Food Waste – Interested in saving money, gardening is a great way to have nutritious food just steps away from your kitchen. Wasting food also wastes the resources used to produce it, gasoline for transport, farm equipment, fertilizer & labor. Gardening starts from the ground up – look at composting to get you started on a healthy soil to fuel plant growth. This link outlines how to start & make your own compost bin. Another way to cut down on food waste is meal & snack planning. It’s a great way to manage a food budget – don’t forget the store’s downloadable APP to look at sales & savings.
Welcome to the world of the goat, the horned herd that has helped repair the Prairie ecosystem of Texas. See the world through the eyes of Luna the goat
Schoolyard Habitats Webinar –
The National Wildlife Federation has worked to assist schools in the creation of Schoolyard Habitats since 1996. Click here to find out how to design, build, certify & use wildlife habitats at school. You can also view past planning webinars here.
Coloring Activity Pages – The City of Austin’s Community Tree Preservation are downloadable in both English & Spanish. Take an outdoor adventure and learn about seeds, leaves, and the creatures that rely on them.
PARTNERS FOR EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, & SUSTAINABILITY
Protect our migrating birds by turning off all non-essential lights at night from March 1 – June 15, especially during the peak migration period of April 22 – May 12. Be on the lookout for hundreds of millions of birds migrating through our state on their way north from their southern wintering grounds. Learn more about Lights Out Texas and follow our birds on the live migration maps.
WATERSHED PROTECTION
Perform a bug pollution test, conduct a scavenger hunt of a nearby park, take a virtual cave tour, and more with The City of Austin Watershed Protection’s Youth Education activities. Some lessons are available in Spanish.
FAMILIES IN NATURE
Families in Nature activities are aimed at teaching children and their parents about ecology and conservation through hands-on experiences in nature, while they spend quality family time together. Use these guides in Spanish and English to explore the fossils, rocks, and water all around you!
GREEN SCHOOLYARDS AMERICA AND THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GROUNDS ALLIANCE
Green Schoolyards America and the International School Grounds Alliance publish free downloadable books that include 250 hands-on activities and curriculum ideas. Activities were designed to help schools make the most of their school grounds—and the majority of the ideas can be modified for use in backyards and neighborhoods.
TEXAS FOREST SERVICE NATURE CHALLENGE
Take the Texas Forest Service Nature Challenge, an interactive platform that connects communities with opportunities to learn, explore, and engage with the natural world. Pick a challenge from the Anywhere, Virtual Challenges, or Home & School tabs, download the necessary resources, and get to learning! Earn badges or post your challenge progress to social media with #TexasNatureChallenge.
FOREST BENEFITS WHEEL
Explore the benefits of our Texas forest by making your Forest Benefits Wheel. Working forests demonstrate a continuous cycle that provides public benefits.
DICHOTOMOUS KEY
Make a dichotomous key to identify trees! Take it to the next level by creating dichotomous keys for the trees you spot in your community.
TREEFOLKS
Get the whole family active with these tree-centric activities from TreeFolks, an Austin-based nonprofit that empowers Central Texans to build stronger communities through planting and caring for trees.
Learn to make a paper tree! Follow along with TreeFolks and Creative Action to repurpose cardboard and paper to make your own work of art. The TreeFolks YouTube Channel features many other videos to help you get involved with the trees in your neighborhood.
GOOGLE ARTS AND CULTURE: VIRTUAL NATIONAL PARK
Tour a National Park virtually! Fly over volcanoes, kayak through icebergs, swim though a coral reef, and trek through a cave as you discover the hidden world of our national parks.
LCRA – Park events So many different events; keep checking the site for more; Wildlife viewing, stargazing, paddling, exploration, birds, sunset paddles, Family Nature Quests & s much more.
