backyard safari

GET OUTSIDE

Take kids on a backyard safari

These tips will inspire kids to be bug explorers.

To a kid, a backyard is a place to play. But they might be surprised at how many critters they’re sharing their play space with.

Entomologists (otherwise known as bug scientists) conduct something called a bioblitz to get a general count of how many bugs live in an area. They turn over rocks, peer under logs, and pull bits off trees to check out the number of critters in a place. Children can try something similar using observation skills and—yes!—math; the activity also helps foster exploration.

“Spending time in nature and specifically looking for insects or other creatures as part of a bioblitz activity can expose children to the amazing diversity of life around us,” says entomologist Patrick Liesch of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It can also teach about the life cycles and ecological roles of these creatures.”

Luckily a bioblitz doesn’t mean your kid has to count every single critter in your backyard. (Unless, of course, you’ve got a really long video meeting coming up.)

"When biologists want to know how many animals live in an area, they can’t count every single bug, every animal,” says Sophie Gilbert, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management at the University of Idaho. “We’ve come up with a way to take a small sample and extrapolate to get a good estimate of how many animals live in a given area.”

Here’s how to get kids crawling around your backyard.

Getting started

First, gather supplies:

FREE BONUS ISSUE

—notebook for observations; kids will use this to list bugs and note things like size, color, location, etc.

—4 sticks and string, a Hula-Hoop, or an empty box for marking off the area to be sampled; scientists call this a “quadrat”

—measuring tape to figure out the area of your sample

—magnifying glass

—smartphone to help take photos and identify creatures

Building the bioblitz

If kids are using sticks and string for the quadrat, place the sticks in the ground so that they form a square or rectangle. Loop the string around each stick until the square or rectangle is connected, and tie off tightly. (This way, the quadrat will always be the same size if it’s moved to another part of the yard.) If kids are using the Hula-Hoop or box, have them place it on the ground. ( Get kid-friendly instructions for making a Hula-Hoop. )

Using the magnifying glass, count every insect inside the quadrat. Don't forget to look in between grass blades, on flowers, and under rocks. If kids are using a bigger stick-and-string quadrat, check out bushes and trees inside the space as well. “Different animals live in the grass than on the rosebush,” Gilbert says. Critters such as ants, beetles, and worms favor dark, damp areas like under rocks and fallen branches. On flowers and bushes, you might find aphids, ladybugs, and bumblebees.

Count the number of bugs inside the quadrat several times, and help kids take an average. Then move the quadrat to a different place in the yard and repeat. Do this in many sections of your yard. Make sure to write down all the data in the notebook.

Once kids have the average number of bugs per section of yard they sampled, help them average the sections together so you get one number: the average number of bugs in one quadrat. So perhaps a kid has sampled and averaged 10 sections of the yard. Add those averages and divide by 10 to get the average number of bugs in one quadrat. (Let’s say 40 bugs in this case.)

Now have kids use the measuring tape to figure out how many square feet are in the quadrat. For example, if the quadrat is 2 feet by 2 feet, your quadrat is 4 square feet. Divide the average number of bugs per quadrat (40) by the quadrat’s square footage (4). That means 10 bugs per square foot of yard.

Next, use the measuring tape again to help kids find the area of your yard. (Let’s say it’s 100 feet by 100 feet, so 1,000 square feet.)

Now just have children multiply the yard’s square footage by the number of bugs per square foot: 1,000 x 10 = 10,000 bugs in your yard!

Other options

If children don’t feel like doing all that math, that’s OK. Instead have them simply take notes on the creatures they find inside the quadrat. They can write down names, numbers, and details in their notebooks. Liesch also recommends watching a bug for a few minutes to observe how it behaves. Does it crawl around a lot? Does it wash itself? What path does it take?

Another bioblitz option is to be on the lookout for bigger animals with fur or feathers. The trick is finding an observation station where the animals won’t notice the humans. And instead of counting in a quadrat, they’ll count animals during a certain time. “Rather than sampling space,” Gilbert says, “you’re sampling time.”

Whether kids are looking for bugs, birds, or four-legged creatures, Liesch recommends sampling throughout the day since animals are active at different times. Birds are plentiful at daybreak. Fireflies, bats, and owls are active at dusk. Later at night is a good time for bug counting. That’s when Liesch checks for insects while he takes his dogs out just before bedtime. “It’s amazing how many different insects are attracted to outdoor lights,” he says.

Why a little risk in kids' playtime might be just what they need

Picking up trash + boating = 'ploating'?

How extreme heat might change your kid's summers

Scary fun: Why kids should play in the dark

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Your US State Privacy Rights
Children's Online Privacy Policy
Interest-Based Ads
About Nielsen Measurement
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Nat Geo Home
Attend a Live Event
Book a Trip
Inspire Your Kids
Shop Nat Geo
Visit the D.C. Museum
Learn About Our Impact
Support Our Mission
Advertise With Us
Customer Service
Renew Subscription
Manage Your Subscription
Work at Nat Geo
Sign Up for Our Newsletters
Contribute to Protect the Planet

Sunny Side Up Gardens
Grow Gardens
Spices and Seasonings
Create Account

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL RETAIL ORDERS OVER $50 !!

Site navigation

The Backyard Safari Company was founded in 2010 by husband and wife team Clyde & Sherri Hutchison. Located in Covington, Georgia, the company’s philosophy is all about spending less time in the kitchen and more time outside having fun!

