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Dry Land Detectives

Activity

How Drought Impacts Our Environment

Walk around your campus and look for signs of drought! Can you spot cracks in the soil, dry plants, or trees with wilted or browning leaves? Think about how less rain affects the land and water—how do these changes show that there’s less water moving through the environment?
Hydro 4
Hydro 4 (3)
Hydro 4 (2)

Science Seed

A drought happens when there isn’t enough rain over a long period of time, which can dry up soil, plants, and water sources. When we think about hydrology, this means that the water cycle is disrupted—less water is available to seep into the ground or flow into rivers and ponds. When there’s less rain, plants can’t get the water they need to grow, and the soil can crack and dry out. These changes show how important water is for keeping the environment healthy and how a lack of it affects everything around us.
botany jar illustration

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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 Sanchez 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.

Sánchez Elementary School is close to downtown on Austin’s east side. Built in 1976, the campus boasts murals by Raul Valdez depicting the school’s Hispanic history and heritage. Sánchez was one of the district’s first to introduce two-way dual language education- fitting because the school’s namesake, George Sánchez, was a pioneer in bilingual education. This project was made possible by HEB.

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