Kids' Nature Questions Answered!

By Snake and Newt

This section of KidsOutAndAbout.com provides answers to real nature questions sent in by real kids. It was started, in effect, by my daughter Madison, age 4, who began taking nature classes offered by Linda Bender and her team at the Genesee Country Nature Center in Mumford, NY (southwest of Rochester) in the fall of 2003. (That's Linda with Madison to the right; Linda is pointing out the toad tadpoles in one of the Center's ponds.)

Once Madison realized she had access to experts who knew a lot more about this stuff than her mom, she started making ample use of this resource, having me email Linda whenever a question came up. Linda and I realized that it would make a very useful column. So we have opened it up to everyone! Please have your kids think about the nature questions they've always wanted answered. See below for how to send them in!

Current articles

What eats cocoons? - Madison, age 4. Posted 5/17/04

How many babies do groundhogs have? - Molly, age 6. Posted 5/19/04

Do fish drink water? - Emily, age 8. Posted 5/29/04

Do bees have eyes? - Zachary, age 4. Posted 6/10/04

What do salamanders eat? - Alyssa, age 7. Posted 6/30/04

How do snails get their shell? - Danielle, age 2. Posted 7/30/04

We need to add to this list! Your kids can submit nature questions by clicking here to complete the form. Linda, a.k.a. "Snake," and her colleague, Liz Thompson, a.k.a. "Newt," will select a variety of questions to answer regularly. They regret they will not be able to answer all questions personally, but if you take a trip out to the Nature Center, you can pester them all you like. They have a weekly Sunday nature walk at 2pm year-round, with a different theme each week, plus all kinds of activities throughout the week. Click here to get the event schedule for the Nature Center for the upcoming 10 days. You can call the Nature Center at (585) 538-6822 ext. 262 if you need any more information about their upcoming events.