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Survival Hide and Seek

Activity

A Game of Protecting and Finding Baby Deer

For this game everyone will take on one of three roles: the mother deer, the baby deer, or the coyote. The mother deer’s job is to protect the baby deer by quitely hiding them somewhere nearby. Once the baby deer are hidden, they must stay completely quiet in their spot. Meanwhile, the mother deer moves around the area, making soft noises like claps or calls to distract the coyotes. The coyotes listen carefully for these sounds and try to find the hidden baby deer. The round ends when all of the baby deer are found. After each round, everyone switches roles so each person gets a turn as the mother deer, baby deer, and coyote. Remember, in real life, if you see a baby animal, don’t touch it—their mom is usually nearby!
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Mamm 3 (3)
Mamm 3 (2)

Science Seed

In nature, hiding babies is a survival strategy that helps protect them from predators. Many baby animals, like deer fawns, are born with natural camouflage, blending into their surroundings to stay hidden. While the babies remain still and quiet, the mother often moves away to avoid drawing attention to them. She may also distract predators by making noises or leading them in the opposite direction. Predators, like coyotes, use their senses of hearing and smell to locate hidden prey, so staying silent and well-hidden is essential for survival.
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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