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Ohlone Matching Game | 3-4 grade

Native people living along the Central California Coast practicing the Ohlone culture understood nature and responsibly stewarded resources for their survival. Do you know what it means to be a steward of nature? To be a steward is to take care of something. To be a steward of nature you first must understand nature and then you can learn how to care for it and preserve it for the future. In the past and today people have depended on natural resources to survive. Today we are going to learn about natural resources that were important to the Ohlone. 

Painting of a scene from an Ohlone village

Matching Game
This 20- to 30-minute activity is for students to learn about natural resources that were important to the Ohlone culture and reflect on natural resources that we rely on today. Students will look at photos and read descriptions of natural resources and match the resource with the artifact they think came from it. Students will check their own answers by reading facts about the artifacts. This activity was adapted for distance learning from the Ohlone Classroom Kit and was created for 3rd/4th graders. 

Materials:

Ohlone Matching Game Teacher’s Guide (PDF | HTML)
Pick more resources about Native Californians in our Online Museum Store

Post by: Elise

Science Illustration Prompt: Sequential Observations

Explore science illustration with artists featured in our annual exhibit, The Art of Nature, and get tips for how to make your own science illustrations at home. This post is from Megan Gnekow, recipient of the Museum’s 2019 Laura Hecox Naturalist Award.

A watercolor of a bird of prey feeding a chick

I make scientific illustrations because I want to inspire folks to look closely at the world around them. I want to make complexities and relationships more clear, helping people understand that all organisms are connected to each other. — Megan Gnekow

Prompt: Sequential Observations

There are so many great ways to use a nature journaling project to connect to your local habitat(s). One of my favorites is sequential observations — making notes and sketches about an organism you observe over time. Spring is a great time to do this because there are so many visible changes happening in our environments.

Choose an organism that you can observe regularly over a period of time (the period of shelter-in-place is a good place to start!). Observe the organism you have chosen as frequently as you are able to and make notes and sketches about what you observe. Note date, time, location (macro-habitat and micro-habitat). Use as many of your senses as you can and record what you learn!

Recording your observations over time gives you insights into an organism and the environment in which it lives. Hopefully this plants a seed for further observations and exploration. Don’t worry about making beautiful drawings. Just sketch and/or note what you observe! 

If you can’t get outside or have other limitations to observing organisms, there are plenty of webcams available to inspire you — I would suggest a bird camera hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the falcon cam at UC Berkeley.

Read more about Megan Gnekow here and visit her website here. Explore all of her illustrations from this peregrine falcon series here.

Natural Pigments

Sourgrass with bright yellow blooms
Sourgrass produces a bright yellow color

Experiment with creating art from nature! Many plants and rocks have pigments inside of them that you can paint or draw with. You can even go one step further and try making your own paint brush from found natural materials! 

How to find materials

Look in sidewalk cracks for leaves or flowers and look in dirt patches for different types of rocks. Look on bushes or trees for berries, flowers, and leaves. My favorite is oxalis, more commonly known as sourgrass (pictured to the right). It is a yellow flower that is common in Santa Cruz and makes a highlighter yellow color when used as natural paint. Bonus: this plant is invasive and is often considered a weed that you could completely remove.

A cluster of blueberries
Look in your kitchen for pigment materials!

On the other hand if you want to create art from nature but want to stay inside you can do that too! Some of your food can be used to paint and draw. For example, you can use colorful spices such as turmeric or paprika to create paint by mixing the powder with water. Beets, purple cabbage, and berries will also work – they often turn my cutting board different colors when I am chopping them! If you have a fireplace you can even use the small pieces of burnt wood that are left behind to draw with or you can grind it up and mix with water to create black paint. 

Collecting plants

  • Be respectful of the plants you collect
  • Only take what you need or take less than 10% of a plant (If there are 10 leaves on the plant, take only 1 and find other plants to pick from if you need more)
  • Collect with permission on private property and do not collect in State Parks
  • Stay away from harmful plants such as poison oak and stinging nettle

Creating Paint

  • Use your hands or a spoon to grind up the plants or rocks 
  • Try adding water or soaking items in warm water to soften them
  • Be patient, making your own paint is an experiment and it will often give you interesting surprises! See what happens if you add baking soda or vinegar- sometimes this will change the color of a paint!

Questions to ponder

  • What colors do you predict will be created from your items?
  • Did any of the colors surprise you? Why?
  • How did the colors change over time?
  • How did the colors change when you added different things (like baking soda or vinegar)?

