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Rabbit Ears

Activity

What Can You Hear?

What do you notice about a rabbit’s ears? What function do you think they serve for the rabbit? Practice hearing like a rabbit by cupping your ears with your hands. Notice how noises sound different when you change your hand shape or location. Make sounds for each other to take turns listening with your “rabbit ears.”
a small rabbit in the grass with yellow flowers
a large light brown jackrabbit in a meadow
a light grey and white black tailed jack rabbit with large ears on rocky ground

Science Seed

Rabbit’s ears help them with many things! Rabbits have big ears that help them hear very well. They can hear sounds from far away and figure out where the sounds are coming from. This helps them stay safe from other animals that might want to catch them. When it is hot outside, rabbits also use their ears to cool down. Their ears have lots of tiny blood vessels that help them release heat, like when we sweat. It is like having built-in air conditioning! Rabbits also use their ears to talk to each other and to show how they are feeling. If they are happy or curious, their ears stand up straight. But if they are scared or sad, their ears go down flat against their heads. Their ears also help them balance when they hop and play. They can move their ears to stay steady and not fall over.
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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