Clyde and Sherri found that after selling their chocolate factory and moving to the country, they made more and more excuses to stay and entertain at home.

Gardening and butterflies, became a passion for Sherri and most days Clyde can be found tromping through the woods, camera in hand, with their dog, Jackson, identifying plants and trees and photographing the amazing scenes found in nature.

A perfect weekend, is hanging out with friends and family, throwing some burgers on the grill, and watching the kids play in the yard. Gathering together to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

They created The Backyard Safari Company as a reflection of their love of nature and the coming together of friends and family; sharing a sense of community and realizing what matters most in life.

So, whether it's spending time together around the dinner table with family or chatting with friends over the garden fence, it’s the people around us that make the difference. So celebrate life, enjoy every moment and discover the adventure in your own backyard!

Co-Founders - Clyde & Sherri Hutchison (& Jackson)

Awards:

New York Fancy Food Show - Gold sofi™ Winner

Dinner Black Bean Tortilla Chili Mix

Soup, Stew, Bean or Chili Category

Dinner Tonight White Bean Chili Mix

Dallas Mart - Gourmet Gold Winner

Dinner Tonight White Bean Chili Mix

Best Chili or Soup

Atlanta Americasmart ICON Honors

Sunny Side Up Egg Carton Gardens

Best Innovative Product Design

Meet our team

Peggy, with her adventurous spirit and addiction to outrageously spicy foods, is the friendly voice you hear when you call us. Her motto of living each day to the fullest and belief that there is a new adventure around every corner, keeps us laughing and makes working with her so much fun!

Married 46 years to her high school sweetheart, Nancy is an accomplished chef whose passion is authentic southern cooking. And her critical eye for detail insures that our products are the very best that they can be! She keeps our whole team, on track and on our toes!

Cathy is a master puzzler, who can fit any combination of products in to the smallest box possible! She is always thinking of our customers, and tries to save on shipping charges whenever she can. Her optimistic personality and inner light shines brightly and she brings great joy to our team!

Pam helps us keep everything in perspective, when the going gets crazy. And with her amazing juggling skills, she makes sure that we never miss a deadline! Our energizer bunny extraordinaire!

Social Media Director - Wendy Johnston

Wendy is one of the most joyful people we know! Her energy and passion for sharing our products with our Facebook & Instagram family is contagious! And her Backyard Safari Contests are legendary! So if you see a post or receive an email from us...It's Wendy!! We are so blessed and love having her on our Backyard Safari team!

console.error('Error sharing:', error)); } else { navigator.clipboard.writeText('https://thetoyinsider.com/national-geographic-backyard-safari-kit-review/').then(() => { console.log('Link copied to clipboard'); alert('URL copied to clipboard'); }).catch((error) => { console.error('Error copying link to clipboard:', error); }); } return false;" aria-label="Share share" > share

Dress for the Quest with the National Geographic Backyard Safari Kit

This explorer gear sets the vibe for a summer full of adventures!

twitter Link to Twitter
linkedin Link to Linkedin
instagram Link to Instagram
facebook Link to Facebook

You never know what you might find in your own backyard if you look hard enough!

Kids can let their imaginations run wild in the great outdoors with the National Geographic Backyard Safari Kit from Blue Marble . The safari gear includes a hat, a vest, a field guide with a pencil, a magnifying glass, a compass, a whistle, a pair of binoculars, and stickers, all packaged inside an eco-friendly compact box made from 100% recyclable cardboard.

The vest is designed to fit most kids between 4-6 years old, but you better believe I put that green-and-khaki bad boy on as a full-grown adult and it’s now the coolest article of clothing I own. Dressing the part of safari explorer really helps set the vibe for a summer full of adventures — even if the expeditions are taking place at home this year. The vest has four pockets, conveniently sized to fit all of the explorer gear, as well as zippers, straps, and hooks that kids can tie the objects to. The compass, the whistle, and the binoculars all have string necklaces attached to them so kids can wear them around their neck or secure them to the vest for easy access.

The gear is all functional so kids can really use the items as part of their observation activities to get hands-on with their surroundings, like reading the compass to figure out in what direction they’re going, or using the magnifying glass to get a closer look at a leaf or a ladybug. Explorers can feel free to get a close-up look and even roll around in the dirt because the vest is machine washable.

Related: Become an Eco-Astronaut with PlayMonster’s Green Science Kit

The field guide contains educational information and activities to help kids interact with nature , including pages about flowers, trees, plants, insects , mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Each section includes a blank page where kids record their observations, as well as prompts to help guide them and make them think on a deeper level, such as “Describe the color, shape, and number of petals you saw on the flower,” “What was the insect doing?” and “What surprised you about the animal?”

The sticker sheet includes badge stickers for each section so kids can feel accomplished when they complete the activities. Plus, it’s rewarding to spend time outdoors and seek out different objects that kids might not have known were there in their own backyard all along.

Once kids start observing the nature around them, they’ll realize you don’t have to travel far to discover what makes our world so incredible — all you need to do is open your eyes and start exploring.

About the author

Jackie Cucco

Jackie Cucco was a Senior Editor of The Toy Book, The Toy Insider, and The Pop Insider. She covered toy trends, pop culture, and entertainment news, and made appearances on national and regional outlets, including CBS, WPIX, News 12, and more. Jackie spends her time watching horror movies and working her way through every Stephen King novel out there.