11 Affordable Nature Gifts for Kids

Looking for affordable nature gifts for kids?  We do lots of nature study around here, and are happy to recommend to you a few of our favorite guides, gear and books.

By the way, if you love exploring nature with your kids, you might love these ideas:

• Birding with Kids: How to Get Started
• Nesting Materials Project for Kids
• 11 Ways to Enjoy Winter with Your Kids
• Take A Winter Nature Walk
• Winter Nature Walk: Animal Tracks
• 13 Ideas for a Spring Nature Walk
• 8 Awesome Fall Nature Walk Ideas
• 5 Tips for a Successful Nature Walk

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11 Affordable Nature Gifts for Kids

Any of the items on the following list would make a great gift for your favorite pint-sized explorer.  Use them for Easter baskets, Christmas stockings, birthday gifts, and more!

1.  Take Along Guides

We love these guides and use them often.

A few favorites:

• Caterpillars, Bugs & Butterflies
• Birds, Nests, & Eggs
• Wildflowers, Blooms, & Blossoms
• Tracks, Scats, & Signs
• Berries, Nuts, & Seeds
• Frogs, Toads, & Turtles
• Seashells, Crabs, & Sea Stars

Find out more here: Exploring Nature with Kids: Take-Along Guides.

 

2.  Pocket Nature Guides

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These pocket sized guides are perfect for kids.  Our own collection is ever-expanding and my boys use them regularly.  They’re just the right size for on-the-go explorations.

A few favorites:

• Butterflies & Moths
• Beetles
• Dragonflies & Damselflies
• Birds of Prey
• Virginia Birds
• Mushrooms
• Edible Wild Plants

 

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3.  Young Birder’s Guide

After much research, we selected The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America

for Older Brother (7).  He has really enjoyed it, and we’re all looking forward to using it more now that the weather’s turned colder and we’re keeping our bird feeders filled.

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4.  Butterfly Net

This Backyard Safari Mini Scoop Net

has logged many hours of butterfly chasing and even water explorations.  Our nets have held up very well, sustaining much abuse from my two nature-loving boys.

5.  Sturdy Magnifying Glasses

This Learning Resources Early Science Explorer’s Set

includes our favorite magnifying glasses for kids.  Like the butterfly net listed above, these sturdy magnifiers have endured much abuse at the hands of curious little boys.  My guys love to bring these along on our nature walks.

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6. Adventure Vest

We actually keep forgetting to wear these Backyard Safari Cargo Vests on our nature walks! The vests live in our large bin of dress-up clothes, and the boys love to put them on and pretend to be explorers in the house.  The vests sport many nifty pockets, just right for stowing away special treasures.

7.  Bug Boxes

My boys absolutely love these bug boxes!  They use their boxes to contain all sorts of critters: from frogs and toads and even fish, to caterpillars and spiders.

8.  Butterfly Kit

Several years ago, we enjoyed raising caterpillars and observing their metamorphosis into adult Painted Lady Butterflies.  This is the kit we used, and I’d recommend it you as well: Insect Lore Butterfly Pavilion

.  It’s a fantastic activity for home or school–every child should experience this at least once!

9.  The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon

This is a fantastic account of the life of John James Audubon, perfect for kids (and their parents).  It’s sparked a real interest in Audubon’s amazing art work for our whole family. Since reading this book, we’ve noticed his paintings everywhere–at restaurants, museums, and all over the place.

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10.  The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America’s First Naturalist

This book is a perfect go-along for any child who enjoys exploring outdoors.  We thoroughly enjoyed learning about William and his father, and how they studied and documented the natural treasures they discovered.

11.  Snowflake Bentley

Mr. Bentley was “a boy who loved snow more than anything else in the world.”  A 1999 Caldecott winner,Snowflake Bentley

 tells the fascinating story of Wilson Bentley, scientist, naturalist, photographer.  With breathtaking illustrations!

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EXTRA:  Crinkleroot’s Guide to Walking in Wild Places

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So Crinkleroot isn’t a real person, but his creator Jim Arnosky

sure is.  Arnosky is one of our very favorite nature authors, and a very prolific one at that.  We own many of his titles and read them regularly, but our hands-down favorites are the Crinkleroot books

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.  They can be tricky to track down, since they’re no longer in print.  But it’s worth the hunt!

Bonus: Seasonally-themed Books

• Favorite Children’s Books for Spring
• 11 Favorite Children’s Books about Seeds and Gardens
• More Delightful Children’s Books about Gardening
• 9 Favorite Children’s Books for Summer
• 3 More Favorite Children’s Books for Summer
• Favorite Picture Books for Fall (updated)
• More Favorite Books for Fall
• Favorite Winter Books for Children
• Our Favorite Winter Poem (The More It Snows)
• Happy Winter: this year’s favorite winter book

Happy exploring!

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