Summer is here and there’s so much to explore outside! The outdoors are alive with insects, flowers, plants, trees and plenty of birds.
Keep nature studies going this summer with these ideas, activities and books for the month of June:
1. The Summer Solstice
The summer solstice marks the official start of summer and the longest day of the year. The solstice, which falls near the end of June, is when the Northern Hemisphere will see the most daylight hours, followed by increasingly shorter days and longer nights as we head toward the autumn equinox.
Celebrate the Longest Day
From flower crowns to sun tea, here’s a list of simple and fun activities you and your kids can enjoy to celebrate the longest day of the year.
Learn About What Makes the Seasons
Why are the summer days long and the winter days short? What makes the seasons? What’s the difference between solstice and equinox?
The summer solstice is a great opportunity to teach your kids about earth science. Check out these Summer Solstice printables for hands-on activities and resources!
Picture Books about the Summer Solstice
The Reasons for Seasons, by Gail Gibbons
The Summer Solstice, by Ellen Jackson
Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun, by Deb Vanasse
And Then Comes Summer, by Tom Brenner
2. Honeybees
Honeybees are one of our favorite nature study topics ~ they are such amazing creatures! Their hives are incredibly efficient, with different jobs assigned to their workers, like nurse bees who care for the young, guard bees that stand watch at the entrance of the hive, the queen’s attendants, which bathe and feed the queen, forager worker bees who bring back pollen and nectar to feed the hive, and even undertakers, who remove the dead bees!
Host a Honey Tea Time
It’s pretty amazing how honeybees turn nectar into honey… why not host a honey tea time! We set out a beeswax candle, honey chamomile tea and this honey cake with honey-cream cheese frosting ~ it’s more dense and less sweet than a typical cake, but it was delicious! The best part was making the honeycomb pattern ~ with bubble wrap! (Here’s the link to the honey cake recipe.)
You could also just set out some teas and crackers, with a few different types of honey to taste test.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt for Bees
These FREE scavenger hunts are perfect for exploring all different kinds of pollinators. Students will pretend to “bee a pollinator,” discover what colors pollinators can see, and what resources they need for survival!
We also like to incorporate nature journaling into our weekly nature study, and for this one we used the honeybee unit from The Summer Journal (you can find it listed in my shop.) It’s nice having a little bit extra to work with ~ like coloring pages and journaling/activity prompts ~ but feel free to just use a simple blank journal for your little ones to record the bees they find and observe.
Our Favorite Picture Books About Honeybees
The Bee Tree, by Patricia Polacco
The Beeman, by Laurie Krebs
The Honey Makers, by Gail Gibbons
3. Creeks and Wetlands
Summer is the best time to spend an afternoon near the creek, and it’s also a great time for observing the many species of birds that call the water their home.
This month, take a trip to a local creek, lake or estuary and see how many wetland birds you can spot. We love seeing cormorants, American dippers and kingfishers near the creeks here, and great blue herons, ducks and sandhill cranes near the lake.
(We used these nature journaling pages about wetland birds from the Summer Journal)
Play the Bird Beak Challenge
See if you can mimic how different bird use their beaks! Fill a large tupperware or shallow tub with water and place some “fish” inside. You can use pom-poms, Swedish fish candy, uncooked pasta, etc. Try some that float and some that sink.
Use the following household items to try and catch the fish in your beak!
- Strainer = Filter feeding bills (flamingos)
- Small butterfly net = Dip netting bills (pelicans)
- Tongs = Gripping bills (ducks)
- Wooden skewer = Aerial fishing bills (kingfishers; terns; herons)
- Tweezers = Surface skimming bills (snipes)
Our Favorite Books about Wetland Birds
Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey
The Singer in the Stream: A Story of American Dippers, by Mary Willson
Secrets of the Loon, by Laura Purdie Salas
4. Fireflies
What’s a more iconic symbol of summer than the firefly? These amazing bioluminescent beetles use specific flash patterns to attract mates, lighting up the summer night. And unfortunately, their populations are declining worldwide, so we don’t know how much longer these magical little beetles will be with us.
Light in a Bottle
In the evening around the time the sun sets, grab a glass or clear plastic jar and head to a dark meadow or area with minimal light pollution. When you see blinking, see if you can safely scoop a firefly out of the air with your jar. Gently block the jar opening with your hand while you observe your bioluminescent friend inside the jar. After a minute or two, release the firefly back into the night.
Communicate Like a Firefly STEM Project
We love this STEM activity that explores firefly communication, life cycles and electric circuits!
Our Favorite Picture Books about Fireflies
Fireflies in the Night, by Judy Hawes
Light the Sky, Firefly, by Sheri Mabry Bestor
Fireflies Light up the Night, by Miranda Wommer
5. Summer Trees
Trees are a great nature study topic to explore all year, as they are constantly changing throughout the seasons! Here are some ideas for studying trees and their leaves in the summer months.
Chlorophyll Prints
Chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color, helps plants create their own food through photosynthesis. To make chlorophyll prints, collect fresh green leaves of different shapes and sizes. Arrange the leaves on a piece of paper with the top side of the leaf facing up. Place a paper towel on top of the leaf and tap firmly with a hammer. The chlorophyll will release in the shape of the leaf onto the paper towel!
Explore Tree Shapes
Take a walk through a park or wooded area and pay special attention to the trees’ shapes. Are they oval? Conical? Rounded? Umbrella shaped?
We enjoyed using this Summer Trees unit from the Summer Journal to help with our nature exploration.
Leaf Symmetry
Explore leaf shapes and symmetry with this fun activity: Get a blank, sturdy sheet of white paper and gather various types of leaves from outside. Cut each leaf down the middle vein (the midrib) and use a glue stick to attach each half-leaf to the paper. With a pencil (or pen), try drawing the missing half, paying attention to the leaf’s symmetry – try to match both sides!
Our Favorite Picture Books about Summer Trees
Are Trees Alive? by Debbie S. Miller
One Small Place in a Tree, by Barbara Brenner
The Magic and Mystery of Trees, by Jen Green
Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids, by Gail Gibbons
6. Summer Wildflowers (Lupine)
Go on a Wildflower Walk (or Hike)
Take a walk (or hike) in a meadow or along a trail that has plenty of local wildflowers. Bring a guide book or ID app (we use SEEK) and see how many wildflowers you can identify.
We enjoyed using these wildflower nature journaling pages from the Summer Journal.
Make a Portable Flower Press
I love this adorable DIY flower press from Little Pine Learners, small enough stored in a pocket or backpack and made from cardboard and other simple household items.
Craft Wildflower Seed Bombs
Seed bombs are easy to make, with soil and seeds dried inside a layer of clay. After watering, the clay on the outside layer will wash away and eventually the wildflower seeds will germinate. Check out how to make seed bombs here.
Our Favorite Picture Books about Summer Wildflowers
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America, by Kathi Appelt
The Flower Alphabet Book, by Jerry Pallotta
**I am an affiliate of Amazon, which means I receive a small commission from purchases through product links, which helps keep this website going. I only write about things I’m truly passionate about, and products I actually recommend and use for our family.**
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