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.
