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Nature’s Canvas

Activity

Art Outside

Imagine a place on earth that you have lived, visited, or heard stories about. Using natural materials such as rocks, mud, sticks, sand, water, and other things you find, build a representation of the place you are thinking of.

a boy outside gathering rocks, wood and other materials to build a shelter

a small child playing in the dirt with a green shovel and toy truck

an elaborate sandcastle being washed away slowly by the rising waves

Science Seed

Geography is the study of the physical features of the earth, its atmosphere, and its human inhabitants. Maps can represent the different physical features of earth, such as mountains made of rock, glaciers made of ice, rivers and lakes made of fresh water, oceans of salt water, grasslands, deserts, forests filled with trees, coastlines with sandy beaches, and many more types of surfaces and ecosystems. If the place you remember had a river running through rocky edges, you could build the river banks out of rocks and pour a cup of water through the middle. If it had lots of trees, you could use sticks to represent the trees and stick them into the dirt to represent a forest.

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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.