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FAMILIES IN NATURE
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FAMILIES IN NATURE

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Symmetry Walk

← Botany
← Travis Elementary

Activity

botany badge

Symmetry Walk

Go on a symmetry walk. Find or photograph radial, bilateral, or Fibonacci symmetry patterns in plants. Try to find an asymmetrical plant. Find a flowering plant with an odd number of petals. Is it still symmetrical? What kind of symmetry does it have?
Davila Assets - bot 3
Davila Assets - bot 3 (2)
Cathy's copy of Wildflower Center PEEP - 88

Science Seed

An object or organism is symmetrical when it looks the same on one side as it does on the other, or when both sides mirror each other. There are multiple types of symmetry: Radial symmetry occurs around a central point or axis, like in a starfish, while bilateral symmetry is when an organism or object can be divided down the middle into two equal halves, like a butterfly. Some organisms appear in a spiral pattern and this is explained by the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers that starts with 0 and 1, and each number after is found by adding the two previous numbers. Some examples of the Fibonacci sequence in nature are shells, pinecones, and pineapples!
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).

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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.

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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.

SPARK’s mission is to work with public schools to develop their playgrounds into community parks. SPARK has built 200+ community parks in 17 different school districts throughout the Houston area. Each park is designed based on ideas and needs of the school and surrounding neighborhoods. While all of the parks are different, a typical park consists of modular playground equipment, a walking trail, benches, picnic tables, trees, an outdoor classroom, and a public art component.

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