To help everyone stay Nature Centered from home, DPNC is hosting Facebook Lives each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 am. To join us, check out our Facebook page. In addition to the Lives, we are sharing nature updates and animal facts.
If you have missed any of our Live videos, you can check them out here on our new YouTube Channel.
Below are a few tips and tricks to keep your kids busy and actively engaged to help you stay Nature Centered while staying at home.
Get Outdoors!
At this time we continue to keep our trails open to the public. We feel it is important to get out and get some sunshine to feel the restorative power of nature, especially during this difficult time. Enjoy our outdoor resources while keeping your distance and taking all the virus precautions. Please respect personal distances when out on the trails and if you are feeling ill at all please stay home. Our buildings at the Nature Center and Coogan Farm remain closed until further notice. Click here to see our trail map.
Activities:
As schools have shuttered in recent days, many parents found themselves taking on the new title of “homeschooler” practically overnight. The good news is technology has provided us with many ways to stay connected and engaged during this difficult time, through online lesson plans for kids and other virtual learning opportunities from virtual tours of zoos, aquariums, and museums to craft activities. Here are a few ideas to keep the whole family entertained and learning!
Virtual Field Trips:
Here are a collection of sites to live webcams , virtual tours/trips, and other miscellaneous fun academic sites and museums. Available here and here.
Other Resources:
NOAA Activities and Resources for Children
Videos, group activities, origami, outdoor and tabletop challenges, and a bunch of other projects that are fun, entertaining, and educational. Available here.
20+ (Mostly FREE) Online Learning Resources, Apps, and Games for Kids
At-home activities and information including STEM Fun for Preschoolers and slime recipes. Available here from Mommy Poppins.
Bedtime Story Reading – from the Stonington Free Library
Enjoy a bedtime story each night from the Stonington Free Library. Tune in to their Facebook page for a a new chapter posted each night at 7 pm. Available here.
Craft Ideas:
DIY Binoculars
A fun way to get your child excited about birding is making toilet paper roll binoculars! You can decorate these as simply or intricately as you like and they are great for any age. For children three or younger, using just one toilet paper roll to make a monocular can work well. This simplifies things and allows their eyes to focus on one spot. Find instructions here.
Free Flower Coloring Book
Color or paint flowers by local artist Elissa Sweet. Available here.
Resources from other Stonington Non-profits
In the face of the global health crisis forcing community members into isolation, a consortium of local nonprofits in Stonington has pooled its resources to continue serving the often vulnerable community members that rely on these organizations. The group, named Stonington Non-Profits, includes more than 40 nonprofit entities whose services are available to area residents. Here is a shared document of participating libraries, museums and cultural centers providing additional online content and resources to help out-of-school students and quarantined adults stay engaged, which can be found here.