Journey North: One of the best earth-based youth activities available

Journey North is a year-long, free event for youth (or anyone really – but it’s kid-based). Much of the fun kicks off around each February and lasts through May.

Journey North allows kids to participate in a huge “Global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change.” It’s set up so that K-12 students can share their personal field observations with other students across North America.

However, anyone can participate; you don’t have to be a kid in school.

How it works is kids track spring coming by observing the migration patterns of animals, watching for plants starting to sprout, looking for sunlight changes, and more.

Some of the wildlife that kids can learn to observe through this program include; monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles, and many more. The program highlights include, “Migration maps, pictures, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context.”

It’s a really exceptional idea, and now, with spring on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to join in. Little kids can have their parents help them so reading skills are a moot point.

How to get involved:

First you register and then you can submit your own sightings. You’ll also receive weekly news reports about what’s happening each week.

Next kids can take a look at the orientation process, and then get involved in one of the numerous projects happening on the site. All of the different projects show how season changes are all interconnected. Following, from the Journey North site, are the programs, or projects, that kids are working on:

• “Sunlight and the Seasons: Children study seasonal change in sunlight in a global game of hide and seek called Mystery Class.

• Plants and the Seasons: Children explore tulip growth in their own gardens, running an experiment that tracks the arrival of spring.

• Seasonal Migrations: Children follow animal migrations. They observe, research, and report findings and watch journeys progress on live maps.”
  

The site is full of videos and photos made just for kids. There’s also a great (and simple) Year-at-a-Glance Timeline to follow. Plus there is also a teacher’s resource center, offering lesson help related to seasonal topics, and helpful handouts and much more. While it says, “Teacher’s Resources” this section could easily be used by a parent as well.

This is a really wonderful programs that encourages kids to fully immerse themselves in the planet, and allows them to learn how small actions affect everything. Cedar and I are joining this year, hopefully we’ll see some of you there, submitting sightings.

Let me know if your family joins Journey North.

UPDATE: Journey North notes, “Your links about the different projects kids can work on go to the wrong place. You’ll find links to all of the current season’s projects here.