The Great, Spring, Bird Migration!

The Spark:

Can you guess what is becoming one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in recent years?  Birding!  It's great family fun and once you start birding you will surly be hooked for life.  Make a plan with your family and friends.  For this birding quest we will be taking advantage of the great, spring, bird migration.  Incase you haven't noticed, the birds are returning from warmer places.  The early morning serenade of birds is in full swing.  The earlier you wake up, the more birds you will see, and the more bird songs you will hear.  It is nothing short of fantastic.  Encore, encore!

Here is your quest in a nutshell:  The great, spring, bird migration is now in full swing.  For each species of bird, there is an optimal time for them to arrive in their breeding areas.  Usually, they tend to nest in the same areas where they nested the years before.  The stronger males arrive first and stake out their prime territory.  When the females arrive, they choose to mate with the males that occupy the best habitats for raising young.  Then, both male and female birds must construct a nest, incubate eggs, and raise their brood.  That's one mean feat!

But, in order for us to gain a deeper appreciation of these tiny travellers, whose lives extend way beyond the maps in our field guides, we need to help restore bird habitats and what better place to start but our own backyard?

Interested?

Are you interested in birding during the great, spring, bird migration and beyond?  Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Let's create a bird friendly sanctuary in our backyards to encourage birds to stay a while.  As always, you should start your quest by asking the question WHY??

Start Your Quest:

Why:  To create a wildlife refuge in you backyard that especially attracts birds.

What:  To provide food, water, cover, and a place for birds to raise their young.

When:  As soon as you can get yourself organized.

Who: You, your family, and friends.

Where:  In your own backyard.

How:  Find out below.  It's a S.N.CH., or is it?

Take Action:

Interesting fact:  Did you know that birds are the only wild animal that most people see everyday?

1.  Provide cover and places to raise their young:  Birds require places to hide in order to feel safe from people, places and inclement  weather.  Birds need a sheltered place to raise their offspring.

2.  Provide food sources naturally by plants or through supplemental feeders:  Birds, like all living beings, need food to survive and thrive.  You can also provide supplemental feeders.

3.  Provide a water source:  Birds need clean water sources for drinking, bathing, and reproduction.  Water sources may be natural or man made.

4.  Poetry and the morning serenade of birds:  When you plan your foray into the wild during the morning serenade performed by the multitude of birds in your area, why not create some poetry?  To create your poem write down the first thing that comes to your mind after reading each of the following questions:

The Morning Serenade of Birds:

a)  Where are you?

b)  What is the weather like and how is it affecting you?

c)  What can you smell, hear, touch, see?

d)  What kind of melody are the birds singing?

e)  If birds could speak, what would they be saying to one another through their song?

f)  Guess how many birds are singing at one time?

g)  How do you feel?

Don't Stop Here:

Birds are fascinating creatures!  Keep on researching and finding out more about birds in your area.  Who knows, they may become one of your great passions in life, and it may have started right here on this birding quest.

Quest Check: 

We are extremely interested in keeping you extremely interested in finding out more about and playing in nature.  Keep checking back with us on a regular basis to see if your interests match our quests. 

Oh, Those Bloomin' Wild Flowers!

The Spark:

I was walking along in my local echo patch, which surrounds a storm water reserve, when I noticed that the wild flowers were blooming all around me.  You may not think that flowers are so exciting but wait until you get out there and look beneath your feet.  Watch your step, those bloomin' flowers are everywhere!  This wildflower quest will be exciting for all.  There's a little exploration, a little artistry, some poetry, and some botany.  

Interested?

Those bloomin' wildflowers are everywhere!  Are you interested in becoming a wildflower detective, a photographer, a botanist, an artist, and a poet?  Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Let's take a hike outdoors to explore flowers.  

Start Your Quest:

Why:  To experience the changes in nature throughout the cycle of the seasons.

What:  To look for, identify, photography, respect, paint, and express yourself poetically, through the lovely blooming wildflowers.

Where:  In your local patch of nature.

Who: You, your family, and friends.

When:  As soon as you can get yourself organized.

How: Find out below.  It's a S.N.CH., or is it!

Take Action:

1.  The Detective:

Look for blooming wildflowers.  The more you find, the better!  

2.  The Botanist:

Check your wildflower reference book to see if you can identify each flower.  As you identify each flower, dog ear that page for later reference.  

