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Habitat Explorer

Activity

Create an Ocelot's Perfect Home!

Search your schoolyard for plants and areas that might provide shelter for wildlife like an ocelot. Imagine what an ocelot might need to survive—would it prefer dense bushes, tall grasses, or shady trees? Create an ocelot habitat, including food sources, water, and safe shelter. How can protecting this kind of environment for Ocelots help other animals in the area too?

Science Seed

Did you know that the Rio Grande Valley is the only place in the United States with wild ocelots! Ocelots are small, wild cats with golden fur covered in black spots and stripes, which help them blend into their habitat in the dense brushlands of South Texas. These elusive animals are primarily nocturnal, hunting at night for small prey like rodents, birds, and reptiles. Ocelots are excellent climbers and swimmers, making them highly adaptable to their environment. Sadly, their population drastically declined in Texas due to habitat loss, trsffic accidents, and being hunted for their beautiful fur, with only a few dozen left in Texas. Conservation efforts, such as creating wildlife corridors and protecting brushland habitats, are essential for their survival. See if you can spot a wildlife corridor next time you are driving on a highway. These wildlife corridors are created by fences along the highway on both sides that prevent ocelots from crossing the road where they might get hit by a car. Instead, the fences direct the cats to cross under the road at safe crossing spots that humans have built for them.

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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 Geraldine Palmer Elementary

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.