Sturgeon Home Activities 2015-2016
Before each class:
1. Visit your “Naturalist Niche” and record
observations in your journal (see below).
Each Naturalist Niche assignment will be
agreed upon by the group at the end of each
class, to be due at the beginning of the next
class. This could involve creating and
working on an ongoing field guide, mapping
your niche in different ways, or researching a
plant or animal species. The journal entries
help you pay attention, record change and
document your naturalist’s journey. Please
bring your journal to every class.
2. Investigate at least one website, or read from at least one book related to
the class topic. Have fun with this, explore the information available. Come to
class with questions on your mind and a quest for knowledge in your heart.
Remember to use your critical thinking skills to evaluate the reliability of your
sources of information. See the included booklist for ideas; some books may be
found in the Riveredge Children’s Library (to be read at Riveredge) or your local
library.
3. Review and explore the meaning of the vocabulary words related to this
class (see included list). Practice using the words as you talk about your
experiences during the previous class or what you are excited about regarding
the next class.
4. We will be reading an age appropriate; nature related fictional book agreed on by
the class. The book can be found at the library or can be purchased at a
bookstore or online. Make sure you read the assigned chapters and come to
class ready to discuss what is happening in the book and how it relates to the
natural world we are learning about and exploring at Riveredge.
Home Activity: Naturalist Niche
Your “naturalist niche” is a nearby natural area which offers you a place to relax,
explore, and hone your naturalist skills on a
regular basis. You may choose to visit it as
frequently as every day or as infrequently as
once every other week. Your naturalist niche
will provide inspiration and reflection as you
connect with nature. You will gain knowledge
and wisdom from the animals and plants you
study and begin to see things you have never
noticed. As you become part of the
landscape, you will begin to uncover
mysteries of the natural world.
How to Select a Naturalist Niche:
1. Investigate nearby parks, forests, ponds, other natural areas, or your backyard to
search for a potential “naturalists niche” that appeals to you.
2. Search for a place where you feel comfortable and can observe and think in
solitude.
3. Choose a place that is within walking or biking distance from home to maximize
your ability to visit on a regular basis.
4. Make sure your naturalist niche is on public property. If it is on private property,
you must have permission to visit.
5. Choose a place that you and your parents both agree is safe for you to visit and
explore on your own. (Note: If safety concerns prevent you from visiting your
naturalist niche alone, consider taking along a friend, an older sibling, or a
parent. You can both explore the area in your own separate ways.)
Suggestions for Exploring your Naturalist Niche:
 Document baseline information in your journal for each visit such as: date, time
of visit, and weather conditions. Record any changes you observe, such as the
first songs of spring, the first snow fall, etc. Reading over past journal entries
allows you to appreciate patterns and seasonal changes (phenology).
 Record thoughts and/or feelings. How does your naturalist niche help you
unwind from a stressful situation or reflect on an important happening in your
life?
 Poke around your area—look under leaves, build a fort, turn over logs… Note
interesting discoveries and observations. Train your mind to pay attention to what
is happening around you.
 Sit quietly, focus on your breathing, and just watch. Imagine becoming an owl, a
deer, or another quiet, attentive animal. Can you “still hunt” like this for 5
minutes? 10 minutes? What happens to the area around you the longer you
stay still and quiet?
 Try sketching, writing short stories or poems, or any other activities that open up
your imagination. (By the way, “I’m not good at (blank)” isn’t a valid excuse.
Keep trying, and you will find your own style that works for you.)
 Bring a blanket to lay on and read a good book.
To get the most out of your “Naturalist’s Niche”:
o Slow Down! In the world of animals, people
are predators. It takes time to fully quiet
yourself, so that animals see you as part of
the background, instead of a potential
predator. This slowing includes both the body
and the mind. Let go of all of the thoughts of
the day, and you will notice the animals
around start acting more comfortable with
your presence.
o Use Your Senses! Isolate your senses one at a time, then use them all together.
Close your eyes and focus on sounds. Hear the far off cry of a hawk or the wind
in the trees. Use your hands to feel the objects around you. Take time to breathe
deeply and smell the scent carried in the breeze. Look at the world through “soft
eyes” or “owl eyes”. Instead of focusing on a certain point, let your eyes go soft,
like you are gazing far into the distance. You will notice much more movement in
the periphery of your vision.
o Notice everything! Get down and feel the soil beneath you.
Look for movement in the plants or water around you. Feel
the sun’s energy upon you, notice its direction and how it
changes over time. Hone your skills to pay attention at all
times to everything.
o Listen to the animals around you. The alarm call of birds
may alert you to an approaching predator, such as a
human, avian (hawk, eagle, owl) or canine (dog or coyote).
From their vantage point, birds are often the first ones to
see an approaching predator, and will often warn others. For example, in the
daytime crows will often crowd around an owl and harass it with cawing (some
owls eat crows at night). Insects have an amazing array of sounds that they use
to defend territories, avoid predators, or call mates.
The most important thing is to make your time in your “Naturalist’s Niche” a positive
experience. Begin with curiosity; you don’t have to know the name of every plant and
animal that you see. It is far more important to notice when it tends to come around and
pay attention to how it interacts with its surroundings. Do what you enjoy most, and let
your sense of wonder go wild. Most of all - enjoy your niche as a time to let go of the
outside world and enter into the magic world of nature.