Why should you consider enrolling your child in the Backyard Naturalists afterschool program? Studies show that spending more time outdoors is linked to fewer incidences of behavioral problems in children and leads to a healthier lifestyle. The program will include eight weeks of lessons structured to promote a better appreciation of the natural world by nurturing creativity and independent observation skills. Study topics will include learning about plants and animals, community interactions between species, nature journaling, illustration and a nature photography workshop.

The program will be held at the Highlands Nature Center on Thursdays for 5th – 8th graders. All classes run from 3-5 pm. Transportation will be provided from Highlands School and scholarships are available! The program is limited to 12 students so please download the registration form by clicking here or call 828-526-2221 today for more information!

Backyard Naturalists is all about learning to be a naturalist and open your eyes to the small details in the natural world. We worked on honing our naturalist skills on a hike up to Sunset Rock. Between journal entries and having the time to take really high quality photos, our naturalists are quickly becoming excellent nature photographers and observers. This week we were exploring and working on both macrophotography and landscape photography.

–Maddie

I like this picture because it looks like you’re walking up the tree. –Julia/Winnie

–Jeslyn

I like how the lichen looks like it has fingernails. –Ryan

Up at Sunset Rock we got to see a unique habitat and some plants, mosses and lichens that are only found on rock outcrops.

There was a big crack in the rock and the moss was growing out of it which I thought was really cool looking. –Camren

Madison had just found a lemon peel on the ground and I was trying to look as closely as possible to see other things. –Alley

The sun rays looks like a cross from this angle. –Madison D

I held the lichen up in front of the sun to get the reflection. –Emily

We went to Sunset Rock and we saw the beautiful mountains. –Brenna

I took this picture when I tripped. –Jessica

We have some great young naturalists on our hands, and we can’t wait to see what they discover every week!

Today we were focusing on learning about plants and forest ecology. Even though we lost most of our deciduous leaves in the heavy winds over the last week, there are still a lot of evergreen plants and other plants to learn about in the forest.

–Tiffany

I like how the leaf in the background looks like it’s glowing but the other leaves don’t. –Ryan

This picture was an accident. I was moving the camera and accidentally pressed the button. –Riley

I like how the background is blue and you can really see the detail. –Maddie

There’s even been occasional snow at this elevation, which makes for some beautiful pictures.

I like how the snow is kind of a bluish color. –Julia/Winnie

I like how the picture shows the little veins on the leaf. –Jessica

When I took this picture I didn’t mean to take it but I had my camera face up and took the picture. I like how the sky is really blue and the branches are bare. –Jeslyn

I like how you can see the reflection of the sun on the camera lens. –Emily

My plant died, and this is all that is left. –Carson

I liked how there was a reflection on the lake and there was some snow left on the logs. –Camren

I liked how the leaves looked twisted and it looked deformed. –Brenna

The landscape is beautiful at this time of year, and we are lucky to have some great young photographers that are eager to capture its beauty!

We were walking pretty fast so I tried to get a good picture of the lake. It looks really pretty because all the sun was shining on the water and you could see through it. –Alley

Today we were out exploring nature, specifically focusing on the pond ecosystems. Our botanical garden contains a small lake that is home to many plants and animals, including fish, snapping turtles, ducks, and lots of macroinvertebrates!

I like taking photos in black and white because it looks old. –Carson

–Madison D.

Even though it is starting to be consistently chilly weather, there are still a lot of green plants and a lot of life in the forest and at the pond!

This mallard duck was just standing there across the pond. –Jessica

The vivid colors of the trees add to the breathtaking nature of fall landscapes.

I like the colors of the trees and the reflection of the clouds in the water. –Jeslyn

To investigate the pond ecosystem, we used D-nets and small aquatic nets to get into the mud and dead leaves near the shore, which houses lots of the life that lives in the pond. These shallow areas warm quickly in the sun and have a lot of detritus (decaying organic matter) that can serve as food for a lot of macroinvertebrates.

This is a dragonfly nymph and two tadpoles. It was a hard picture because they were swimming in opposite ways but luckily I got it when they were all together. –Alley

I took the picture of the tadpole because I really like tadpoles. When I grow up I want to learn about tadpoles and what they eat. –Ryan

This tadpole is the one I caught in the mud. –Julia/Winnie

It’s always fun to get out and explore ecosystems that we don’t always see! Lots of cool stuff lives in ponds, streams, under leaf litter, or under dead logs! See what you can find!

Fall is upon us and things are changing rapidly in the forest! We spent the day looking for interesting fall changes in the botanical gardens and learning about reptiles and amphibians.

