With physical distancing due to COVID-19, many organizations are staying engaged with residents by creating and promoting different activities that you can do or learn at home. This post highlights some of the environmentally related or nature-based activities that are currently available.
Since early April, the Royal Botanical Gardens has been running interactive content on their RBG@Home site for families. While the engaging 45-minute sessions are typically geared for kids in grades 2 to 6 with some upcoming sessions for kids in grades 4 to 9, children of all ages can learn a lot. My young child and I look forward to them each week. Past topics have included creatures with wings and crawly things, seeds, trees, birds and dandelions. Future topics include invasive species and biodiversity, wetland ways, human impacts on ecosystems, and pollination partners. Sessions currently run on Tuesdays and Thursdays in English and on Wednesdays in French until June. The sessions are free, but donations are welcome to help bring further online programming.
In addition, there are videos on nature based crafts and experiments, downloadable activities, recipes, gardening advice and more on the pages for families, teachers and life long learners. New in May is a weekly Spring Flower Hunt Contest with a chance to win a family membership and lunch for four.
Conservation Halton also have a page dedicated to nature-based home learning. Topics include:
- Nature journal
- Nature guide
- Frog calling
- Bird calling
- Nature bingo
- Scavenger hunt
- Colouring pages
- Seek app
- Take the #TrashTag challenge
- Tree matching game
- Start your own seeds indoors
- Start a ‘lasagne garden’
- FishHeads
- #BackyardBarnyard
- Meet the animals
Local environmental organizations such as BurlingtonGreen and Halton Environment Network have posted how to upcycle milk and juice cartons into bird feeders and a bingo sheet respectively. BurlingtonGreen posts their physical distancing content under “waste management at home” and “connecting with nature at home” themes.
Does your child love to read? The Burlington Public Library posted a selection of family-friendly eBooks for Earth Day’s 50th anniversary which are still available.
Something many of us could use a little bit more of was posted by the City of Burlington’s Parks and Recreation Department. What is it? Instructions on how to mail a hug!
For more links, visit burlington.ca/environment under the “Enviro Fun @ Home” tab.
Take Action Burlington! Collectively we can stay safe and make a difference. Get creative, get crafty and learn more about our natural environment.
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