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Weather Watchers

Activity

Comparing Climate and Conditions

Take a walk through the Park and observe the weather—note if it’s sunny, cloudy, rainy, or windy, and how the temperature feels. Then, compare today’s weather to the usual climate for this time of year in Houston—it is typically warm in the fall and hot in the summer. Discuss how the weather today matches or differs from the climate, and what that tells us about how weather and climate are different.

Science Seed

Weather is what happens in the atmosphere each day, like if it’s sunny, rainy, windy, or cloudy. Weather can change quickly. Climate is the average weather in a place over many years, decades or millenia. How they are related: Weather is what we experience day by day, while climate is the pattern of weather that happens over a long time in a certain area. Understanding both helps us see how the world around us changes, from daily conditions to long-term patterns and changes.

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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 the Memorial Park Conservancy

The mission of Memorial Park Conservancy is to preserve, restore, and enhance Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians, today and tomorrow.

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