Have the Best Summer Ever with this Outdoor Activity Bingo Card 

• Pinecones 
• Popsicle Sticks 
• Twine 
• Bird seed 
  • Make sure to find a bird seed for birds that usually live around your house. 
• Peanut Butter, Sunflower Seed Butter or Honey 
• 2 Small bowls: 1 for peanut butter, 1 for bird seed 
• Cookie Sheet lined with parchment paper 
• Paper towels for clean up 

Step 2. Make your Workspace  

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to keep your working area contained. 
• Keep paper towels on standby for clean up! 

DIY Rain Gauge 

Materials 

• Clear plastic bottle 
• Scissors 
• Ruler 
• Small Rocks 
• Sharpie or permanent marker 

Instructions  

1. Cut the top section off your clear bottle.  
2. Use a ruler to mark every ½” starting from a couple inches from the bottom of the bottle.
3. Place a handful of small rocks in the bottom of the bottle for weight. 
4. Fill the bottle with water to the 0” mark you just made. This calibrates your gauge. 
5. Invert the top of the bottle into the rain gauge to act as a funnel.  
6. Place your rain gauge on a flat surface outside where rain can get caught. 
7. The next time it rains, go outside and record rainfall. Start a journal and keep up with rainfall throughout the summer. 
8. When you’re done using the rain gauge, don’t forget to recycle it! 

DIY Recycling Container 

Materials 

• Cardboard Box, any size 
• Scissors 
• Colored duct tape 
• Colored/patterned masking tape 
• Markers 
• Stickers 

Instructions 

Step 1. Prepare your Box 

• Use your colored duct tape and scissors to cover the outside of your box. This will make your decorations stand out and keep the box sturdy.  
• You may want to add a second layer of tape to make sure all markings on the box are covered. 

Step 2. Time to Decorate 

• Draw on and add any stickers you want to your box to make it yours! 
• Let your imagination run wild when it comes to this part. 

Step 3. Time to Recycle 

• Fill your box up with recyclable items (cardboard boxes, plastic, glass, aluminum)  

Step 4. If you want to go a little further… 

• Repeat the steps above to create a box for each type of material you can recycle. 
• This way you don’t have to separate out your items when you help your parents take it to a recycling center.  

Build Your Own Bird’s Nest 

Materials 

• Paper Plate 
• Scissors 
• Twigs, grass, leaves, moss, or any other items you can find outside 
• String or yarn 

Instructions  

Step 1. Collect your Materials from Outside 

• Collect any twigs, leaves, etc. that you think you could use in your nest. 

Step 2. Start Building your Nest 

• On your paper plate, start placing twigs around the plate to create the base of your nest. 
• There is no right or wrong way to do this, but the base structure can be tricky to make sure your nest won’t fall. 
• You can weave your twigs together, add leaves and moss in gaps; really use your imagination. 

Step 3. Add your “Bird Eggs” 

• Cut up pieces of your string or yarn whatever size you like. 
• Ball up your pieces and place them in your nest to act as eggs. 
• Is your nest holding up?  

This nest is not meant to be used as a real bird’s nest but to think through the nest building process. It can be difficult for birds to find strong enough materials and construct a nest that can protect eggs and birds in it.  

Make Your Own Compost Bin  

Materials 

• Empty 2-liter water bottle 
• Sharp knife 
• Nail 
• Shredded Newspaper 
• Dirt (from your yard, not potting soil) 
• Old leaves  
• Compost materials (grass, vegetable and fruit scraps) 
• Flat dish to hold composter 
• Spray bottle for water 
• Old kitchen towel 

Instructions 

Step 1. Prepare the Bottle 

• Peel off any labels that are on your 2-liter bottle. 
• Get your parent to help cut the top of the bottle. 
• Cut off about 1-2 inches below the neck of the bottle. 
• Set the top aside. 
• Get your parent to punch 8 to 10 air and drainage holes in the bottom of the bottle. 

Step 2. Create your Compost Starter 

• Put the bottle on your flat dish. 
• Fill it up about halfway with dirt, shredded newspaper, and old leaves. 
• Use the spray bottle to dampen the compost starter. 

Step 3. Add in Compost Items 

• As your parents cook and items come available… 
• Add in vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells 
• Do not add in meat or dairy products 
• Turn your bottle top upside down in the open top of the bottle to act as a funnel. 

Step 4. Maintain your Compost Bin  

• Place your compost bottle in full sunlight, inside or outside.  
• Use the spray bottle to dampen your compost each day. 
• You can place an old kitchen towel over your bottle after spraying it each day. 
• Remember to check it each day and watch the changes as the contents decompose.  
• Once your compost has turned to soil, you can transfer the soil to a pot and plant a new flower or seed in it! 

Predicting the Weather with Pinecones 

Pinecones open their scales when they want to disperse seeds. When it rains or is humid, the pinecone wants to protect and keep the seeds dry.  

If you place a pinecone on your porch on a humid day, the scales will stay up and closed. If it is a drier day, the pinecone scales will open to disperse seeds. 

Check your pinecone from day to day to see if you can tell the difference in humidity with the scales.