Conservation and Biodiversity Matters
At Green Kid Crafts, we care about conservation and biodiversity and plants are the major player in every ecosystem on this planet. This is one of the reasons we are committed to global reforestation, and plant one tree for every order placed through our partnership with One Tree Planted. Read more about our commitment to conservation in our 10 Ways we’re Green post. Â
Endangered Plants
Many may know about endangered animals. But did you know at least 12,000 plants are endangered or vulnerable, too? It’s harder to put a number on how many plants are endangered because we don’t actually know how many plants exist. Wild, right?
Inspired by this article shared on Good News Network, we thought it would be a fun (and possibly neverending) activity to see how many species of plants we actually know, in our own neighborhood.
So grab some chalk, take a walk, and maybe start learning their names together?
The beginning of wisdom is calling things by their proper name.
Confucius
Resources to learn to identify plants
List of Plants – the USDA maintains a database of plants. You might have more luck with a regional botany association’s website though, like this one from Native Plant Trust for New England.Â
Or, you might soon realize that a little bit of plant identification know-how could go a long way.
The Great Courses – has a good Intro to Botany video freely available on YouTube – in 30 minutes you can learn a lot!
PlantSnap – or, you can use an app on your phone to snap a picture and just tell you what you’re looking at?
However you choose to approach this activity, this sidewalk botany idea is so much fun – and we certainly have a lot more sidewalk chalk on hand these days…
Inspired? Please help us spread the word on this important cause.Â
Have a story to share? We’d love to hear it.
About Green Kid Crafts
Our Green Kid Crafts monthly Art and Science subscription boxes are award-winning and feature environmental themes – join our subscription box program today.
If you have a keen interest in botany you may also enjoy our botany box.
Every month a different box! For kids ages 3-10+
With 4-6 activities each, our Boxes pack a punch!
