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Wildlife Detectives

Activity

Discovering Animal Tracks and Signs

Go on a scavenger hunt for animal signs! Look for tracks, droppings, or other signs of mammal activity like burrows, nests, or scratch marks on trees! Which animals do you think the clues point to?

Science Seed

At Sanchez Elementary, you can find evidence of local animals like squirrels, raccoons, feral cats, and various birds. Squirrel tracks are often seen around the school’s trees, especially near the Back Playground and Butterfly Garden, where they climb in search of nuts and seeds. Feral cats leave paw prints and scratch marks on trees or the ground, typically around the edges of the school or near hidden spots where they might hunt for small prey. Birds like mourning doves, grackles, and sparrows leave behind feathers or nests in the trees, or you might find bird droppings near their favorite resting spots, like the tables. By looking for these signs, we can learn where these animals live, what they eat, and how they use different parts of the school grounds as their habitat.

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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.