Summer is a great time to get outside and explore nature. Kids these days are content staying at home being glued to their screens. Often adults are lamenting the fact that kids just don’t play outside anymore. There are a few ways you can get outside with your kids and show them how to use technology to explore the world around them.

Create a Field Journal

Finding out about nature is a great way to spend the summer days. In the past, you would create a field journal by picking leaves and drawing pictures of the things you encounter on your walks. In order to identify plants and animals, you would have to search through books, and it would take forever. Technology has made this process so much easier.

With Google Lens, you can simply point your phone or device at a plant leaf and identify not only the plant but learn more about it quickly. With this information, you can record your findings in a standard paper notebook, or you can create yourself a digital field journal.

Microsoft has a digital notetaking application called OneNote that is perfect for creating a fun field journal. You can insert webpage links, photos, text, and more into your page. You can also separate it out into plants and animals or create new sections for different walks or hikes. Evernote is also a great option to help create your field journal.

Go Birding

If creating an entire journal is a little too much work, you can just track how many different species of birds you can see during the summer. The National Audubon Society has an official app that can help you identify birds and track sightings of them. There are a few other apps that help you track the birds you see if you just search “birding” in the Play or App Store.

Geocaching

Using GPS coordinates, you can locate hidden caches of tiny treasures all over the world. Through the official app, you can track the Geocaches you have already located. You can also get hints if the cache is harder to find. Geocaching is like a treasure hunt that never ends, and the whole family can get involved.

Discover Nature As A Game

There is a company that has released several different apps to help you discover the nature that is all around you. The many apps created by Discover Nature Apps  allow you to interact with nature like never before. Their interactive games are educational and informative and give your children missions to accomplish while out in the world.

Using apps like these can get you and your kids out exploring nature in new and exciting ways. Not only does the technology really help to identify nature easily, it can offer you ways to interact with the world. Instilling this love of nature early in a child’s life can benefit them as they become adults as well. While it’s still warm outside find some great hikes in your area and explore nature with a little help from technology.