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Beneath Your Feet

Activity

Soil vs. Dirt

What is beneath your feet? Is it soil or dirt? Go for a walk in the Park and try to put your bare feet or hands into both soil and dirt. See, feel and smell the differences.

Science Seed

Soil is living, dirt is not. Dirt can be made up of sand, silt, clay or rock and it is easily eroded. Dirt will not support life. Soil started out as dirt and over months to millennia, it has broken down by erosion with decayed organic matter and living organisms combined into it. Soil contains the minerals, nutrients and living organisms that can support life, providing a fertile substrate for plants to grow.

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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