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Smell and Seek

Activity

Navigating like Salmon

Roleplaying as a salmon, can you find your way back to your “birthplace” on campus using only your sense of smell? Choose a spot on campus to be your “birthplace” and smell something very strong–such as garlic or lavender. Walk a number of paces away (you decide) and see if you can find your way home using only your sense of smell.

A Chinook Salmon jumping out of the water during spawning season

a large number of salmon crowded in the water during spawning season

salmon jumping upstream during spawning season

Science Seed

A fish’s sense of smell is important for its survival. Fish use their sense of smell to find food by detecting chemicals released by prey, which helps them locate food even if they cannot see it. They also use their sense of smell to avoid danger, allowing them to detect predators or other threats. Their sense of smell helps them interact with each other, which is important for mating and social behavior. Fish also navigate their environment using their sense of smell. For example, salmon migrate from the ocean back to the exact stream where they were born to spawn (lay eggs). They do this by remembering the unique smells of their birth stream and following those scents, along with other clues like water temperature and salinity (saltiness).

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earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Ecologist School Pocket Guide: TSBVI edition is a collaboration between Families in Nature and the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired as an effort to help our community learn more about the TSBVI campus, while getting outside into nature together! This booklet has 80 lessons across 16 different branches of science to help you play, learn, and volunteer on campus!

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.