Our Fun Friday trio is back for this special episode in honor of a caterpillar they found in their yard. We’ll tell you how to take care of one that you find! Show us your caterpillar on social media using the hashtag #HSIobservers.
Pick a small area to do a micro-hike and see what you can find. It can be in your backyard or somewhere in nature. Take five minutes to see all you can see and use your other senses to take in what’s there too!
Get the card here. Have fun checking off whatever you can find. Be sure to read the instructions below to learn how to submit.
-The scavenger hunt starts on Friday, August 21, and ends at 4 pm on Wednesday, August 26th. You must email your entry by 4 pm. We will announce the winner on Fun Friday Science Lessons on Friday the 28th of August. One entry per person. Find as many of the items on the cards as you can. Cross out the items as you find them.
-To make it fun and offer some proof please take a picture of what you find. You can be in the picture or not, up to you! You should take a picture of your cards as well as fun photos of what you found and email them to meg@headwatersscienceinstitute.org Please do not check off items that you have seen at other times in your life. This is about what you can find during this scavenger hunt.
– If you work with a sibling and only submit one card you will have to share the prize! You can each do your own card if you like.
-You must be 10 and under to submit. We will pick a random winner from the submissions as well as give a prize to the person that finds the most. If we have more than one that finds the most we will randomly pick between the ties for a prize.
-The prizes will be Headwaters logoed hats or t-shirts (we will work with the winners to get them a size they will use).
One of the best ways to understand how plants grow is to try it from home. Here’s an activity that teaches young children the basic needs of plants.
Observation can be done from anywhere. Here’s an easy way to check out ants from your own home. This activity is great for children of any age.
Use this easy guide to do the activity.
Program Manager
Bryn manages school programs and summer camps for Headwaters. She recently received a Master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Her Master’s research focused on ocean acidification impacts on sea urchin larvae. Bryn grew up in the Tahoe area and is passionate about providing outdoor education to students and allowing them to take advantage of the outdoor space they have access to. In her free time, she enjoys anything outdoors, especially when she gets to spend time in the water.
Program Manager
Beth Fitzpatrick has a background in scientific research, is a Ph.D candidate in ecology, and has experience in planning and providing engaging STEM outreach programing to K-12 students. Beth oversees school programming and summer camps for Headwaters. She has experience teaching in postsecondary education, study design and execution, and grant writing.
Program Manager and Outreach
Jennifer Cotton manages our Research Experience and Lunch with a Scientist Program. She previously worked as a secondary science content specialist and public high school science educator. She has over a decade of experience in writing standards based curriculum. She has worked with OCEARCH to create a STEM based curriculum and has represented that organization at many outreach events.
Programs
Mary Ellen holds a BA in Biology/Environmental Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz. She has worked as an environmental education guide for more than 10 years, balancing that with substitute teaching K-12 in the local school district. For fun she coaches a high school Nordic ski team and tries to get in as much play time outside, skiing, running and biking. She hopes to inspire students to be curious about natural processes in order to foster a deeper appreciation of our environment.
Science Mentor
In the fall of 2016, Dan completed his B.S. in plant physiology at Pennsylvania State University. He is currently completing his M.S. Biology degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania working under Dr. Josiah Townsend, researching the evolutionary relationships between the herpetofauna, mainly amphibians, of Mesoamerica and assessing levels of biodiversity in this region. Dan intends on continuing his academic interests in the future by pursing a PhD in systematics, ecology, and evolution. He is also focused on developing effective teaching methods of scientific information to all age groups.
Grants and Programs
Anne holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno where she researched the impacts of human-induced changes on sexually selected signals of a butterfly. She has also been a part of several scientific outreach programs, including a community science project (Pieris Project) and the University of Nevada’s Museum of Natural History. Anne is excited to continue sharing the scientific process and research with a diversity of students through the Headwaters Science Institute!