Try these fun activities at home:
Surprise your friends and neighbors with encouraging signs made from recycled cereal and soda boxes. Cut out a square, make a design, and use masking tape to hold it to a stick.
Hold a cloud-spotting contest with your friends. Watch the skies for interesting clouds that take on the shape of objects and snap a photo with your phone to share!
Set up a bird feeding station in your yard. Choose a spot 10 feet from the house and near a bush. Fill the bottom of a plant tray with fresh water and a pie tin with seed or raw nuts. Make sure there are not cats around or the birds will become food!
Try making an apple feeders. Just cut an aging apple in half, scoop out the core, make a hole and thread some string through, and fill the cup with a mixture of nut butter and birdseed. Hang from a branch and watch!
Grow a garden! You’ll be surprised how fast the seeds will sprout in the spring sunshine and you’ll be helping your family too! Try planting these quick growing plants! Lettuce, radish, spinach, arugula, and snap peas. Fill a planter or pick a square of earth, fill and fluff with dirt…follow the seed packet instructions, water and wait! Did you know you can plant the white, unused ends of green onions in the ground and they will regrow?
Start a nature journal! Find a spot in your yard or at a local park. Bring a sketch pad or blank paper on a clipboard and your favorite drawing equipment. Sit and take time to really look around you. What do you notice? Do questions come up? What does what you see remind you of? Jot down a few notes, then draw what you see!
Visit the Parks!
CA Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students:
https://www.ports-ca.us/Virtual national parks tour:
https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/parks
Citizen Science opportunities – where your observations count! Check out these websites and participate in real scientific studies!
www.feederwatch.org - Project feeder watch – record the birds that visit your yard.
www.journeynorth.org - Journey North migration patterns
www.savetheredwoods.org - Redwood Watch and Fern Watch projects.
www.inaturalist.org - California pollination project
www.backyarddiversity.org – identify insects in your yard/pool!
www.riverotterecology.org - help spot river otters along creeks, lakes, & rivers.
Free Apps to try!
iNaturalist -take a photo of a mystery plants and animals and this app will help you identify it and at the same time, helps build a data base about our natural world.
Oh Ranger - helps to find places to explore
REI Guide to national parks - built in trail maps and must-see sites
All trails - hiking, biking and running trail information
Geocaching - worlds largest treasure hunt!
Starview or Nightsky - point your phone skyward to find stars, constellations and satellites
Merlin Cornell Lab Bird ID
First Aid - American Red Cross first aid tips
Woodlands Moments!
Invasive plants are non-native species that have been introduced to the region. Once they are introduced, they are able to spread quickly and cause harm to the environment by taking the place of native plants that our wildlife depends on, increasing soil erosion, and increasing fire danger.
Check out this video of Mark Bir demonstrating the removal of invasive Pampasgrass here at the Mendocino Woodlands! Click HERE or on the image below to be directed to the video:
Stream Ecology is an essential element of our Outdoor Education program. Check out the stream study that was recently conducted at the Woodlands by Mark Bir. Click HERE or on the image below to be directed to the video:
Click HERE or on the image below for a fun informational video on California Conifers at the Mendocino Woodlands:
Check out our video on the beavers of the Mendocino Woodlands. Click HERE or on the image below to watch:
Click HERE or on the image below to check out our latest video on sea stars of the Mendocino Coast. Did you know that sea stars are a keystone species for our coastal ecosystems and play an essential role in the health of our oceans?
Check out our tidepooling video on Nudibranch . Click HERE or on the image below to watch:
Join us for a hike to Big Tree by clicking HERE or on the image below:
Join us for a backyard adventure to learn about colors in nature by clicking HERE or on the image below:
Join Woodlands’ naturalist Bracken to learn about Coastal Prairies. Click HERE or on the image below:
Join us on the Mendocino Coast for a seaweed adventure by clicking HERE or on the image below:
Want to learn more about stream studies. Click HERE or on the photo below to check it out:
Learn more about microplastics in our ocean. Click HERE or on the photo to watch:
Do plants like music? Click HERE or on the photo to find out more:
The Woodlands is happy to be a resource to our community during these uncertain times. We’re curently collecting photos from campers to be featured in a gallery on this page. Please feel free to reach out to our education director, Jeanne, at education@mendocinowoodlands.org with any questions or to submit your photo.