Post by Elise

Pollinator Matching Activity | 2nd grade

Bee carrying deposits of pollen as it visits a new flower

As we enjoy the blooms of spring, we have many creatures to thank. Show us what you already know about pollinators by playing a matching game! Then go on a scavenger hunt to continue learning about pollinators around your home.

Preparation: 

  • Print out Pollinator and Flower Sheets. Cut out cards. Fold each card at the middle line so one side shows the image and the other side shows the information. (you can tape, glue or staple so that it stays together). 
  • Print out Pollinator Scavenger Hunt Data Sheet to use after the matching game

Matching Game:
Show off what you know and match the picture of a pollinator with the picture of a flower you think they would be most attracted to. Check your answers using the information on the back of each image.

  • Go on a pollinator scavenger hunt! Look out your window or go outside into your backyard or neighborhood. Use your data sheet to record what you find. 
  • There are many more pollinators in the world than are included in the pollinator matching game. What new pollinators do you notice? Take the time to look inside flowers and smell them too!
  •  Choose one of the new pollinators you saw to learn more about. Then make your own pollinator card to add to the game!
    • You can use the pollinator and flower cards as a guide to make your own card. 
    • Cut a piece of paper to match the size of the cards. Draw a picture of the pollinator one one side and then flip over to write facts from the links below on the opposite side.

Questions to think about:
Have you heard of a pollinator? What do they do?
What are some pollinators that you have seen before?

More Information 
Click here to learn more about pollination and pollinators
Click here to learn how to help protect pollinators 

Explore more resources about pollinators in our Online Museum Store.

Post by Elise

Observing Clouds Activity

Learn about different types of clouds, recording daily observations of clouds on your cloud chart, making weather predictions, and an experiment to make your own cloud at home!

What are clouds?

Clouds are made up of water droplets or ice crystals that float in the sky. We can learn a lot about the weather by looking at clouds.

Types of Clouds 

Types of clouds, including contrails, cumulus, cumulonimbus, cirrocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus, cirrostratus, stratocumulus, fog, cirrus, altocumulus, and stratus clouds

Go outside and observe the clouds. Based on the diagram above, which clouds do you see today? If there are no clouds in the sky think about why that might be. Identify your clouds using this NASA Cloud Chart (Guía de las Nubes en español), and learn more about each type of cloud here

Each day go outside and observe the clouds for one week and record your observations in this downloadable cloud chart. Make weather predictions based on what you have learned about different types of clouds. At the end of the week you can look back on your weather predictions and reflect on if they were correct or not. Use your data to see which clouds were most common during that week. 


Download and print this worksheet to aid in your observations — or make your own!

My Cloud Chart (PDF | HTML)
My Cloud Chart (Spanish Version) (PDF)

Guiding Questions for Cloud Observations

  • Are they high, middle, or low clouds?
  • What do they remind you of? Do you notice any familiar shapes in the clouds today?
  • Are the clouds blocking the sun or moon?

Optional: Pair this with our Weather Observation Activity

Try This: Make a Cloud in a Jar! 

Materials: a jar, water, lid, and hairspray. 
Kid-friendly instructions for making your own cloud: https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2015/03/make-cloud-jar-kitchen-science.html

Post by: Elise

Tree Canopy Activity | 4-5 grade

Learn how to explore the habitats around you by measuring tree canopy cover. This activity is adapted from the Museum’s Nature Rangers school program.

Download and print this worksheet (PDF | HTML) to aid in your observations — or make your own!

Explore more resources about trees and plants in our Online Museum Store.

Post by: Natalie

Cultivating Nature Awareness

Sketch of a chickadee

So much can be revealed to us when we immerse ourselves in our surroundings and give our undivided attention to nature! When we slow down and focus our senses, our awareness deepens and we begin to notice more. Noticing, in turn, leads to connection, familiarity, a desire for stewardship, a sense of place, and so much more. By familiarizing ourselves with nature in this way we can also learn to recognize patterns and relationships that exist all around us.

The intention for this guide is to help you build your sensory awareness skills through nature journaling, games, stories, and exercises in mindfulness. So grab a journal, head outside, and let’s begin!

Explore:
Nature Awareness Guide (PDF | HTML)

This Nature Awareness Guide (PDF | HTML) by our Education Assistant Ellen Stone was written as a capstone project for the California Naturalist Program, 2019.

