t Home Activities/ Resources - Bringing Nature to You!

Activities and resources that you and your family can utilize to stay connected to nature from home, camping, the cottage, or your local park.

Birds

  • Cornell Bird Academy - Explorer's Guidebook
    This guidebook will take you on a habitat scavenger hunt, help you create a sound map, and test your bird ID! 

 

Nature Arts & Crafts & Journaling

  • Wye Marsh At Home Activities - Nature Journaling
    Click here for tips and prompts for nature journals. The possibilities for nature journals are endless - you can keep track of what interests you most, illustrate, and add in unique findings about plants, wildlife, weather, or whatever you see!

Plants & Pollinators

 

Wetlands

Wildife ID, Surveys & Stewardship​

  • Georgian Bay Land Trust & Nature Canada - Species ID Quizzes:
    Now is a great time to brush up on your species ID skills, and there are plenty of online resources to help you. Visit the Ontario Nature website to learn all about Ontario's different reptile and amphibian species. When you feel ready, test your knowledge with the quizzes below!

Turtle ID:  Level 1 
Turtle ID: Level 2
Frog and Toad ID:  Level 1   
Frog and Toag ID: Level 2
Salamander ID: Level 1
Salamander ID: Level 2
Snake ID: Level 1
Snake ID: Level 2

 

  • Wye Marsh At Home Activities - Earth Day BioBlitz
    Click here for BioBlitz species list. A BioBlitz is a survey of the plants and animals in a set area. The goal is to find as many species as possible and record them to help monitor the populations and habitats from period to period, tracking health and any changes. Set your area (your backyard, your street, your local park), and see how many species you can find! 
  • Wye Marsh At Home Activities - DIY Turtle Nest Protection Cage
    Click here for instuctions to build a DIY turtle nest protection cage. It's a great family project and will protect the vulnerable eggs from predators. Once you've seen a turtle lay their eggs (typically in a sandy or gravel area), place the nest protector over top and leave for 48 hours until the scent of the eggs is disipated. Then remove and reuse on another nest. Come fall, keep watch for emerging baby turtles! 
  • Telus Spark - Science from Home:
    https://sparkscience.ca/spark-science-from-home/
    Visit Spark Science for DIY experiments and citizen science, innovative online challenges, important science education content, andcurated content from STEAM community leaders. Spark will also connect you virtually to remarkable creators, scientists, artists, educators and builders to bring the world to you!

 

Zoos & Museums

  • Toronto Zoo - Live with the Keepers:
    https://www.facebook.com/TheTorontoZoo/?redirect=false
    Tornto Zoo is doing daily Facebook Live streams hosted by their keepers to learn about some of the behind the scenes happenings at the zoo, and teach us all about the different species that live there. From how to train a hippo to go on the scale, to learning about penguins swimming, and more!
     
  • Calgary Zoo's Daily Dose:
    https://www.calgaryzoo.com/YourDailyDoseandDailyDoseAtHome
    Calgary Zoo is taking you behind the scenes with our animals, humans and conservation programs every day during our temporary closure to keep spirits high, and minds engaged. They have videos as well as downloadable activitiy pages!

Visit Canadian Museum of Nature's website and social media for activities you can do at home and in your neighbourhood. Especially keep your eyes peeled for their dinosaur! 

  • Nature Canada - Children's Resources:
    https://naturecanada.ca/enjoy-nature/for-children/resources/
    Connect with nearby nature through the various resources listed here! From a scavenger hunt to tips on how to help nature in you area, our resources offer ways to get outside and connected with nature.