3.  Local Pollinators:

While you are look for flowers, see if you can spot a bee, fly, moth, butterfly, humming bird, ladybug, bat......  Who is the pollinator for your flower.  You may want to do some further detective work to see how that flower disperses it's pollen.

4.  The Photographer:  

Frame your shot!  Take an amazing "portrait" of your wildflower.  Make sure the flower is visible as well as the leaves.  When you create a photo book, make sure you label each photograph with the name of the flower for identification.  *See images below.

5.  Be Nature Friendly:

Practice being a good stewart to the Earth.  Reduce your flower picking foot print.  Do not pick every flower you come across.  Try enjoy nature without pulling plants up by the roots or collecting every wildflower in sight.  Use your camera or bring a sketch book and watercolours out on the hike with you.   

6.  The Artist:

Take a sketch pad, pencil, eraser, and water colour set outdoors with you.  Find your favourite wildflower and create an original work of art.  Hang your watercolour in your home.

7.  The Poet:  

Choose a word, for example, WILDFLOWER.  Find a long piece of paper and write the word vertically from top to bottom on your paper.  Take each letter and write something about wildflowers that comes to your mind.  When you finish, read all the words in succession. Presto!  You have just written a poem.  

8.  The Gardener:

When your parents go to the local plant nursery, go with them.  Look around at all of the flowers and choose one to plant in your backyard.  Before you go, do a little research and try to attract a local pollinator to your backyard.  Find flowers that attract butterflies or hummingbirds, for example.  You may want to ask the nursery staff for help!  

WILDFLOWER PORTRAIT BOOKLET:

Yellow Violet

woodland Horsetail

Meadow Rue

Canadian Mayflower

Jack in the Pulpit

Trout Lily Flower

Canadian Violet

Bloodroot (just leaves)

Don't Stop Here:

Keep on researching and finding out more about wildflowers in your area.  Who knows, they may turn out to be one of your great passions in life.  And to think, it may have all started right here on this quest.  If you have a hunch about something just drop us an email and we'll do our very best to give your hunch a whirl and get right back to you.

Quest Check:

We are very interested in keeping you interested in find out more and playing in nature.  Keep checking back with us on regular basis to see if your interests match our quests.

The Nature/Culture Connection- 

Celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival

The Spark:
The Japanese celebrate the cherry blossom festival, a breathtaking spectacle of cherry blossoms that bloom between the months of March through early May.  This beloved tree has spectacular pink blooms and it is a custom for the Japanese people to picnic under their beautiful branches.  Be quick, though, because the blooms only last a few days!  This custom is celebrated to foster empathy, to cleanse ones soul, and to mark new beginnings.  Snap a few pictures, marvel at their delicate beauty, and enjoy their fleeting presence.  They are sure to put a smile on your face and a picnic is a perfect way to spend a sunny, springtime afternoon!

Start your adventure by looking for the cherry blossoms when they are in full bloom in your town.  This festival offers you a chance to connect to nature while learning a bit about diverse cultures and how nature is reflected in their celebrations.

Interested?
Are you interested in starting your cultural celebrations quest to celebrate the cherry blossom festival?  Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Let's immerse ourselves in the Japanese culture to learn a bit about how nature plays a part in this most spectacular celebration.  Start your quest with the question WHY?


Start Your Quest:
Why:  To connect to nature by learning a bit about the Japanese cherry blossom festival.
What:  To look for cherry blossoms, pack a picnic, take a camera, head out to the park and marvel at the beautiful pink blooms.
Where:  In your town where there are blooming cherry trees.
Who:  You, your family, friends, and your dog,
When:  Between the months of March through May.
How:  Find out below.  It's a S.N.CH., or is it?

Take Action:

1.  Before you begin your adventure in your town, click on this link:  Adventures in your hometown.

2.  Look for Sakuras- Japanese Cherry blossom trees in your town or do a little research to find out when the cherry blossom festival is happening in your town:

3.  Pack yourself, your family, your friends, and your dog a lovely picnic and follow the crowds of people as they join in on the celebrations:

4.  Look up and enjoy the cherry blossom tree blooms:  

5.  Go on a cherry blossom tour to find out about the Japanese custom of the cherry blossom festival:

6.  Find your favourite tree:

7.  Set up your picnic blanket under the cherry blossom trees.  Enjoy!

Don't Stop Here:
Keep on researching and finding out more about cultural festivals that mark the changes in nature from one season to the next.  Find out about the symbols, meaning, and festival customs are.  Don't forget, if you have a hunch about something just drop us an email and we'll give your hunch a whirl and get back to you.

