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Javelina Scent Hunt

Activity

Follow your Nose

Pretend to be a group of javelinas and go on a scent hunt! Find natural items around you to represent food (e.g. flowers, seeds, acorns), water (rocks or smooth leaves), and predator zones (large sticks, litter or brightly colored objects to symbolize danger). Set these items around your play area, then choose one team member to be the “javelina nose.” This player closes their eyes or wears a blindfold while their packmates use specific clues to guide them: “warmer/colder” for distance from items, “snuffle left/right” for direction, and urgent “danger calls” like “grr!” when near predator zones. The blindfolded player carefully follows these audio clues, reaching out to gently touch and identify each item they find. Teams compete to see which javelina pack can gather the most resources while staying safe from danger.

Science Seed

A group of javelinas, called a squadron, works together to find food, protect each other from predators, and care for their young, using their strong sense of smell and close social bonds to survive as a team. They have an amazing sense of smell and can detect the scent of plants like prickly pear cactus, mesquite, and agave, which make up much of their diet. In areas around Palmer Elementary, a javelina might use its keen sense of smell to find wildflowers, grasses, or even food scraps left behind by humans. Javelinas can also detect the scent of predators such as coyotes or bobcats, alerting them to potential danger. Their ability to smell things from miles away allows them to find essential resources and avoid threats, which is vital for their survival in the wild.

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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.