Now that school’s over and we’re welcoming the emergence of summer, there are creative ways to continue learning — although informally and less structured.
In my family, I try to instill a love of learning by providing a spark of curiosity and cultivating a sense of wonder.
The creek in our backyard teems with opportunities to explore — no lab required. Nature provides a variety of experiences. After rain, we observe fungi among barks of oak, silver minnows swimming by the stream, frogs darting along rocks and animal prints on muddy grounds.
Have you tried looking underneath rocks? There, a quiet frenzy of living creatures in a tiny square-inch area coexist to create a rich study of ecosystems.
Plants by the creek lean toward the light, sometimes as if dancing in rhythm with the wind, reaching for the sun. With its many moods and nuances, the West Laurel creek offers some quiet science: Sometimes the water is at standstill, and you can see the sheen of sunlight reflecting a hue, almost dazzling like silver. After a heavy downpour, the water level rises, eroding the banks and giving the creek a different personality.
We get visits from deer, foxes, groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks and rabbits. Sometimes, we just see their footprints or their scat. Last year, all our tiger lilies and hostas became salad bars for wild animals. This year, we have not seen too many animals explore our yard yet. Perhaps there is enough food in the woods this year compared to last year?
I observed the late blooming patterns of our lilacs, azaleas and wisterias. Engaging in our garden’s seasonal trends is an informal way of studying phenology, which is the study of patterns in nature.
After the Main Street Festival last month, my husband and I visited Riverfront Park for a peaceful getaway from the crowd. We watched the flow of water that would eventually end at the Patuxent River. When the water is still, you might see mosquito larvae wiggle to the surface. If you have a container, collect a sample to observe. Take pictures of the larvae and identify them with the GLOBE Observer app. By participating in citizen science, you contribute valuable data that may be useful in identifying types of mosquitoes that may bring diseases.
Closer to home, hike through the Rocky Gorge Reservoir area to skip stones, observe the flight of geese, or to identify birds with the Merlin app.
Looking up the Laurel skies, study cloud patterns and formations, from low stratus, to middle altocumulus and high cirrus ones. My family is interested in towering cumulonimbus clouds which may bring some thunderstorms. My husband, who is a meteorologist, looks forward to observing nature’s grandeur and majestic display of lightning and thunder. My son took after his dad and does not mind walking in the rain. I observe clouds with the GLOBE Observer app, take pictures, identify the type and share my data.
There’s endless possibilities in exploring the whys and hows of everyday nature during summer — and all the other seasons for that matter. All we need is to have an open mind, be curious and have a sense of wonder.