Kids Activity: Go on a Neighborhood Safari!

When the weather is nice and the kids are hankering for something to do, why not go on a neighborhood safari? Neighborhoods are filled with all sort of wildlife and plants. From a crack in the sidewalk to a neighborhood park, your child will discover that habitats turn up in places where they'd never think of looking.

For your safari, take along a small notebook, pencils, a small magnifying glass, and a set of binoculars if you have them. Pocket reference books are also good to take along; bird, insect, and tree identification guides should cover most of what you while see on your safari.

Pocket guides are fairly inexpensive, the public library also has a terrific selection that can be borrowed. Since our safaris usually take an hour, we also bring a small backpack and some bottled water.

Let's begin!

When our family goes on "safari", Mom always takes the opportunity to sneak in a little lesson on ecology. Neighborhood safaris are a great way to teach kids about habitats, which is the place or environment where an animal lives. For animals to survive in their habitats, they need five essential things; food, shelter, water, space, and a place to reproduce.

Start your safari by pointing out the trees. Using the pocket guide, identify some of your neighborhood tree species and ask your children to guess what kind of animals might live in those trees. Once your children have made some guesses, look up and search for your neighborhood wildlife living among the branches and leaves. Once you've located the animals, talk about the 5 components of the habitat.

What do the birds and the squirrels eat? How about the bugs? How does the tree provide shelter? Where is the animals' water source? Do have the animals have space and is there a place to raise babies?

Have your children jot the answers down in their notebook, and perhaps draw a brief sketch of the habitat. Take the exercise one step further, and ask if they know of other animals that might live in trees. Would those animals have everything they would need to survive in the neighborhood? Why or why not?