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Put on your nature detective cap and learn the basics of animal
tracking! Explore animal clues left in the field, learn about
major animal track types, and compare and contrast cat and dog
tracks. Learn how to make animal track plaster casts in the
field. Even make a plaster cast of your pet’s paw track!
Join us for round two of Storytime at Splash! Critter Keeper
LuAnne reads Rosamond Dauer’s “Bullfrog Grows Up” in
Critterville with our resident Bullfrog, MewTwo.
Explore the Antelope Valley CA Poppy Reserve in the western
Mojave through satellite images and a virtual tour! Each spring
the Poppy Reserve is packed with visitors, however this year with
Covid-19 measures in place the reserve was closed during peak
season. Answer questions about the virtual tour video as you
watch and learn about other wildflower bloom hot spots in our
state.
Study one of the most endearing critters of Mather Field, the
California Vole! This lesson will help you understand the life
cycle, behavior and natural history of our tiny rodent friends.
Check out some cool photos of voles in action at Mather,
watch videos about voles, complete a vole crossword puzzle
and graph the population of multiple vole generations. We hope
you “dig” this lesson!
Please join us at the table (the water table that is)
and make an edible aquifer! Watch a video that introduces
the topic of groundwater, download an aquifer illustration, read
and discuss how groundwater works, answer questions, and use
parent/teacher and student instructions worksheet as you build
your very own edible aquifer that you can eat after the
lesson!
Learn about Monarchs and Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies,
explore the magical process of metamorphosis, make your own
butterfly food, and write and illustrate a comic strip of a
butterfly’s lifecycle!
Join us for Storytime at Splash! Critter Keeper LuAnne reads Anne
Mazer’s The Salamander Room in Critterville with one of our
resident California Tiger Salamanders.
Learn how to build an easy DIY Wind Turbine in this lesson!
Discover how wind turbines convert the wind’s kinetic energy into
mechanical and electrical energy. Generate enough
electricity to light an LED with your homemade turbine!
This lesson is calming, uplifting and fun-filled for Friday!
Paint Kindness Rocks, make your own Dandelion Play-doh and
brighten people’s days. Join us in spreading generosity during
these challenging times. Share your creations and acts of
generosity on social media and include the hashtag
#spreadgenerosity!
We have mentioned that we will be showcasing other organizations’
resources for at home learning, and today we are excited to
showcase the amazing work of the California State
Parks. Register for their K-12 Home Learning Programs and
learn about our state’s beautiful natural resources and cultural
heritage while at home.
Discover an array of birds that live at Mather Field and the many
types of nests they build in this lesson. Learn about ground
and burrow nesters, tree nesters, and birds that like to nest by
water. Finally, build a bird nest of your own using natural
materials from your yard! All of the incredible photos used
in this lesson were taken by Splash field guide and bird expert,
David Rosen.
Participate in a global nature observation challenge and showcase
the urban biodiversity of the Sacramento Region! Explore your
home, yard or nearby nature, upload your observations to the
iNaturalist platform and your data will be contributed to this
global citizen science effort. City Nature Challenge 2020 takes
place April 24-27.
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of a global environmental movement
with this lesson. Complete an Earth Day poster challenge, learn
new ways to help the earth from the Lorax, watch an eye-opening
video about plastics on our planet, and clean up your local
natural spaces!
Take a deep dive into nature journaling, one of the most useful
practices a budding scientist or naturalist can incorporate into
their everyday lives. Explore journaling techniques and
exercises in this interactive lesson. Content and
inspiration provided by naturalist and nature journal
extraordinaire, John Muir Laws, and the book “Opening the World
Through Nature Journaling”.
Explore the fascinating world of Pollinators! Learn about the
symbiotic relationship between pollinators and plants, and
discover why pollinators are vital for all living things and
healthy ecosystems. Complete a pollinator word search, build your
own Hummingbird feeder and observe pollinators in action right in
your own backyard!
Bring the outdoors in with this step-by-step guide for creating
your very own ecosphere in a jar. An ecosphere is a
self-sustaining, closed ecological system that produces food and
oxygen for its inhabitants while recycling waste and
CO2. Keep this tiny aquatic world in your home and watch it
transform overtime!
A “Sit Spot” is a favorite place in nature you can
visit regularly to engage in present moment awareness and closely
observe the natural world. This lesson is a guide for starting a
Sit Spot practice in your backyard or nearby nature. Learn
techniques for engaging your senses and get to know your space
better through an interactive journaling exercise. Watch your
kids fall in love with their sit spot and its inhabitants.
Although eggs are hard to come by in the stores this year, that
doesn’t have to bring down your Easter plans. Instead of
dying eggs this year, try this fun activity with your kids. All
you need is 2 ingredients and some plastic eggs. Kids and birds
both will love this!
Discover the wonderful world of nature’s very own “soil
scientists” – Earthworms! Learn about why these wiggly
critters are critical to our natural world, dig up and study a
worm from your yard, and build your own worm bin!
