Encourage kids to sketch landforms and note any patterns of erosion or growth in their journals.

Organise neighbourhood geography walks to explore the relationship between natural and human-made features. During these walks, children can take photographs, use straight sticks to mark boundaries between elevation zones, and fill spaces between markers with leaves in various sizes.

To make learning more interactive, kids can use biodegradable soap bubbles or small leaves to track water flow direction and speed during rainfall. They can also construct a three-dimensional landscape model with clay and soil, planting seeds to show different vegetation zones and adding water features with blue materials and real stones to learn about erosion and sediment deposits.

Handmade signs can be used to label geographic features in the backyard map, while a wind vane made with cardboard and a compass can help measure wind direction. A rain gauge constructed using plastic bottles can accurately measure rainfall, and a yardstick can be used to measure the height of garden beds, steps, and natural slopes in the yard.

For a more hands-on approach, children can build a weather station to track local climate patterns. Measuring heights using simple tools like rulers and string can help kids calculate elevation differences.

In addition, designing a nature scavenger hunt based on geographic features can help kids identify and understand landforms. Walking along local waterways can help them spot pollution sources and brainstorm solutions like rain gardens or permeable surfaces for their neighbourhoods. Exploring the local watershed by following water flow can help kids understand drainage patterns and watershed systems.

Lastly, kids can learn about geographic decision-making in urban planning by observing how roads and bridges adapt to natural landscapes. By engaging in these activities, children can develop a strong foundation in geography, fostering a lifelong interest in the subject.

Please note that the organization that recommended these activities as a free teaching resource is not explicitly named in the provided search results.

By embracing the outdoors and incorporating hands-on learning, we can inspire the next generation of geographers.

Outdoor Geography Activities for Children that Cultivate Awe and Curiosity in Nature