Quest Check:
We are very interested in keeping you interested in finding out more about nature so keep checking back with us on a regular basis to find out if your interests match our quests.

Down at Sunview Pond

The Spark:

Look at a map of your neighbourhood and surrounding area and locate a body of water.  It may be a pond, a tricking stream, or a rainwater runoff reserve.  Whatever it may be, get on yourself ready and  head down there to see what you can find.  Water ways and their surrounding areas can support diverse lifeforms from microscopic to majestic.  Watch where you are stepping and be very careful so as not to crush tiny lifeforms beneath your feet and don't forget to look up or you might miss the majestic birds coming in for a landing on the water.  Before you begin your pond quest, get your family and friends together to establish some key hand signals to communicate without speaking to one another.  Raising your voice too loudly may scare off wildlife and you may miss a fantastic photograph.

Interested?
Are you interested in heading down to your local pond, stream, or rainwater reserve to see what's happening there?  Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Get your family and friends together, establish some hand signal codes (stop, look, tip toe carefully, freeze where you are, quiet, get over here as fast as you can.)  SEE DIAGRAM BELOW.  As always, start your quest by asking the question WHY?

Start Your Quest:
Why:  To explore miniature and majestic wildlife, bugs, critters, birds in your local pond.
What:  Get out your goulashes, magnifying glass, microscope, butterfly net, bucket, binoculars, and camera for this pond quest.
Where:  A local body of water.
When: As soon as you can get yourself organized
Who: You, your family, and friends
How:  Find out below.  It's a S.N.CH., or is it!

Take Action: 

Before you begin:
Remember to tread softly in and around your local pond as many species of flora and fauna call that place home.  Respect nature by leaving what you find there without destroying it.  If you must take samples for observation then return them to the pond as promptly as possible.

The quieter you are, the more you will see.  Living things may be scared off by noise so here are some important hand signals that you should establish with family and friends before you head out:

1.  Look for snails in damp soil.  Find out more about snails.

2.  Take your butterfly net and scoop it through the pond.  Gently tap out your findings into a bucket with pond water in it.  Look at your findings under a microscope.  find out more about pond creatures.

3.  Look for frogs.  Take a picture of them and then research frogs in your area to find out what type of frog you found.  Find out more about frogs.

4.  Mink, marten, or weasel?  Find out more about mink.

5.  Look for aquatic birds.  Find out more about the double-crested cormorant.

6.  Look for aquatic rodents.  Find out more about the muskrat.

7.  Look for majestic birds.  Find out more about the Canada Goose.

8.  Look for wildflowers.  Find out more about coltsfoot.

9.  Look for butterflies.  Find out more about the Mourning Cloak Butterfly

10.  Look for pollinators of flowers and catkins.  Find out more about pollinators.

Don't Stop Here:

Keep on researching and finding out more about pond life in your area.  Who knows, it may turn out to be one of your great passions in life, and to think, your interest in pond life may have started right here on this quest.  If you have a hunch about something, just drop us an email and we'll give your hunch a whirl and get back to you.  

Quest Check: 

We are very interested in keeping you interested on your quest to find out more about nature.  Keep checking back with us on a regular basis to see if your interests match our quests.

Celebrate the Earth on Earth Day and Beyond:  Get the List!

The Spark:

It's no surprise that Earth Day lands on April 22nd because what happens in spring is nothing short of magical.    The Earth comes alive again.  It is reborn!  Nature finds a way of come out of the deep freeze of winter with shining colours and it is our turn to celebrate the Earth on Earth Day and beyond.  For this quest you do not have to plan ahead, book a bus, car, airplane, or train, buy tickets, make a fancy reservation, or pack you bags.  All you will need to do is find a nearby patch of nature, a local park, or a woodlot and walk over there.  The only requirements are that it contain air, flora, fauna, land, and water.  The rest is up to you!  We will give you an explorer's list.  As you follow it, see what interests you and keep on researching interesting facts about it.  See how much information you can gather about the one thing that sparked an interest in you from our list.  Good luck and, above all, have fun!  Before you begin this quest yell this out at the top of your lungs:  FROM EARTH DAY AND BEYOND!!!!!! 

NB*  We recommend you extend your Earth Day celebrations throughout the month of April and beyond.

