Find five plants on a neighborhood walk
Most kids walk past a hundred kinds of plants a day without seeing one. Pick five to hunt for, take a slow loop around the block, and you'll come home with a page of leaves and a kid who knows an oak from a maple, and poison ivy from both.
- Time
- 45 min
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 4 to 12
- Where
- Your neighborhood
What you need
- A "find five" list on paper, with a pencil and something hard to lean on
- A phone camera, and a free plant ID app if you like
- A paper bag for fallen leaves
- Long pants and closed shoes
Before you go
- Look, don't eat. No wild berries, leaves or mushrooms in mouths, ever. If someone eats a wild berry, call Poison Help right away: 1-800-222-1222.
- Leaves of three, let it be. Poison ivy and poison oak grow three leaves from one stem; poison sumac has clusters of 7 to 13. Show a picture before you leave.
- Touched it? Rinse right away with lots of running water for at least five minutes; dish soap or rubbing alcohol helps. Wash those clothes separately in hot water.
- Sidewalks and trails only. Stay out of other people's yards and off the road, and hold little hands at crossings.
Steps
- Pick five to find. List five common plants to find, plus poison ivy as the one you don't touch.
- Learn three leaf clues. Teach three clues: needles or flat, one leaf or several, smooth, toothy or lobed edges.
- Walk slowly and spot. Walk a 20–30 minute loop. Kid spots, you check together with the leaf clues.
- Sketch or snap it. Photograph or sketch each find. Collect only fallen leaves from the sidewalk.
- Check at home. Check unsure finds with an app or field guide. A guess is never permission to eat.
- Make a leaf page. Tape and label leaves on a page, then wash hands.
If it stalls
- If they can't find anything on the list, make the hunt easier: "Find a leaf with teeth. Find a leaf bigger than your hand."
- If they want to pick everything, give them a limit: three fallen leaves, their choice.
Plants found out of five
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date