{"id":35507,"date":"2018-06-13T13:39:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T17:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/?p=35507"},"modified":"2023-07-21T08:44:56","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T12:44:56","slug":"take-a-child-into-nature-5-tips-for-fun-field-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/take-a-child-into-nature-5-tips-for-fun-field-trips\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a Child Into Nature: 5 Tips for Fun Field Trips"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n              <figure class=\"size-large alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/YotB-June-children-3x2-1280x853.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/YotB-June-children-3x2-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/YotB-June-children-3x2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/YotB-June-children-3x2-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/YotB-June-children-3x2-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" alt=\"children birding by Susan Spear\/Cornell Lab\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption><em>Photo by Susan Spear\/Cornell Lab.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n              <\/figure>\n            <\/div>\n<p><small><em>From the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/living-bird-summer-2018-table-of-contents\/\">Summer 2018<\/a> issue of <\/em>Living Bird<em> magazine. <a href=\"https:\/\/join.birds.cornell.edu\/ea-action\/action?ea.client.id=1806&amp;ea.campaign.id=24577&amp;ea.tracking.id=LBO\">Subscribe now<\/a>.<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignright sidebar-space order-bottom\"><div class=\"article-list list-style alignright\"><h2 class=\"article-list-header\">More From Living Bird<\/h2><ul><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-living-bird-toc\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CLoon-FI.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CLoon-FI.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CLoon-FI-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CLoon-FI-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Common Loons avoid predators during breeding season by nesting in secluded spots along lakeshores. Photo by Roberta Olenick.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Summer 2018\u2014Table Of Contents<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-living-bird-toc\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest.png 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest-240x180.png 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest-480x360.png 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Living Bird-latest issue\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Magazine\u2014Latest Issue<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-article\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive.png 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive-240x180.png 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive-480x360.png 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Living Bird archives\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Magazine Archives<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.org\/projects\/year-of-the-bird\">Year of the Bird <\/a>is a yearlong celebration in 2018 in which thousands of people pledge to take one action per month to help birds. July&#8217;s action is to take a child into nature. The following ideas are useful year-round, too.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Birds need more human friends\u2014especially young people. Helping a child forge a connection with nature is possibly the most meaningful thing anyone can do to help create a brighter future for birds. Fortunately, our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birdsleuth.org\/\">BirdSleuth K-12<\/a> project has lots of ideas, practical advice, lesson plans, and kits to get you started. Even if you&#8217;ve never led a nature walk before, you can get kids excited about being outside and learning. Here are five quick tips:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Set Expectations\u2014Positively<\/strong><br \/>\nExpectations are crucial for you and for kids. Take some time to plan your outing so you know how far you want to go and how long you want to spend on activities. Depending on age, a half-hour could be a good target, and make sure it\u2019s an adventure, not a forced march. Set some ground rules\u2014but try to keep them from starting with &#8220;no.&#8221; For instance, &#8220;No yelling&#8221; could become &#8220;Explore quietly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Explore the Senses<\/strong><br \/>\nScreen time gives kids lots of stimulation, but it&#8217;s mostly visual. Once outside, encourage your kids to close their eyes and focus on what they can hear, the smell of the fresh air, or the feel of the sunshine and breeze. Chances are, this will lead to questions and next steps.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Go Minimalist&#8230;<\/strong><br \/>\nThe fewer things a kid has to carry into the field, the more they can concentrate on observing. Binoculars can be difficult for young children to use and may fragment their attention. For older kids, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/best-binoculars-the-cornell-lab-review-2013\/\">stick with lower-magnification binoculars<\/a> (8x or less); they\u2019ll provide a wider field of view and will be easier to focus and hold steady.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list list-style alignright\"><h2 class=\"article-list-header\">More About 2018: Year of the Bird<\/h2><ul><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-article\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FI-RTHAwk-Speiser.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FI-RTHAwk-Speiser.jpg 701w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FI-RTHAwk-Speiser-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FI-RTHAwk-Speiser-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Red-tailed Hawk by David Speiser\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">View from Sapsucker Woods: 2018 Is the Year of the Bird<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-article\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-1280x720.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/native-plants-cach-ft-nl.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" alt=\"Carolina Chickadee by Doug Tallamay\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">A Yard Full of Native Plants Is a Yard Full of Well-Fed Birds<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-article\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-1280x720.