Parents,

I’m sure you’ve experienced this situation before:  You’re out walking with your child, they stumble upon a bug/animal/leaf/plant and say, “Mom, Dad, what is that?”  You delay as you have no clue what it is they have found (All those beetles look really similar).  So you say something like, “Let’s look it up when we get home!” secretly hoping that they’ll forget so you won’t have to spend a half hour searching through Google Images to find it.

Maybe I’m the only one who has experienced this.  But if you are like me and would like to know more of what you’re looking at, there are two great mobile field guide apps that can help you go from mild mannered parent to instant Science Genius in about 20 seconds.

The first app is called Project Noah and it’s a  field guide where you snap a picture of the plant/creature you’ve found and upload it.  Users on the site can then log on and post information about your find based on their knowledge.  It may take a little while for some feedback, but you can even create a collection of animals and plants from around your house.

The second app is called Leaf Snap.  Leaf snap is similar to Project Noah, but is specific to plants found in the united states.  They are listed alphabetical and you can snap pictures too.  The thing that I like about Leaf Snap is that it shows you multiple versions of the plant leaf and flowers that you might be looking at.

Field guides used to be heavy and cumbersome to use unless you were an expert.  Now you and your student can become nature experts together.

Happy bug and leaf hunting,

-Mr. Reed-Swale