Tag Archives: kids

Take 5: Nature Kids

Here at Mass Audubon, we’re all about growing, nurturing, and inspiring nature heroes at every age but we think kids are particularly inspiring. Their unencumbered curiosity for everything they find, their joyful exuberance for exploring the outdoors, and—perhaps most importantly—their innate gift for imagining an ideal world unencumbered by cynicism or limitations make them uniquely qualified to be nature heroes, leading the charge and inspiring us all to make a lasting, positive impact on the natural world.

To celebrate our smallest-but-mightiest nature heroes, here are five photos of kids doing what they do best: reveling in the wonder and beauty of nature. We have an entire category dedicated to People in Nature in our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. The deadline for this year’s contest is September 30, so don’t delay—submit your beautiful nature photography today!

© Debra Bolduc

© Debra Bolduc

© Lisa Roberts

© Lisa Roberts

© Carolynne Bailey

© Carolynne Bailey

© Mark Lotterhand

© Mark Lotterhand

© Lorraine Jackson

© Lorraine Jackson

Wild About School

Just like that, we’re officially in back-to-school season. And while for many, that means heading to the store to pick up notebooks, pencils, and pens, here we’re gathering our nets, binoculars, and field guides.

Every year, our wildlife sanctuaries around the state work with local schools to get kids out of the classroom and into the fields to learn and explore nature.

Just imagine: one day, you’re learning about dragonflies in a classroom, and the next you’re out in the meadows examining one up close. Not only does this interaction help the material sink in, but gives kids the confidence and knowledge they need to embrace rather than fear nature.

We can’t tell you how many times a we’ve been told of a child who was petrified of snakes until they met one and learned about all of their fascinating traits. The best part: this learning is contagious. Kids bring home their newfound knowledge and share it with their parents, who then may take a closer look at that hawk flying overhead or frog croaking in the water next time their outside.

To make the experience even more fulfilling our educators have developed programs that align with the Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks, and for many of our sites, the classes are customizable based on what a teacher is looking to accomplish.

While we’ve been offering these programs for decades, this year, we’ve launched an Online School Program Catalog to make it even easier for parents and teachers to find out what classes are available and which curriculum frameworks they meet.

If you’re a teacher, check it out and let us know what you think. Parents: Tell your teachers! Have questions? Ask in the comments!