LEARNING-AT-HOME RESOURCES | CLASSROOM RESOURCES | FIELD TRIP RESOURCES
Nature education doesn’t only happen at our preserves—it also takes place at home, in classrooms and online. We hope to support nature education with the resources provided below.
Learning-at-Home Resources – for teachers and families
During this unprecedented time, nature connection is more important than ever. Even though our field trips are canceled and the preserves are closed, ACR would like to support you in fostering nature connections at home. We hope the following resources will guide you and your students in finding joy and wonder in nature in your homes and neighborhoods.
Let us know how we are doing! Please complete the general feedback form at right and for the graphing lesson, linked below—your ideas will help make this page and lessons even better!
Nature Journaling / Diario de la naturaleza (adaptable for all ages / para todas las edades)
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Nature Where You Are Videos Our staff and volunteer naturalists share their observations and skills to enhance your engagement with nature and to help your children develop their stewardship ethic.
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VIDEO: Science Reveals the Lives of Great Egrets VIDEO: Welcome to Bird Day at Lincoln School |
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Get to Know Your Herons And Egrets (recommended for 3rd–5th grade). |
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Great Egret Graphing Lesson (recommended for 3rd grade) Practice graphing skills using data collect by our scientist. Learn how graphs can tell a story about nature.
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A Safe Place To Nest Un Lugar Seguro Para Mi Nido (recommended for 3rd–5th grade). This lesson teaches how to read maps then utilizes map reading skills to choose the best place in a landscape for egrets to nest. |
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Meet Ephran, the Egret, an activity book Conoce a Efraín, la Garza Blanca (recommended for grades K–4) |
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Ephran the Great Egret Returns, an activity book (recommended for grades K–4) |
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Meet Luna the Puma, an activity book Conoce a Luna la Puma (recommended for grades K–4) |
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Shorebird Search (recommended for grades 2–4) This activity uses our photo library to explore the patterns and diversity among shorebird species. |
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Journey into Nature from Home (recommended for grades 3–5) Learn about the animals that live on ACR’s preserves and discover what animals are active at different times of day. |
Can You Spot the Difference? (recommended for all ages) Challenge yourself by comparing a selection of similar birds and butterflies to spot their subtle differences. Three pages, each a different challenge level. |
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Wild Neighbors Cootie Catcher (recommended for all ages) A Living with Lions foldable activity featuring Sonoma County native mammals. A fun way for children to learn about the tracks and adaptations of local wildlife. |
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Wild Neighbors Memory Game (recommended for all ages) This is a memory card game that has the image of eight mammals, their tracks, and their names in English and Spanish. |
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Native Plant Use Bingo (recommended for all ages) This bingo game teaches the names of native plants and some of their uses. |
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Natural Cycles Theater (recommended for all ages) Children can show how a dragonfly goes through its life cycle, a seed becomes a flower, or their own rendition of a natural cycle, by printing the natural cycle theater and using common household items to put it together.. |
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Bird Rescue Parent-Bird Puppet (recommended for grades Pre-K–3) Make your own parent bird puppet like the International Bird Rescue staff might use to feed a wild baby bird. |
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ACR Video Collections (at Vimeo)
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iNaturalist Observations on Our Preserves
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PBS Deep Look Video Series (We recommend: Banana Slugs, Turret Spiders, Acorn Woodpeckers) | |
Pollinator Count Coloring Sheet from SciStarter.org | |
Tree frog lifecycle Coloring Sheet from ACR docent Chlele Gummer | |
The Smokey Generation Coloring Sheets | |
Thriving with Fire Video Series | |
Webcams in the San Francisco Bay Area
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The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers. GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and to put this in a global perspective. | |
I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of (from BEETLES @ Lawrence Hall of Science) | |
Outside Still Open Lessons (Nature Bridge) | |
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Webcasts - Previously recorded webcasts with Smithsonian scientists are paired with teacher resources and student worksheets. We recommend the webcasts on Lichens, How Birds Stay Warm, Coral Reefs. |
Classroom Resources
These websites have great resources for lesson planning and activities for classroom teachers. They may need to be adapted to be taught while students are learning at home.
Serendip Studio | |
PBS Learning Media | |
Sonoma Water |
Field Trip Resources - for teachers
Use these resources to support the planning of your field trip to Bouverie Preserve or the Martin Griffin Preserve.
Forms for visiting Bouverie Preserve |
Forms for visiting Martin Griffin Preserve |
Teacher checklist | Teacher checklist |
Chaperone letter (English/Spanish) | Chaperone letter (English/Spanish) |
Transportation (Bus Scholarship) | Transportation (Bus Scholarship) |
Hiking group emergency form | Hiking group emergency form |
Bouverie Preserve Video Teachers, please do not share this video with your class before the classroom visit.Alternate video player (DropBox) | Martin Griffin Preserve Video Teachers, please do not share this video with your class before the classroom visit. Alternate video player (DropBox) |
• Independent Kit (lesson plan) • answer sheet |
Classroom Visit Map |