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Water Detectives

Activity

The Journey of Rain Through Natural and Human Landscapes

After it rains, go outside and be a water detective! Look around your home, school or park to find where the rainwater goes. Does it soak into the ground, make puddles, or run off onto sidewalks and streets? Try to find spots where water pools or moves quickly. You can even use sticks or leaves to make little paths and see how water flows.

Science Seed

Rain doesn’t just disappear, it follows a path! In cities, rainwater moves across roads, sidewalks, and buildings, picking up dirt and potentially trash before flowing into storm drains. This is called runoff, and too much of it can cause flooding. In natural areas, rain soaks into the soil, helping plants grow and refilling underground water sources. Rain gardens can help capture and clean rainwater before it flows into rivers. By paying attention to where rain goes, we can learn how to manage water and protect our environment.

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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).

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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.