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Sounds of Time

Activity

Campus Sound Exploration

Research your location. What sounds would be different in spring vs winter? Notice the different sounds as you visit different areas of campus. What sounds could you imagine hearing 100 years ago? What do you think this place will sound like 100 years in the future? Compare across seasons. Listen to the same sound on a hot day in summer and on a cold day in winter. Make a recording to compare!

A red cardinal and a white and black chickadee on a branch

fir trees in the snow, one of the trees has a birdhouse

cars of all kinds an colors in traffic on a busy city street

Science Seed

Listening to the sounds around us, called soundscapes, helps us understand how nature changes over time. In the spring, you might hear lots of birds singing and insects buzzing, while in winter, it’s quieter with just the wind and rustling leaves. By exploring different areas of your school, you can notice how sounds change with the environment. If you imagine what it was like 100 years ago, you might hear more wildlife and less noise from people and cars. And thinking 100 years ahead, you can wonder how things like city growth, climate change, and conservation might change these sounds. Are there more nature sounds in the future? Quieter or fewer cars? Trains that carry lots of people instead of cars?

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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 Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Ecologist School Pocket Guide: TSBVI edition is a collaboration between Families in Nature and the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired as an effort to help our community learn more about the TSBVI campus, while getting outside into nature together! This booklet has 80 lessons across 16 different branches of science to help you play, learn, and volunteer on campus!

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.