Children are thrilled by the chance to get close to an animal. Their immediate impulse is to project themselves into the natural world, imagining life as a ladybug, deer or lizard. This activity will encourage that impulse because it approximates the empathy basic to all good naturalists.

MATERIALS

Nature handbooks and field guides
Acrylic sweater box
Underwater viewers, made from 4-inch, heavy-duty ABS couplings (available in hardware stores), plastic wrap and rubber bands
Aquarium nets
Kids' old sneakers (to protect delicate feet)
Magnifying glass
Drawing boards
Clips
Paper
Plain and colored pencils, erasers and a sharpener

PREP

Your first and most important job is to decide where to take your children. Because we live by the Pacific Ocean, tide pools are an obvious choice. Every region of the country has possibilities--ponds, streams, marshes, forests, deserts, fields.

Even if you've observed your chosen habitat before, spend some time with a nature handbook from the library or bookstore. The Audubon Society series of field guides are the best, and Eyewitness Books offers an excellent series in individual habitats and animal kingdoms. These resources can help you and your kids recognize animals you may have previously overlooked, as well as lead you to the big picture: how the animals live with each other and how they have adapted to the environment.

What you need to gather before you go depends on what habitat you'll be visiting. The project that follows can act as a guide for whatever trip you take. The materials list obviously is for a tide pool project only. You might, for instance, need a bug box instead of a makeshift aquarium, or butterfly nets instead of aquarium nets. No matter where you visit, be sure to pack sunscreen, snacks and drinks, and a blanket to sit on.

STEP 1: EXPLORING THE TIDE POOL

I first contacted a local bait and tackle shop for low-tide schedules, and then we set off so we would arrive at the beach an hour before our chosen low tide. The water can go out rapidly in the last hour, revealing more and more animals as it recedes. As soon as the kids were on the beach, they were wild with excitement and ankle-deep in water.

The discoveries we made right away set the pace for the first part of the afternoon. The children would call out when they came upon a creature, and all of us would run over to the spot. With nets, we popped the discovery into the plastic box filled with water, examined it with a magnifying glass and identified it with the help of a field guide. Before long, our aquarium had, among other things, hermit crabs, mussels, goose barnacles, a sea worm, a starfish, a California Sea Hare and four Elegant Eolids, bright purple and orange creatures. Our most astonishing find was an octopus, which we observed in its tide pool without removing it to the aquarium.

STEP 2: DRAWING THE CREATURES

I asked the kids to make a drawing of one or more of the animals that they might like to write about. It proved to be a perfect way to get them to wind down, and their drawing ranged from a fantastical "tide pool abyss" to a magnificent starfish.

When they finished, I asked them to spend some time thinking about their stories and, if possible, to write a bit. I suggested they might want to assume the identity of one of the creatures they had seen, or they might compose a story about life in the tide pools, featuring all the animals who live there. I imposed only one rule: They should keep the descriptions of the animals true to what they had learned. We don't, I explained, want a shrimp to be able to fly away from an attacking predator.

STEP 3: WRITING ANIMAL TALES

On their own, the kids came up with a number of stories. We met later in the week and read them all out loud. In one, an Elegant Eolid named Martha (who lives at 523 Tide Pool Avenue) tells us she lives in deep water because, unlike her snail cousins, she has no shell to protect her from the pounding surf. In another, a hermit crab in search of a new shell discovers that a too-large shell is no help when confronting a hungry starfish.

We then went on to brainstorm a story together. I asked the kids what their favorite kind of story was, and in a chorus they said, "Mysteries!" With me serving as scribe, they composed "Look Who's Stalking," a mystery about the murder of Mr. Mussel. Mr. E. E. Olid, the chosen detective, considers suspects one by one, eliminating those who can't pry open a mussel and those who eat only algae. Finally, the lovely starfish, whose stomach protrudes to envelop mussels, is revealed to be the culprit.