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Fish Features

Activity

What Adaptations Help Fish Survive?

Choose a fish from the pond for canal, can you guess how its shape or features help it swim, hide, or catch food? What is unique about this fish, what kind of adaptations would it need to survive in this environment?

Science Seed

In the ponds and canals around Palmer Elementary, fish like bass, catfish, and sunfish have unique features that help them survive. Bass have long, streamlined bodies designed for speed, allowing them to chase down smaller fish with precision. Their wide mouths are perfect for capturing prey, and their strong, muscular tails help them make quick, sharp turns to catch fast-moving targets. Catfish, with their barbels (whisker-like extensions around their mouths), are adapted for hunting in murky waters where sight is limited. These barbels can detect vibrations and chemical signals in muddy water, guiding them to food. Sunfish have flattened, disk-shaped bodies and large, wide fins that allow them to dart quickly into underwater vegetation for shelter. These unique adaptations help each fish survive by enabling them to hunt, hide, and move efficiently in their specific environments.

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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.

This project was made possible by HEB.