Related Activities:

Exploring Neary Lagoon

Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge is a beloved park nestled at the heart of Santa Cruz. Once a true lagoon (with an open connection to the ocean), Neary Lagoon is now a freshwater marsh. It is an important part of an 850 acre watershed that drains into the lagoon via Laurel Creek and Bay Creek before draining into the ocean through a controlled flood gate.

This is a 44-acre park with roughly 14 acres of freshwater lagoon, and is an important habitat for many animals. Click here to download a guided hike for a 1-mile loop through this beautiful wildlife refuge (PDF | HTML). As you observe wildlife, refer to this guide of commonly-spotted animals (PDF | HTML).

Post by: Chris

Our Animal Neighbors: Western Gray Squirrel

Western gray squirrel

Have you seen a western gray squirrel quickly climbing a tree or running fast to cross the street in between cars? What else have you seen it do? Is there one that you see daily? I see one every day, climbing up and down a tree outside of my home. It often sits close to the fence, flicking its tail back and forth. Sometimes I feel like it does this just to taunt my dog, who is captivated by the squirrel on the other side of the fence.

Western gray squirrels live in Santa Cruz all year long. They mostly eat seeds and are known to steal from people’s bird feeders. They nest up in trees in “dreys”, which are made out of twigs and lined with moss or fur. They hide their food in caches (secret food storages) and will return to them when food is scarce. Their alarm call sounds like a bird chirp and it is used to warn others of a predator or danger in the area. 

Fun Facts:

  • Their large tail helps them balance when climbing and jumping between trees.
  • They can live up to 8 years old.
  • Their teeth never stop growing – they can grow up to 6 inches per year. Their teeth are never that long though because they are constantly wearing them down when they eat hard seeds. 
  • A group of squirrels is called a scurry.

CLICK HERE for a coloring sheet of a grey squirrel!

Here’s a video of Squirrel Sounds! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVRJsCsqFB0-

Post by: Elise

Gettin’ Birdy: Why Birdwatch?

The Central Coast of California is a biodiversity hotspot, and a perfect place to learn more about wildlife. Santa Cruz is fortunate to have a number of city parks and open spaces that attract many different species of birds – all told, 450 different species have been recorded in the county. That’s over a third of all species seen in the entire country! So, if you are interested in getting outside and exploring over the coming days, weeks, and beyond, try birdwatching! It can be fun for all ages, birds are widespread and common across urban and open spaces, and there are a number of effective resources to help those unfamiliar with identifying birds. Birdwatching is a window into lives quite different from our own, but the world of birds, and even their interactions with humans are fascinating and clearly visible once you know how to look for them. All it takes is practice! 

Getting Started

So, you want to see birds. One of the first decisions to make when it comes to birdwatching is where to go. There are certainly places that are more “birdy” than others, but have no fear – you will see birds almost anywhere you go! Bird hot-spots can be found at your local park, creek, or beach, and especially places with water such as wetlands, ponds, and rivers.

Go outside. Do you see birds? You are now a birdwatcher! Armed with nothing but your senses and curiosity, you are now primed to look more closely at the world around you. And if going outside is challenging, you can always birdwatch right from your window. As you begin to identify species and witness interesting behavior, try to record what you’re seeing. Creating a record of your observations is an invaluable skill for naturalists and scientists, and as you continue to birdwatch, you may notice interesting patterns begin to emerge. Below is a list of optional tools to aid with observation, ID, and data recording to get you started. Following posts will explore particular hotspots more in depth and provide tips and tricks to aid with ID, as well as further resources for those interested in flying into the world of birds. 

A group watches through binoculars from an observation platform

Tools & Resources

  • Binoculars can be very helpful, but aren’t always necessary. Many birds are large enough or have distinct enough markings and colors that they can be identified without the use of tools. 
  • Field guides. These come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and popular ones include the Sibley, Peterson, and National Geographic guides to birds. There are even app-based guides!
  • A journal or notebook to write down observations, sketch what you see, or otherwise record your experiences. 
  • eBird – a great resource for exploring regions, hotspots, and individual species. You can also upload the species you saw to a database, the largest of its kind on the planet. 
  • Merlin is an app for smartphones that aids with ID in the field. Just select the date, location, size, colors, and behavior (in trees, swimming, soaring) of the bird you’re looking at to generate a list of possible species. 
  • Visit the Bird Section of the Museum Store to find guides and gifts for birders of all ages.

Now get out there and start birding! 
They’re not gonna watch themselves.

Post by: Spencer