Interested:
Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Are you interested in celebrating mother Earth on Earth Day and beyond!  Find out how mother nature comes back to life on this quest by finding clues and following what interests you as you explore and celebrate the Earth.  Start your quest by asking the question WHY?

Start Your Quest:
Why:  To celebrate Earth Day and beyond.
What:  Look for clues of how nature is coming back to life.
Where:  In a nearby patch of nature that contains, air, water, land, flora, and fauna.
When:  Earth Day and beyond!
Who:  You, your family, and friends.
How:  Find out below.  It's a S.N.CH., or is it?

Take Action:

1.  Here is the Celebrate Earth Day and Beyond Explorers List:

Get ready to explore nature on this quest by dressing in splash gear.  That means goulashes, and splash pants.  It can get really wet and muddy out there at this time of year so start your quest off right.  Don't forget to be safe and always complete quests with adult supervision.

2.  Here are a few samples from our photo excursion.  See how many examples you can find on the Earth Day Explorers List:
Collect your own photos and scrap book them.  Keep them as references, reminders, or create your own photo book.  EARTH DAY EXPLORERS, GET READY!

Don't Stop Here:

Keep on researching and exploring your nearby patch of nature to see what changes occur throughout the seasons.  Who knows, it may turn out to be one of your great passions in life.  If you have a hunch about something just drop us an email and we'll give your hunch a whirl and get back to you.

Quest Check:

We are very interested in keeping you interested on your quest to find out and explore nature.  Keep checking back with us on a regular basis to see if your interests match our quests.

The Park Is...

The Spark: 

Your local park is a super place to chill out and get away from it all.  It offers you a place of respite from the wear and tear of everyday life.  Take a stroll, play in the park, protect nature, embark on a great adventure, spend some time alone, or meet up with friends.  What ever you choose to do, don't forget to observe how your local patch of nearby nature is changing as it awakens to spring.  What is happening right now in your local park?

Interested?

Calling all Super Natural Superheroes to ACTIVATE!  Are you interested in exploring your local park?  Spring is the perfect time of year to observe the changes that are occurring in nature.  Lets get out there in our local parks and sneak, peek, gaze, splash, and uncover as many new nature discoveries as we can find.  This pop-up nature quest will unfold as you discover new findings.

Start Your Quest:
Why: To discover and experience your local park right now in springtime.
What:  Sneak, peek, gaze, splash, and uncover as many amazing new changes in nature as possible.
Where:  In your local park.
When:  As soon as you can get yourself organized.
Who: You, your family, your friends, or your pet.
How:  Find out below.  It's a S.NCH., or is it!

Take Action:

1.  Play- Look up, look down:
Look what is happen beneath your feet as you balance on fallen logs.  Look at what is happening above your head in the sky and on the tree tops.

2.  Play- Miniature, minute, minuscule:

Uncover the leaves beneath your feet to see what is happening in the underbrush.

3.  Play- Everything's coming up blooming:

Look for blooming buds and catkins.

4.  Play- Finding forest friends:

Hunt for bugs, birds, critters, or see if you can spot trees and plants that look like forest friends.  Can you spot the face on this tree?

5.  Play- Magnifying glass and microscope:
Find as many mushrooms, mosses, and lichen as possible to observe with a magnifying glass or take as sample and bring it back to your lab to observe it under a microscope.  Identify as many varieties of mushroom, moss, and lichen that grow in your local park.

6.  Play- Ponds, puddles, and mud:

Get on your splash gear (goulashes, splash pants), get out there and explore water ways.

Discover what is living there, what is happening there, what is growing there.

7.  Play- Is anybody home?

Find animal, critter, or bug habitats and see, if you can, if anyone still lives there.  Be very careful, they might still be inhabiting their habitat.

8.  Play- Float like a butterfly, fly like a bee:

Run like the wind.  Catch a glimpse of flying bugs, bees, flies, butterflies, birds, or anything that flies as you run like the wind from one end of the park to the other.

Don't Stop Here:

Keep on researching and finding out more about the changes that are happening in nature in your neck of the woods.  Visit your local park as often as you can.  If you have a hunch about something just drop us an email and we'll give your hunch a whirl and get back to you as soon as we can.

Quest Check:  

We are very interested in keeping you interested in finding out more about nature.  Keep checking back with us on a regular basis to see if your interests match our quests.