Ask a Naturalist: Keeping Children Engaged in Nature Through Winter

Winter is a magical time to get outside and explore with your children. There are many opportunities to learn about how the outdoors, flora, and fauna change during this time. Our urban nature preserve, located near downtown Winston Salem, offers ample space for exploration. We have different areas for you to explore including the Forest Discovery Trail, the meadow, the pollinator garden, and the creek.

Here are some ideas of fun educational activities you can do during winter:

Tracking Animal Prints

Head to the beach area of Salem Creek found at the Gateway Nature Preserve, just off the Salem Creek Greenway. On the sand you’ll be able to find some interesting footprints left by wintering animals such as deer, squirrels, raccoons, and even birds! Bring a nature journal and some crayons and ask your child to draw the tracks they find. Then you can research together and try to identify the animal that made each track. You can also wonder together what brought this animal to this part of the preserve? Do they eat aquatic organisms? Were they drinking water? Etc.

Winter Tree Identification

A wonderful area to explore plants is the Forest Discovery trail. Even during winter, trees are great subjects to explore and learn from. Since the leaves will be gone from deciduous trees by now, you can focus on exploring their bark and branches and also look for evergreens. You can use this tree identification chart and go on a scavenger hunt to find these common trees that live at the preserve. Bring a pencil so you can mark off each one you find. You can discuss the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees and how they adapt to survive the winter season.

Winter Scavenger Hunt

Another way to incorporate a fun scavenger hunt would be to include natural items commonly found in the winter such as pinecones, dried oak leaves, twigs, bird feathers, icicles, and animal tracks. You can create a checklist or print out pictures of the items your child needs to find. This encourages curiosity and observation skills. Once they find everything, reward them with a warm drink or a fun winter craft at home.

Winter Birding

Visit the Birding platform and the meadow for a fun birding adventure. Bring binoculars, a bird identification guide, and download the Merlin Bird ID app. These tools will help you learn about what kinds of birds live here in the winter. You can also ask your child to do some nature journaling and record the birds they see, how many of each type they can find, and where the birds were hanging out, what were they doing? All these questions are sure to keep your kids engaged and learning about the fascinating world of birds. They can also mimic the bird’s call they hear.

Tips to keep kids safe and engaged:

• Dress warm, bring gloves, hats, and boots to keep children comfortable in cold weather.
• Choose activities appropriate for your child’s age and abilities.
• Bring water and a warm drink so you can keep hydrated and warm while outdoors.
• Make sure you’re aware of your child’s needs in case they need to go inside during colder weather.

We have such a great opportunity to explore the outdoors during winter and observe the changes nature goes through as the weather changes. Bringing children outdoors is not only a great way to instill a love for nature but also to spend quality time and learn together. So come on over to the Gateway Nature Preserve share your experience/photos with us on Instagram @gatewaynaturepreserve or on Facebook at Gateway Nature Preserve.