How did I get so lucky to be this girl’s mama? I’m counting my lucky stars every day. She was a kindred spirit from the start ─ always happy out in nature, a keen observer, and would quite happily sit with me and looked through field books. Above in the video, she is three (almost four) chatting with her dad, and getting “a little carried away” with her caterpillar field book.
I think that kids in general are happy in and curious about nature. I also think that field books are definitely for kids too (I mean the pictures of those caterpillars!) .
Here are the ones I use the most for the Ontario area (my daughter uses the caterpillar and butterfly ones in particular):
- Caterpillars of Eastern North America
- Butterflies through Binoculars – The East. A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America
- A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America
- Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin Provincial Park and the Surrounding Area
- The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
- Warblers of Ontario
- Trees in Canada
- An Eclectic Guide to Trees East of the Rockies
- Reptiles and Amphibians of Canada
(I have a referral link system set-up. Any cents earned will likely just be spent on another field book and your click-through-to-buy support is greatly appreciated)
There are also two apps that I highly recommend:
SEEK: By iNaturalist designed for kids, but also very useful for adults. It uses iNaturalist data and photo recognition to help identify species. It isn’t always right or able to get the species level, but it is pretty amazing and helpful. Also, since it is designed for kids there is no geolocation data collected (in contrast to iNaturalist), and there are challenges to complete and badges to be earned if you wanted.
Sibley Birds: This one costs about ~$30, but it is well worth it for anyone who loves birds. The app has drawings, notes, range maps, and the vocalizations (please only use the vocalizations ethically).
For any cloud and weather lovers and watchers, I have ‘Clouds’ art prints for sale, which I did in watercolour and pencil. It can be used as an artistic field to clouds, and brings some wide-open sky into your living space.
“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” (Baba Dioum, 1968)
Find some time to get outside and observe with your littles, Kate
