Backyard Nature Fun activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard.
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| Crow by minicooper93402 |
In our family, we talk to the crows around our house almost daily. So when the latest issue of Ranger Rick arrived a couple of weeks ago, we were excited to see an article about crows – along with a fun activity to try in our own backyard.
I Spy Crows is a simple activity that can be done anytime, anywhere. The object is to see how many different kinds of behaviors you can see crows do. There are several ideas listed in the article to get you started, like I Spy Crows …
- Living in many places. We’ve spotted crows in our neighborhood, at The Big Explorer’s school, even in Yosemite.
- Teaming up to scare predator birds. We witnessed a group of crows ganging up on a hawk right outside our front door just last week.
- Keeping watch. We see a crow hanging out at the top of the telephone pole behind our house late every afternoon. We’re guessing that it’s the same bird every day, but it’s clear he/she is keeping watch over something.
There are other cool things we’ve seen the crows in our yard (and nearby) do that we’ve added to our own version of the I Spy Crows list:
- Gather in mourning. One day on the way home from The Big Explorer’s school, we saw a dead crow in the street. When we looked up, we noticed dozens of crows had gathered in silent memorial.
- Wash food in our birdbath. Yeah, I wouldn’t have believed this if we hadn’t seen it, either.
We look forward to seeing the crows every day when we head outside. It’s been extra fun to pay more attention to what they’re up to.
Take-Home Tips
- Watch and talk. A lot of people see crows as bad luck (I guess because they’re all black?!?). Playing eyewitness to crow activities can show kids just how smart these creatures are.
- Record your findings. Have you started your own backyard bird book yet? Write down what you see, when & where. Younger kids may prefer to draw.
5 More Ideas for Getting Outside This Week
- Take a nighttime walk around the neighborhood to check out all the spooky Halloween decorations.
- Make a skeleton with sticks.
- Create a nature mobile.
- Draw pumpkins, ghosts, spiders & in your driveway with chalk.
- Take pictures of leaves.
Happy Exploring!
