Just outside your window lady bugs munch on aphids while protecting the plants, ground squirrels shape landscapes with their zealous collecting, and birds harmonize in countless languages. The natural world pulses with new friends and neighbors, especially when we find out what's abuzz in our backyards.

Even bugs and weeds are hard at work making the world diverse and alive. Creative and adaptable, lessons from this Backyard Pioneers engage children from the city and country alike.

They'll investigate their neighborhoods using all of the senses, identify flora and fauna within an ecosystem, learn to admire poisonous plants and critters from afar, and record observations scientifically and creatively. This is where education and entertainment go hand in hand.

With Backyard Pioneers, children follow their own curiosities to forge big picture associations and experience the same sense of wonder and respect that early explorers and natives had for the environment. They'll come to know how the natural world is a source for food, medicine and tools.

Pressing flowers into artistic creations, guessing herbs by flavor while blindfolded, learning why the hummingbird's beak fits perfectly into a blossom, and sketching the growth of favorite plants are just a few of the exploratory activities in Backyard Pioneers. Compel your budding Neighborhood Naturalist to take a whiff, tune in, and savor the spaces we share.

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