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You’re in the intertidal zone!

Activity

Adapt Like a Marine Animal

Go to the pond and pretend you’re a marine animal (ex. ghost crab, oyster, or shorebird) in the Lower Laguna Madre. Act out your adaptations for high tide and low tide! What do you do when submerged in water? How do you stay alive in open air?

Science Seed

In the intertidal zone of the Lower Laguna Madre, animals must adapt to both high tide (when the area is submerged in water) and low tide (when the water recedes and the land is exposed). Some creatures, like ghost crabs, burrow into the sand to stay cool and moist when the tide is out, while others, like oysters, stay anchored to rocks or mud, filtering food from the water. Shorebirds have special adaptations, such as long legs for wading in shallow water or beaks designed for probing the mud for small creatures. When submerged, marine animals use gills or their skin to breathe, but when exposed to air, they rely on behaviors like clinging to rocks or retreating into shelters to avoid drying out.

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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.