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Tree Tracings

Activity

Capturing Tree Textures

Explore the different trees around campus. Notice how their bark feels. What kind of leaves do they have? Using a piece of paper and a crayon make a rubbing of the different trees you find.

green leaved trees shading a flat forest floor

Science Seed

Trees are essential for adapting to climate change because they filter the air we breathe, clean the water we drink, provide habitat, shade, food, jobs and more! To make your rubbing, first peel the label off of your crayon. Hold the paper flat up against the tree to rub the bark or lay it on a flat surface with your leaves underneath. Rub your crayon along the paper to create the texture of the item below. The dwarf palmettos will show a smoother fan like texture, whereas the pecan trees will show a bumpier thick texture. Leaves help plants make food from sunlight through photosynthesis. Tree bark carries water from the roots in the ground up to the leaves where it is used to make food for the tree.

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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 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.