Enjoy a video about one of the birds that hang around the grasslands in Mather Field, the Killdeer. David Rosen takes us along to find, observe and study this wading bird.
This video offers step-by-step instructions for making an origami book. As part of Lesson 11 of the Splash Investigating Vernal Pools curriculum, Splash students make origami books. They decorate them with fun facts about vernal pools and drawings of the animals, plants, and landscape features they have studied or encountered in the field. Beyond this use, origami books can be a fun art project to document or summarize any subject or experience.
Catch a glimpse of UC Merced’s incredible vernal pool grassland preserve in this short video entitled “Impact.” Learn about Merced’s plan to protect its vernal pools under the UC Natural Reserve System, giving students across the globe a chance to explore these unique living laboratories.
See how Splash’s signature program impacts students and teachers experiencing it first hand. Watch students engage with nature in exciting new ways, listen to their stories from the field and see how Splash’s outdoor classroom provides a platform for building their collective knowledge. Teachers share how Splash has elevated their curriculum and brought learning to life for their students.
Much of the foodweb action in wet phase vernal pools happens on a microscopic level. This video features clips of several aquatic species making a living in a vernal pool. Those clips are accessible through the individual critter accounts but the video in its entirety is available here.
Check out these amazing videos of the tiny critters that live in vernal pools, shot by the late, great Bruce Russell of BioMEDIA Associates.
In this entertaining ten-minute video, Professor X. Plorer introduces viewers to the many wonders of vernal pools. The video should be shown in the classroom to help orient students before they dive into the Splash Elementary Curriculum.
Watch Huell Howser discover vernal pools for the first time at Mather Field. After years of receiving letters asking him to visit California’s unique temporary wetlands, Huell interviews vernal pool experts Eva Butler, Aimee Rutledge and Carol Witham for answers. Huell takes a field trip through wet and flowering vernal pools, uncovering their important history and role in our natural world.
