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8 FALL FUN GUIDE / SEPTEMBER 2020 How to make your family walk a learning experience Incorporate colors, animals and leaves into walk By Bella Kostolni Special to The Freeman WAUKESHA — Going on a family walk is the perfect way to combine physical activity, fresh air and fun for the kids. To further enhance this autumn adventure, the Wauk- esha Parks and Recreation Department offers the follow- ing tips to make family walks an opportunity to learn: • Watch for birds. While on a walk with your children, see if you can spot different birds like cardinals, sparrows, ducks and geese. The Wauk- esha Parks and Recreation Department offers a complete I Spy Birds activity sheet on its website. Make sure to bring a pair of binoculars to aid with observation. • Do a color scavenger hunt. Give each child a piece of paper and a pencil and assign them a color. As you walk along, have them identify any object that matches their assigned color. For example, whoever is assigned the color red should look for stop signs, lady bugs, cardinals and red flowers and jot them down on their paper as they spot them. Whoever has the most items wins. • Identify insects. Bees, ants and grasshoppers are among the various insects that can be found throughout Wisconsin. Teach your chil- dren to be scientists by using the I Spy Insects activity sheet also on the Waukesha Parks and Recreation Department website. A magnifying class will help you to spot and exam- ine these creatures. • Make a leaf rubbing. Bring paper and crayons on your walk and pick up interest- ing leaves as you stroll. Place the leaf underneath your piece of paper and rub along the paper with the long side of a crayon. An image of the leaf should start to appear on your paper. Take this opportunity to identify the different parts of the leaf, such as the blade, stem and veins. • Play park bingo. Print out a park bingo sheet on the Waukesha Parks and Recrea- tion Department website or make your own and head to a park. Children can identify different items such as trees, animals and signs. To access the I Spy activities and Park Bingo and to find more information, visit wauke- sha-wi.gov/1729.

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