How to get to know nature

Be quiet and seek solitude. (Credit: Jennifer Rodriguez)

You love nature.

Together we even coined a term to describe what happens when we're not getting enough of it: "Treeprived".

For a fifth year, I ask you to immerse yourself in nature for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. We call it our 30×30 Nature Challenge. You might call it walking or biking to work, a lunch break outside, a walking meeting, a hike or time in the garden.

What else might you do for 30 minutes (minimum) a day? Well, there's a book for that: The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning, by Jacob Rodenburg and Drew Monkman. (Win a copy by commenting on this blog.) Here are 10 tips from the authors:

Ten ways to know nature



Roll over a log or rock and find a salamander (or centipede, millipede or beetle)!
Observe butterflies in the wild -- basking in the sun on gravel roads, atop a pile of dung, or near a puddle. To get a closer look, approach from behind, don't make sudden movements and avoid casting a shadow.
Catch and release a dragonfly in the morning. They perch near wetlands or meadows and need to warm up.
Sample wild edibles and learn how to forage. (Learn about wild edibles in Ontario and Alberta.) Maybe make spruce tip vinegar.
Be quiet and seek solitude. Leave your smartphone at home (unless you're a citizen scientist). Draw on all of your senses.
Star gaze. Light pollution is a side effect of the industrial revolution and our cities glow at night. Plan an escape to the darkness of the countryside, or plan a camping trip and stay up to look at the stars! Don't want to blow the kid's bedtime? Lay on your backs and watch the clouds.
Be patient. Natural wonders take time to reveal themselves. Or, you could be stepping on them.
Start a nature journal. Draw or write your experience. Suitable for all ages!
Go outside rain or shine. "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing." ~ Alfred Wainwright
Join a family nature club in your area. Most cities have them, or launch your own!

Where will you go to watch the night sky? Which nature club will you join? What did you spy on your last outing?

Join our 30×30 Nature Challenge and then comment on this blog to win a copy of The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning, by Jacob Rodenburg and Drew Monkman. Donated by New Society Publishers @NewSocietyPub. (Draw date: May 27, 2016.)

Sincerely,

Lindsay Coulter, a fellow Queen of Green

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