Local opportunities and activities (Part 1)

Keep up the good work! Activities and ideas for continued learning and summer fun! |
June 9, 2020

More activities

While this summer will look and feel like no other we have experienced in our lifetime, there are still plenty of local opportunities and activities to engage in during the upcoming months for students and families alike.

Bookmark this page to re-visit when boredom strikes and you need some summer fun. Check back next week, our final week, for even more ideas. Happy summer!

  • Check a local tide table and visit Larrabee park, Clayton Beach, Birch Bay, or Point Whitehorn during the low tides the week of June 19th-25th.
    • Did you see sand dollars, sea stars, clams, anemones, shells, seaweed?
    • Did you find any tidepools?
    • Did you see or hear any birds? What were they doing?
    • Did you see any animals in the Salish Sea?
    • What does the air smell like?
  • Volunteer at your local Food Bank.
  • Learn about the recent protests and talk with your family and friends about the “Why are People Out in the Street?” lesson.
  • “Adopt” an area of your neighborhood to keep clean throughout the summer. It could be the parking lot of your apartment complex, a small block of your neighborhood, or along your favorite trail or beach. Follow these instructions on how to do a litter clean up!
    • Try to visit the area once a week, wear gloves or use tongs to pick up trash you see. Bring a small bucket or small bag to collect the trash.
    • Pat yourself on the back for keeping the area free of trash!
  • Visit the Bellingham Farmer’s Market, Twin Sisters Market, Ferndale Farmer’s Market, Blaine Farmer’s Market, or the Birchwood International Market.
    What’s your favorite thing about the market?
  • If you have a yard, “camp out” for a night. If you aren’t able to camp, take a short walk with an adult and spend time looking at the night sky on a clear night.
    • Can you see any stars?
    • Can you see the moon? What phase is the moon in?
    • Can you see any constellations such as the Big dipper?
    • What else do you notice about being outside at night?

  • Get up early and watch the sunrise.
  • Make vegetable stock as a base for soups from food scraps or croutons from leftover bread.
  • Collect pinecones, rocks, shells, or other natural objects to organize, categorize, and label. Present your own natural history museum!
  • Make a reusable no-sew bag from an old t-shirt.
  • Find your favorite flower, tree, berry bush, grass, or plant. Do a blind contour drawing of it.
    • What new things did you notice about the plant?
    • Now try to do a blind contour drawing of a friend, sibling, parent, or anyone you are close to.
    • Did you notice anything new about them?

  • Map the weather: Keep a running journal of the weather for a week. Include temperature, clouds, precipitation, wind.
    • What shape are the clouds?
    • Is the wind cool or warm? Is it a breeze or moving faster?
    • Did the temperature change throughout the day?
    • When was it the warmest? Coolest? Why?
  • Take a stormwater walk around your neighborhood.
  • Look for signs from animals when you are outside.
    • Can you find a track or footprint of an animal? Who do you think made the track?
    • Can you find a bird nest in a tree?
    • Did you see scat or poop from an animal?
    • Have you found a feather on the ground from a bird?
  • Try some of Wild Whatcom’s outdoor activities.
Keep learning!

There are lots of topics for you to choose from to keep the learning going, your mind sharp, and your summer fun!

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