2. 3 Steps to Discovering Nature Naturalist Jim’s 3 Steps to Discovering Nature 1. 1.Identify something 2. 2.Look it up 3. 3.Keep learning about it  next  next

3. “IDENTIFY SOMETHING” There are three main ways to Have someone tell you its name Use an illustration-based field guide Use a technical identification key  next  next

4. How do we get things identified? The picture shows someone using a field guide to identify a snake. More info online HEREHERE  next  next T eachers, park rangers and others can tell us what things are. However, here we’re interested in how to teach ourselves. One way to do that is to use a field guide.

5. You can figure out how IDENTIFICATION “KEYS” work by studying this one: A Key to Five Objects on A Tiny Pacific Island A Object nonliving.................................. B AA Object living.................................... C B Object massive, irregularly shaped, opaque, composed of natural minerals.............................. ROCK BB Object slender, artificially shaped, made of transparent glass............................. BOTTLE C Object rooted, with green leaves.................. TREE CC Object not rooted, with legs, no leaves........... D D Object feathered, able to fly...................BIRD DD Object featherless, unable to fly............. HUMAN More info online HEREHERE But useful keys are much, much, much more technical, more challenging – and more fun -- than this one...  next  next

6. books in books (more info online about field guides, general books on nature, magazines, and scientific journals)field guides general books on nature magazinesscientific journals Internet on the Internet (More info online here)here  next  next Once you have a name, then look it up

7. Then organize your information and keep adding to it for the rest of your life. You can do this in your Nature Study Notebook or...  next  next on your computer. ( More info online here)here

8. Backyard Naturalists can use some simple tools BINOCULARS: More info online More info online MAGNIFIERS: More info online More info online The End A scanner, to create great images such as the one shown above; More info online More info online