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NOCA-BLack-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" alt=\"NOrthern Cardinal by Michele Black\/GBBC\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">6 Resolutions to Help You #BirdYourWorld in 2018<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Either way, start kids out with careful observation first\u2014what happens when you melt into the background and let the animals go about their everyday lives? Later, you could challenge older kids to follow a single bird for a set time to see what they can learn about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;But Know When to Use Technology<\/strong><br \/>\nTechnology and nature aren&#8217;t incompatible, especially for kids born into a device-dominated world. A smartphone with our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/free-merlin-bird-id-app-for-400-north-american-birds\/\">Merlin Bird ID app<\/a> can help you and your kids identify birds and pull up song recordings to help you find out what you&#8217;re hearing. You can also load plant or bug ID apps, and take photos, video, or audio recordings of memorable or puzzling sights and sounds. The rest of the time, it&#8217;s tucked inconspicuously in your pocket.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Share Enthusiasm\u2014It&#8217;s Contagious<\/strong><br \/>\nAlmost by definition, the first bugs, birds, or plants your kids see when they step outside will be the common ones. Even so, crows, jays, ducks, etc., are still likely to be brand-new to the kids, so look at them with new eyes. Ask the kids to imagine what the birds are doing and why\u2014and get them to tell you what they find exciting, beautiful, or intriguing. You might be amazed at how insightful their ideas are.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired? Our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birdsleuth.org\">BirdSleuth K-12 project<\/a> is packed with great ideas, from fun activities like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birdsleuth.org\/502\/\">outdoor scavenger hunts and bird bingo cards<\/a> to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birdsleuth.org\/kits\/\">full curriculum plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Summer 2018 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now. Year of the Bird is a yearlong celebration in 2018 in which thousands of people pledge to take one<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/take-a-child-into-nature-5-tips-for-fun-field-trips\/\" title=\"ReadTake a Child Into Nature: 5 Tips for Fun Field Trips\">&#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":36053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc":0,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc_title":"","_birdpress_featured_image":false,"_birdpress_hero_toggle":false,"_birdpress_hero_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_image_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_style":"default","_birdpress_hero_ratio":"","_birdpress_hero_h1":"","_birdpress_hero_media_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_media_array_id":[],"_birdpress_hero_media_array":[],"_birdpress_hero_media":0,"_birdpress_hero_video_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_video":0,"_birdpress_hero_youtube":"","_birdpress_hero_content":true,"_birdpress_hero_byline":"","_birdpress_hero_byline_bottom":"","_birdpress_hero_button_link":"","_birdpress_hero_button_text":"","_birdpress_hero_button_color":"","_birdpress_hero_date":false,"original_guid":"","_birdpress_hide_search":false,"_birdpress_page_width":"","_birdpress_global_cta":false,"_birdpress_widget_sidebar":"","_birdpress_next_article":0,"_birdpress_next_article_title":"","_birdpress_prev_article":0,"_birdpress_prev_article_title":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_sub_navigation":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_title":false,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation":"","_birdpress_postType":"both","_birdpress_categoryID":0,"_birdpress_tagID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostTitle":"","_birdpress_menuID":0,"_birdpress_menuName":"","_birdpress_listHeader":"","_birdpress_listLayout":"card-display","_birdpress_listColumns":"","_birdpress_maxItems":12,"_birdpress_listPaginate":true,"_birdpress_displaySort":true,"_birdpress_sortOrder":"DESC","_birdpress_sortBy":"date","_birdpress_listID":"","_birdpress_listClass":"","_birdpress_displayImages":true,"_birdpress_displayCaptions":false,"_birdpress_displayExcerpts":false,"_birdpress_attTop":"","_birdpress_attBottom":"","_birdpress_showLogos":false,"_birdpress_post_logo":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_topic":0,"wds_primary_content-format":0,"wds_primary_cornell-lab-project":0,"wds_primary_host-project":0,"wds_primary_read-more-tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"topic":[1050,1119],"content-format":[1055,1061],"cornell-lab-project":[146],"host-project":[],"read-more-tag":[],"class_list":["post-35507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-education-get-involved","topic-try-this","content-format-article","content-format-living-bird-toc","cornell-lab-project-birdsleuth"],"metadata":{"associated-posts":[""],"wpa_off":[""],"_edit_lock":["1689944528:2"],"_edit_last":["2"],"wdsi_message_id":[""],"wdsi_do_not_show":[""],"custom-byline":["<h5>By Hugh Powell<\/h5>"],"banner-video":[""],"banner-image":[""],"fallback-videobanner-image":[""],"original_guid":[""],"banner-text-style":["light"],"banner-style":["default"],"featured-image-display":["no"],"hide-from-search":["no"],"_birdpress_next_article":[""],"_birdpress_prev_article":[""],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_image":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["36053"],"dsq_needs_sync":["1"],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_description":[""],"_wds_focus-keywords":[""],"_wds_trimmed_excerpt":["Photo by Susan Spear\/Cornell Lab. 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Year of the Bird is a yearlong celebration in 2018 in w ..."],"_birdpress_hero_transcript":[""]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"content-format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-format?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"cornell-lab-project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell-lab-project?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"host-project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host-project?post=35507"},{"taxonomy":"read-more-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/stagaabnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/read-more-tag?post=35507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}