Welcome to NatureBridge! Our mission is to connect young people to the wonder and science of the natural world, igniting self-discovery and inspiring stewardship of our planet. Through our overnight, hands-on environmental science programs, we take more than 35,000 children and teens each year into our national parks to explore the outdoors, connect with their peers, discover themselves and develop a lasting relationship with the environment.
We have compiled a variety of resources from National Park Service, National Geographic, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, and the Smithsonian Learning Lab:
Find Your Virtual Park with virtual tours, programming and other resources
Curated Collections of Learning Activities from National Geographic
Explore At-Home Resources from CalAcademy with Academy@Home
Activities and Video Toolbox for Exploratorium
Discover Meaningful Learning from Smithsonian Learning Lab
Discover NatureBridge Activities for All Ages:
1st - 4th Grade
iNaturalist: What Lives in Our Neighborhood?: Using your smart phone, get acquainted with the organisms in your neighborhood using this popular and easy-to-use nature app. Budding photographers welcome!
Sensory Scavenger Hunt: Taking a walk at your local park? Make it a sensory experience with discovery prompts in this activity.
Tiny Homes + I notice, I wonder...: Go outside and build tiny "homes" with local materials while strengthening your observation and curiosity skills!
Shadow Mapping: Is your shadow always the same? What affects how long it is? Do this easy experiment using sidewalk chalk to inspire learnings about the sun and the shadows it makes!
Natural Objects Memory Game: This short activity will promote exploration and test kids' skills of observation. Can be combined with Sound Mapping, too!
To Each It's Own (modified BEETLES): What makes an object special? How well can you draw or describe an object. So well that someone else could pick it out of a crowd? This activity challenges your skills of observation and communication! Sourced from John Muir Laws & Emily Lygren.
Sound Mapping (modified BEETLES): Stop and listen—what's that you hear? What can we learn just by listening to our environment? Make a 'map' of sounds and repeat to connect with the outdoors.
Pitfall Traps: Learners will use pitfall traps to explore the population of ground-dwelling creatures. These traps are used to sample the surrounding environment for living organisms.
4th - 8th Grade
We All Live Downstream: Using paper, markers and a spray bottle, create a mini-watershed model to learn more about how water flows.
iNaturalist: What Lives in Our Neighborhood?: Adult supervision not required for middle school students. Using your smart phone, get acquainted with the organisms in your neighborhood using this popular and easy-to-use nature app. Budding photographers welcome!
Shadow Mapping: Is your shadow always the same? What affects how long it is? Do this easy experiment using sidewalk chalk to inspire learnings about the sun and the shadows it makes!
Animal Adaptation Challenge: Pick a habitat and get creative! Invent a new creature using science and your imagination, and a little competition if you have a few family members around!
Observing Our World: This in-depth activity will guide observations of the natural world with an introductory game, drawings and inquiry! Curiosity and paper required!
Natural Objects Memory Game: This short activity will promote exploration and test kids' skills of observation. Can be combined with Sound Mapping, too!
What is Phenology?: Phenology is the science of the seasons. This introduction can lead to daily observations and recordings about the world around you!
Map My Neighborhood: Walk a familiar route in your neighborhood but this time, stop to look and record what's there! Lay the foundation for a sense of place in this simple spatial mapping activity.
Independent Activities for Kids
Garbology: Garbology is the study of what we do with our waste. All the things we throw away each day—where do they end up? Many of us know that we can reuse, recycle and compost to help keep waste out of landfills, but how do you know what goes where? Why is it important to reduce the waste we put in landfills? Learn all this and more with our interactive online game!
iNaturalist: What Lives in Our Neighborhood?: Adult supervision not required for middle school students. Using your smart phone, get acquainted with the organisms in your neighborhood using this popular and easy-to-use nature app. Budding photographers welcome!
Scavenger Hunts: Take your family outside for a friendly scavenger hunt of the natural world! This lesson includes various methods for hunting and requires minimal initial setup.
Cornucopia: In this game by the California Academy of Sciences, students level up the farm with green technology to meet the space and water needs of their crops.
ColorMePhD: A coloring book of science and engineering research developed by Dr. Julie Rorrer.
Printable coloring sheets and an outdoor-inspired word search from recreation.gov.
Virtual National Park Tours: We may not be able to hop in the car to visit our national park but you can still explore our public lands from the comfort of your home with a virtual tour!
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