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Playing with Pebbles

Activity

Creating Games with Natural Finds

Collect rocks from around you! Using your creativity, use the rocks to come up with a game! How can you use the shapes, textures and amount that you collect to create a game to play by yourself or with your friends and family?
rocks painted with designs next to seashells on a wooden table
a tick tack toe game made from painted rocks
two children playing with rocks on a piece of driftwood

Science Seed

Why do we play games? Humans have always played games to help with growing and development. Playing games can help people improve memory and problem-solving, social skills and teamwork, personal fitness and coordination, manage emotions, encourage creativity, and pass on cultural values, traditions and stories. Games can also help people spend time together connecting and doing something fun. Some elements of a good game include: objective (A goal you plan to achieve), strategy, (A series of actions to help you reach your goal) constraints (obstacles or rules that affects your strategy) and a scoring system. Here are some ideas for inspiration: Tic tac toe Dominos Balancing & Building
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).

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.
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