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Reptile Design Lab

Activity

Adapation Exploration

Observe a live reptile from the animal care room. Feel its skin texture, notice its color or patterns, and discuss how it regulates its body temperature. Pay attention to its body shape, limbs and tail. Think about the reptiles you know. Using what you’ve learned from the live reptile, design your own reptile. Consider its skin texture, color, how it regulates its temperature, body shape, and any specialized limbs or tails. Describe your creature’s adaptations to someone else. Based on your descriptions, have them guess where your reptile would live.

a brown snake with a bright red tongue on the ground

an alligator going from the grass into the water

a green anole lizard with a bright pink dewlap, a skin flap at the neck

Science Seed

Reptiles have various adaptations that help them survive in different environments, including scales to keep in moisture, shells for protection, tongue length and strength for hunting, and coloration for blending into their environment. Coloration is useful for hiding from predators or sneaking up on prey, as well as signaling toxicity or danger through bright colors or contrasting patterns. Thermoregulation is how animals keep their body temperature just right. Reptiles are ectothermic, getting their heat from the environment instead of making it themselves like you do. Reptiles use behaviors like basking in the sun to regulate body temperature. Reptiles often have well-developed limbs adapted for crawling, slithering, climbing, or swimming.

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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.