Englewood Family Matters: Using the Walking Trails for Science Homeschooling

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Image (c) Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

Englewood is home to many trails for hiking, walking, and biking. Parents and teachers alike can use this great advantage for science lessons. The Englewood trails make a unique educational opportunity for homeschool field trips and even for large classroom groups. No matter the age of the child, there is always something new to learn along the trails.

Collect and examine pond samples. The Englewood walking trails have plenty of water from ponds and creeks to collect as samples for science. The kids can bring along petri dishes and droppers to collect the water. Later on, they can examine the specimen under the microscope. Things to think about: Are the specimen different depending on the area the water is taken from? Does it vary depending on how deep the water is? What did you find?

Track wildlife. Wildlife is abundant along the walking trails in Englewood. Track the animals for a science lesson by looking for clues they leave. This could be paw prints in the sand, feathers, droppings, fur, and even snake skins. Where does each animal like to go? Were you able to find any by following their natural clues? Could you have changed anything for better results? Did you find the expected wildlife or something else?

Collect permitted wildlife remains. So long as its allowed, collect natural items left behind from animals. This could be a petrified insect, rabbit pellets, deer antlers, and more. These can be used for scientific observation. Be sure that you do not harm any animals to gain these items, however. The kids need to know that while it may be alright to collect items left behind naturally, they should respect live animals. Also, be sure they are not taking something that should be left alone. Everyone should wear gloves and collected items should be sealed in containers.

Examine and collect natural items. Fallen leaves are a popular scientific item for kids to collect. Rocks, pine cones, tree bark, and moss are some others. Allow the kids to examine and collect (and examine some more later) these things from nature. Just be careful not to take anything that is not allowed to be removed from the natural area.

Observe wildlife and nature and capture with art, videos, and photos. Have the kids bring along their cameras, camcorders, and even canvas and painting supplies. Observe the nature and wildlife along the Englewood trails. Kids can paint pictures, snap images, and record live scientific footage. Allow them to capture the memories in their preferred method. Not only are the kids doing something creative and fun in the moment. But the evidence will live on and provide an educational experience over and over. These works can even be used to create science movies, albums, slideshows, and more.

*Visit EnglewoodRec.org to discover more about the trails.

**I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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