Game On! Liven Up a Summer Walk by Paying Attention to Details

by Kristy Morley, Senior Naturalist, Wissahickon Trails

School’s out for the summer but nature is still in session! If you’re looking for fun and free outdoor activities to do with your family, we have a couple of suggestions.

Take a Rainbow Walk

Look for the colors of the rainbow while on a walk, then take a photo of what you find and make a collage. Do it on multiple walks and see how the colors change throughout the season. Alternatively, pick one color and find as many items of that color on a walk.

Go on a Sound Safari

Listen quietly for 30 seconds. How many sounds do you hear? Try to describe the sounds, even if you aren’t sure what’s making them. Compare the sounds in your neighborhood to the sounds on a trail. What sounds are different or the same? Listen at sunset to hear creatures like katydids and owls.

Use Identification Apps

Screens aren’t necessarily a bad thing! iNaturalist is a great resource to help identify insects and plants, while the Merlin app can help you identify birds and bird songs. Both can be downloaded to your smart phone or device. We recorded a tutorial for using iNaturalist on our YouTube channel: Visit Youtube.com/@WissahickonTrails/videos and check it out.

Plan your visit to one of our 12 nature preserves by visiting wissahickontrails.org/ explore-the-watershed/find-your-trail.