Apps For Nature Study

Hi. I am Carli Arango with Trout Unlimited’s TIC program.

I got the chance to investigate some apps that could be useful to get kids to spend more time outdoors in their environment. After looking through several apps, I thought that these following four apps were the most suitable and effective.

 1) Project Noah – Project Noah allows kids to take pictures of species (plants and animals) they have seen around their area along with joining missions for specific species they’re interested in and earning patches when they’ve completed their goals. This app was my favorite because it gives kids a sense of purpose through the missions and a nice reward system with the patches.

http://www.projectnoah.org/mobile

 2) Nature’s Notebook – This app allows kids to also photograph any plant or animal species they encounter in their surroundings, but it’s much more simplistic than Project Noah since the main point of it is to create a notebook out of their observations. I like the simplicity yet effectiveness of Nature Notebook to get kids to think more about the different kinds of species that are near them and their significance.

https://www.usanpn.org/nn/mobile-apps

 3) CreekWatch – CreekWatch is a great app for kids who have a special interest in streams or watersheds. It’s another app that allows kids to take pictures, this time of a waterbody they find and allowing them to give specific information on it, such as the amount of trash found and water level. This will allow kids to realize how important it is to keep their rivers and streams clean by being able to browse the different observations found throughout the country in addition to personally contributing.

http://creekwatch.researchlabs.ibm.com

4) Google Earth – A lot of people are aware of this app, but it could be a great tool to show kids the interesting nature sites that are nearby them through the app’s satellite imagery and maps. This is more of a search tool than an interactive tool, but it could help kids explore the different terrains that surround them.

http://www.google.com/mobile/earth/

Thank you Carli!

Do you have an ap you want to share? Post it in the comments or send the link to ethan.rotman@wildlife.ca.gov.

A Special Trout Release Party = A Great Day At The Lake

Trout release, learning stations, mobile aquarium, mature trout plant, cormorants eating mature trout, and sunshine – a perfect combination of adventure and learning for all the classes at Shadow Cliffs Reservoir in Pleasanton last week.

Students enjoyed learning stations with microscopes, art materials, fly tying, and flyfishing gear. They also learned how to cast and had time to perfect their technique. The large Mobile Fish Exhibit, with its native and exotic fish and turtles, was frosting on the cake.

This was an innovative educational experiment, owing  its success to a collaborative effort of teachers, Tracy Flyfishers, Department of Fish and Wildlife volunteers, a County Office of Education, and East Bay Regional Park District rangers. We hope to offer it again at other lakes late next February. We hope to see you and your students then.

Poetry

Each of the following poems was written by 4 people. Each participant was asked to write their thoughts on water. The four thoughts were then combined into one poem. This is an excellent classroom activity.

Pools of habitat cold and clear

serene, clear, liquid

water cycle…equals…life cycle

serene sticky pond scum

Slipping from the clouds

the water flows serenely

flowing, running, leaping splashing every moving and always returning

fluid drips flowing serenely

Our world is made up of mostly water

the serene creek flows continuously

sticky wet pond scum flows

cycling through plants, animals, and the world make us one

Picking Up The Eggs….

Early Monday morning I went to the Berkeley Marina with our trout sponsor from the Diablo Valley Fy Fishermen Club, Mr. Ng to pick up our Steelhead trout eggs. It was cold but sunny.

Ethan Rotman, our wonderful Classroom Aquarium Education Program coordinator, arrived to make sure everyone had what they needed. He bought coffee and tea for us while we waited for the delivery.

“Thank you, Mr. Rotman.”

One hundred bundles of eggs arrived from the Silverado Fishery in their special cold case safely buckled in as you can see.

Fly fishermen sponsors and educators were ready with their coolers, waiting for their teachers’ permits from Ms. Yates.

The case was carefully opened by Mr. Ficele.

The top ice tray was removed.

We could see the first tray of cheesecloth-wrapped bundles of eggs.

Our Sponsor Mr. Ng received 27 bundles of eggs to distribute to his teachers.

The bundles were triple-counted to make sure we got the right number.

The eggs were kept cool until they could be delivered to the participating classrooms in our district.

We carefully counted 30 eggs before putting them into our aquarium.

Do you see the tiny black eyes?

About the author:

Margaret Hart is a retired teacher who hatched trout in her classroom  and a continuing nature educator. She shares nature with her two year old grandson who one day ran into his room to cool off after playing outside. He sat in his rocking chair, looked out his open window, and said, ‘Ah! Nature!’She loves to share the wonder of nature with students, friends, and family of all ages, so that they too respond, ‘Ah! Nature!’
You can read more of Margaret’s stories by clicking HERE.

Guppy Love – a Valentines Day Project

Total Time 30 minutes or less Ages all-ages

Fishing for compliments this Valentine’s Day? These little swimmers made of hearts should earn oceans of praise.

What you’ll need

• Card stock
• Glue
• Scissors
• Marker
• Googly eye

Helpful Tip:Message Ideas

• Best fishes this Valentine’s Day!
• You’re my fish in the sea
• You’re oceans of fun!
• May your fishes come true this Valentine’s Day

How to make it

1. From colored card stock or heavy construction paper, cut 2 large heart shapes for the fish’s body and 1 small one for the tail.
2. Glue together the 3 hearts to make a fish shape, as shown.
3. Use a paint pen or marker to write a message on the back, then add a mouth and a googly eye to the front.

THANKS TO http://spoonful.com/crafts/guppy-love

Egg Alevin Rainbow Trout poem

Egg Alevin Rainbow Trout

began in the water

and never came out.

 

His first name was Egg

‘cause he started out small

in an orangey egg

that was only this tall!

 

Mama looked for a place

where the water ran clear

and, nearby on the banks,

tall shade trees grew near

 

With her tail, she dug

a gravelly bed

for her eggs

and you’re right

if you call it a redd!

 

Papa, he covered

the eggs with milt

and hoped the stream

wouldn’t bring any silt.

 

When he hatched

came his second name, Alevin.

His head came out first,

then his tail and his fins,

AND

a yolk sac on his belly,

so heavy and round,

he couldn’t swim up much,

just wriggle on the ground.

 

 

After a while,

he was all buttoned up,

able to swim free

and ready to sup!

He ate mayflies and crayfish

as he swam about

and grew into his last names

Rainbow and Trout.

 

He lived out his days

in the cool and the deep,

and except when he went for a fly with a leap,

Egg Alevin Rainbow Trout

began in the water

and never came out!

 

Ruth Rotman works in the Kindergarten at Novato Charter School

Growing Up WILD – An Enrichment Workshop For TIC Teachers Of Younger Children

1:00–3:00 pm – Saturday, January 19^th, 2013

San Rafael, CA

Growing Up WILD is an early childhood education program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them.  Through a wide range of activities and experiences, Growing Up WILD provides an early foundation for developing positive impressions about the natural world and lifelong social and academic skills.

K-3 teachers will do activities from and receive the incredibly beautiful Growing Up Wild Activity Guide.  Each activity has an art project, song, snack, and take home activity in addition to the main activity.

This 2-hour workshop is being offered at the Bay Area Environmental Education Resources Fair (BAEER) at 1:00.

$25 includes the workshop, entrance to the BAEER Fair, and the Chocolate, BAEERs, and Coffee Networking event for TIC Teachers.

Click HERE to register.