Outdoor Activities for Children

“In like a lion and out like a lamb” describes the month of March. It marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. When people think of March weather, the first thing they often think of is “wind”.

Four small paper cups

Bright colored marker or paint

Stiff cardboard; corrugated cardboard works well

New pencil with an eraser

Push pin

Can full of dirt or sand

Scissors, ruler, and stapler

Cut the rolled edge off the paper cups; this will make them lighter. Try to have all the cups the same size.

Use the marker or paint to color the outside of one of the cups.

Cut two strips of cardboard 14 inches long and 1 inch wide. Draw diagonal lines to find the exact center.

Lay the two strips on top of each other and stick the push pin through the center of both strips.

Move one strip so it is at right angles to the other strip and staple the two strips together.

Staple a paper cup to the end of each strip with the open ends all facing in the same direction.

Stick the push pin into the pencil eraser. Make sure that the cups go around easily.

Stick the other end of the pencil in the can of dirt or sand so the pencil stands up.

Place the wind gauge outside.

Count the number of times the colored cup goes around in one minute to measure relative wind speed.

Outdoor Activities
Children in Nature
Maryland Department of Natural Resources

If you prefer, you can use a map to locate one of our parks.