Science Education in your Own Backyard

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You need help with science education at home? I’m here for you. I actually have a degree in Biology and was, once upon a time, certified to teach science to grades 7-12. I taught, I left, I traveled the world, and never went back. It’s the toughest job I’ve ever had.

But honestly it’s made me a better parent (since I taught 7th grade, I have a better understanding of my own 7th grader). I also take my love of science and share it with him. And now is the time get outside with your kids and teach them that science can and should go beyond the classroom.

And if you’re not the science-y type? Now’s your chance to learn a thing or two about your own backyard.

Since we’re all being told to stay relatively close to home, it’s a great opportunity to get outside, where you can, and bring science to life. We’re lucky enough to have our own backyard but we also live very close to a wooded natural area. If you have the chance here are some ways to engage your family in the great outdoors for a little science education even if it’s close to home.

Animals in Your Backyard

Science education shouldn’t only be taught in the classroom. Head outside and you’ll be surprised at how much animal activity goes on right under your nose. We have a Ring video doorbell that is designed to provide security but we end up seeing all sorts of animal activity at night. In fact, we have a fox that visits us regularly!

But remember that animals range in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be seen at the insect level too (think dragonflies, butterflies, ant hills, etc.). Look around for animal activity, sounds, and sights and ask questions!

Animal Activity

Animal activity is easy to find even if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Some of the things you can examine near your house: footprints or tracks in the dirt, animal poop, traces of feathers or fur, and eating activities.

Beaver Activity

If you follow along with any of my social media channels, you’ll know that we have beavers that have taken up residence in the creek behind my house. It’s been a great opportunity for us to learn more about beavers (this video on beaver lodge construction was found by my son – so fascinating!). But we can learn more about them by looking at clues.

Questions to ask and research:

• Where do beavers like to live?
• Why do they build dams?
• Do they live in the dam?
• What do their tracks look like?
• Do they have webbed feet?
• Why do they take down trees?
• Are beavers harmful to the environment?
• When are beavers most active?

Goose Activity

If you live in an area that sees Canada geese, you may not have a strong fondness for them. They can be loud and annoying and they’re generally not friendly animals. But when springtime comes, you forget all that when you see the baby goslings! We’ve seen a pair nesting in the woods… and we’ve seen other unwelcome suitors try to say hello. Here are some other pieces of evidence we’ve found.

Questions to ask and research:

• When do geese migrate?
• Do they mate for life or just for a season?
• What do they eat?
• How long do they brood?
• Where do they like to nest?
• What does their poop tell us about what they eat?

Deer Activity

Deer are pretty commonly seen, even in more urban environments. But we still like to get out our binoculars to check them out. We’ve seen albino deer, a three legged deer, and lots of baby deer. We even took a quiet walk in the woods and encountered a large group just passing through. Even if you don’t see them, here are some clues to deer activity.

Questions to ask or research:

• Why do deer have hooves?
• Do deer live in families?
• How long do the baby deer stay with their mother?
• When are deer most active?
• Where do deer sleep at night?
• Why does their poop look the way it does?

Other Animals to Look For

Even if you aren’t lucky enough to live close to a natural area, there are always animal living near by. Here are some that you may want to research and look for evidence of:

• Frogs and tadpoles (also, what’s the difference between a frog and a toad?)
• Foxes
• Butterflies
• Squirrels
• Raccoons
• Groundhogs
• Lizards
• Snakes (important: learn the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes)
• Chipmunks
• Field mice
• Rabbits
• Birds
• Insects (when all else fails!)

Animal Sounds

If you can’t see an animal, chances are pretty good that you can hear it. And sounds will often lead you to sightings if you know what you’re looking for. And it also helps to know what types of animals you will hear at different times of the day.

In the evening, we’ll often hear the sounds of crickets and frogs (Question: what makes the sound for both of them?). In the middle of the night, we might be awoken by a lonely fox or mockingbird either marking its territory or calling for a mate. But our favorite type of animal to identify are birds.

We keep bird feeders well stocked in our yard and have placed some close to our window, which gives us a chance see birds up close. It makes it easier to start to recognize their sounds when we can match them to a specific bird.

You can do both easily with one of my very favorite apps, Merlin Bird ID. I’ve been using it for years and have used it to identify birds all over the world.

As we were walking in the woods, I heard a familiar sound like, “Conkeree! Conkeree!” I knew it was familiar but couldn’t place it. Then I spotted a nearby blackbird, entered it into the app, and quickly identified it as a Red-Winged Blackbird. I then pulled up the sample bird songs and quickly confirmed it!

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We’ve used the app to help us identify sounds from Barred Owls (the who cooks for you! owl), Red-Tailed Hawk, Chickadee, and so many other sounds.

Questions to ask or research:

• Why do birds sing?
• Why do birds have different calls?
• Can different species of birds talk to each other?
• Do birds sleep in a nest every night?
• Do birds return to the same nest every year?

Plants in your Backyard

Science education is easier with something more relatable like animals. But if you’re not so lucky when you go “hunting” for animal activity, you’re sure to find some variety of the plant type. It may not seem as exciting but there’s even more variety (and clues) in the plant kingdom. Here are some of the things I recommend looking at.

Trees

Start with some general observations about trees. Talk about the importance of trees and plants to our atmosphere. Talk about why trees grow so tall while bushes stay close to the ground. And once you observe a few, you’ll be surprised at how many questions you can come up with.

Questions to ask or research:

• How can you identify a tree?
• Can you identify a tree in the winter if it has no leaves?
• Why does the bark look different on different trees?
• What’s the difference between an evergreen and deciduous tree?
• How do trees reproduce?
• Why do tree leaves turn different colors in the fall?
• How deep do the roots go?
• How can you tell how old a tree is?

If you’re looking for help with tree identification, I highly recommend the PictureThis app to help with tree (and plant) identification. It helped me identify this low-growing tree as an invasive species of olive tree in Maryland.

There’s also a whole world of things growing on a tree. For example, we found moss and fungus on just two trees we observed.

Questions to ask or research:

• Why does fungus grow on a tree?
• Is fungus harmful to a tree?
• Does moss always grow on the north side of a tree?
• If so, why?
• What do you call a mutually beneficial relationship in nature?

But wait – there’s more!

Forest Floor

When you look down on the ground, you’ll often see a better story. You may see leaves and seed pods or even saplings that help tell the story of what’s above. You’ll also see a whole new world down below that often interacts with the animal world.

Questions to ask or research:

• What are the seed pods we call helicopters?
• Why do the seeds travel in that way?
• What are other ways that seeds are distributed?
• What happens when you dig up a plant?
• How do their roots structures differ?
• Is a wild onion part of the root? Can you eat it?
• Where do cattails grow?
• Why do cattails “explode”?
• How old are ferns?
• What are vascular plants?

Again, there are millions of varieties of plants out there to explore!

Around the Yard

If you have to stick closer to home, think about some things you can do in the yard. There are always great questions to ask about what you’ve got in your own yard.

Questions to ask or research:

• Why does the grass grow mostly in spring and summer?
• What’s the difference between an annual and perennial?
• What’s the difference between a bush and a tree?
• Why do we need mulch in our flower beds?
• What makes a weed a weed?

Hopefully you’re starting to get a sense of how to instill some curiosity about the world around you. If science education isn’t your strong suit, here’s a great chance to learn together!

Check out some of the places we love to learn about science as a family:

Smarten Your Summer at the Maryland Science Center
The Quiet (Radio-Free) Beauty of Pocahontas County, WV
The OTHER Space Center in the middle of Maryland
A Real Dinosaur Park in Maryland!