Witch Hazel is a tree where the flowers bloom in winter. –Julia

I like how the sun reflects off the leaf and makes the leaf look shiny. –Ryan

We went searching for salamanders in a stream in the botanical gardens. Chilly weather can make it more difficult to find amphibians, but we were successful finding a variety of salamanders including Black-bellied Salamanders, Ocoee Salamanders, and Two-lined Salamanders. Salamanders tend to be very photographic so we practiced taking good macro photographs with our slimy subjects.

When I was taking this picture, the salamander was trying to run away! –Tiffany

I liked getting wet looking for salamanders. –Riley

The salamander was trying to run away but then he just sat on the tips of my fingers for two minutes. –Maddie

The salamander was moving a lot so it was hard to take a good photo. –Jess

I like how the picture shows the reflection of the leaves. –Jeslyn

–Drew

The salamander was trying to hide under leaves when I took this picture. –Madison D.

I luckily got to take a quick picture before the salamander climbed out! –Alley

It was easy to take this picture of a salamander because I didn’t catch it. –Carson

This was the biggest salamander that we found and he kept trying to run away when we put him on the plate. –Camren

Getting out and exploring nature in fall is always fun! We are excited to see what has changed next week!

A Meet Your Neighbours- style photograph by one of our returning students, Brenna.

We spent the day exploring the gardens and practicing multiple ways to express ourselves through nature journaling.

I like the shape and the color of these flowers. –Ryan

I like how there are so many different kinds of plants, mosses, and leaves in this picture. –Madison D

There are so many small details that can be observed in the natural world! We try to heighten our powers of observation by taking time to focus on the small details and documenting them through the written word, drawings, and photographs.

This is “Desmond”, my tree. He’s kinda tall. –Riley

I like this picture because there are a lot of different kinds of plants in a small area. –Jeslyn

–Emily

The students also experimented with storytelling through pictures. A millipede, a snail, and a salamander served as our first subjects, and we followed them as they moved around the forest.

This millipede was migrating across the leaf and then headed down the stem. — Maddie

I like how the leaves are greener than everything else around it. The millipede was trying to get off the leaf. –Julia

Over the next seven weeks, we will learn about a variety of topics including aquatic biology, birds, mammals, and trees. Meanwhile, nature journaling, photography, and video will help  us to observe small differences and explore the wonderful natural world around us!

I was falling when I took this picture which is what makes it look like it’s moving. –Carson

Fall is a great time to get out and observe nature! Enjoy!

I like how on each leaf there were lots of little leaves. The white background makes the leaves really pop out. –Camren

The inaugural Backyard Naturalists class came to a close on May 16, 2012. The 8-week pilot program, which was held at Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, North Carolina was a great success. It was a learning experience for everyone who was involved and thanks to a wonderful group of children and hardworking staff we are now able to refine our curriculum and approach in order to improve upon our offering for the next group of students later this year. We conducted video interviews with each student at the beginning and end of the session. In addition, we also asked a series of questions at the end of each class to determine what was and wasn’t working each week, which the student followed up with in their journals. The feedback that we’ve received from the children and their parents has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve also heard reports of student science grades improving and perhaps more importantly, most of our young naturalists now feel more comfortable playing in the forest.

Many came to the program with reservations about what they might find out in nature or if it was safe to play there. Now many of these same students have gained the courage needed to explore on their own and have attained a better understanding of how to use science, photography and journaling to record and understand their discoveries.In the coming days we will be sharing videos, student feedback and other findings from the pilot program so that those of you who aren’t able to get involved with a course right now might be able to put some of the techniques into practice at your home with your own children.

Most of all, I would like to thank our wonderful, very first graduating class of Backyard Naturalists! You will always be special to us the first group and we’re so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of your journey. Thank you for all that you’ve taught us.

Kind Regards,
Clay Bolt
Program Coordinator & Creative Director

No Matter where you live, you are surrounded by amazing wildlife! In this video, we'll show you and your child three easy ways that you can begin to discover these creatures for yourself. The mission of Backyard Naturalists is to inspire a lifelong appreciation of the natural world in children through educational programming that integrates science, art, and technology. The program has been developed through a partnership between The Highlands Biological Foundation and Meet Your Neighbours, an international nature photography project designed to help people to learn more about the wildlife in their own community. Learn more at www.backyardnaturalists.com.

Wildscreen has launched this creative communications competition to raise awareness amongst young people in particular about the animals and plants affected by climate change. Entrants are asked to choose a climate change mascot, whether it be the polar bear, koala or emperor penguin, and let their creativity run wild! They can paint, draw, sing, knit or even rap, embracing their creativity to come up with an innovative and exciting way of engaging others with climate change, with the very best entries being showcased on the ARKive website.

Visit the Create Climate Change Challenge page today for more information!