ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV

If you enjoyed working on your student journal while you were at Outdoor Education, here are some similar fun activities. Test your memory on what you learned at Outdoor Education, reflect on what it feels like to be outside, and on how you can help the earth and have a good time exploring the wildlife around you. 

Match the following statements to the correct answer.

1. Redwoods can live up to ______ years.
2. Redwoods weigh as much as ______ cars.
3. There are ______ different types of redwoods.
4. Redwoods can grow to ______ feet.
5. The type of redwood found at Outdoor Education is called a ______.
6. The redwoods' namesake is ______.
7. Redwoods can hold ______ gallons of water.
8. ______ protects the redwoods from insects.
9. Redwood cones are ______ inches long.
10. The type of redwood found in the Sierras is called a ______.
11. Lumber from one redwood could build ______ cabins.
12. Redwood bark can be ______ inches thick.
13. The redwoods' favorite weather is ______.
14. Most coastal redwood trees begin as ______.
15. The type of redwoods found in China is a ______.

1. 8,000
2. Fog
3. 12
4. 1
5. 300
6. 3,000
7. Giant redwood
8. 3
9. Chief Sequoyah
10. 10
11. Tannic acid
12. Burls
13. 800
14. Coastal redwood
15. Dawn redwood

1. = F     Redwoods can live up to 3,000 years.
2. = M     Redwoods weigh as much as 800 cars.
3. = H     There are 3 different types of redwoods.
4. = E     Redwoods can grow to 300 feet.
5. = N     The type of redwood found at Outdoor Education is called a coastal redwood.
6. = I     The redwoods' namesake is Chief Sequoyah.
7. = A     Redwoods can hold 8,000 gallons of water.
8. = K     tannic acid protects the redwoods from insects.
9. = D     Redwood cones are 1 inch long.
10. = G     The type of redwood found in the Sierras is called a giant redwood.
11. = J     Lumber from one redwood could build 10 cabins.
12. = C     Redwood bark can be 12 inches thick.
13. = B     The redwoods' favorite weather is fog.
14. = L     Most coastal redwood trees begin as burls.
15. = O     The type of redwoods found in China is a dawn redwood.

Did you know that the water you drink has been around for thousands of years? It travels around the earth in a path known as the "water cycle."

• Evaporation is the part of the cycle in which water is heated by the sun and becomes a gas or vapor. Draw an arrow, and write the letter "E" next to it to show evaporation.
• Condensation is the part of the cycle in which water vapor is cooled in the air and forms tiny water droplets, seen as clouds or fog. Write the letter "C" over the part of the picture that shows condensation.
• Precipitation is the part of the cycle in which the water droplets collect to form rain or snow and fall to the ground or streams and oceans. Draw an arrow, and write the letter "P" next to it to show precipitation.
• Write "fresh" over fresh water and "salt" over salt water.

Water Facts

Three-quarters of the earth is covered with water. If all of the earth's water equaled 100 glasses, then salt water would equal 97 glasses and fresh water would equal three glasses. Of all fresh water, two glasses are frozen in glaciers, and one glass is available to share among all living things, plants, and animals.

How many gallons of water do you use in a day? Add it up.

What other things do you do that use water?

Examples: laundry, swimming, water the grass, wash the car.

What can you do to conserve water?

Think of as many ways as possible.

The following plants, listed by their common names, are commonly found in areas visited during a week at the Outdoor Education program.

Plants

• Sticky Monkeyflower
• Common Yarrow
• Horsetail
• Poison Hemlock
• Redwood Sorrel
• Indian Paintbrush
• Lupine
• Milk Thistle
• Hound's Tongue
• Bedstraw
• Coralroot
• Scarlet Pimpernel
• Yerba Buena
• Soap Plant
• Miner's Lettuce
• California Poppy
• Honeysuckle
• Wild Cucumber
• Blackberry
• Maidenhair Fern
• Coastal Wood Fern
• Goldenback Fern
• California Poppy
• Western Sword Fern

Aquatic Plants

• Cat Tails
• Common Tule
• Rush
• Pickleweed

Trees

• Coastal Redwood
• Douglas Fir
• California Buckeye
• Willow
• California Bay Laurel
• Big-Leafed Maple
• Live Oak
• Tan Oak
• Madrone

Shrubs

• California Hazelnut
• Toyon/Christmasberry
• Poison Oak
• Coffeeberry
• Coyote Bush
• Ceanothus

Shrinking Habitat and Plants

Redwood Forest

• Dudley's Lousewort
• Chaparral
• Alameda Manzanita
• Rock Sanicle
• Santa Cruz Cypress
• Inland Marine Sandhills
• California S. Cruz Wallflower

Coastal Scrub

• San Francisco Lessingia
• San Bruno Mountain Manzanita
• Native Grassland
• Santa Cruz Tarplant
• Large Flowered Fiddleneck
• Presidio Manzanita

Serpentine Grassland

• San Mateo Thornmint
• Fountain Thistle
• Presidio Clarkia
• Alkali Sink
• Ferris' Bird's-beak

The following animals, listed by their common names, are commonly found in areas visited during a week at the Outdoor Education program.

Amphibians

• California Newt
• Western Bullfrog
• California Slender Salamander
• Pacific Giant Salamander
• Western Toad
• Ensatina Salamander
• Rough-skinned Newt
• Pacific Treefrog
• Reptiles
• Common Garter Snake
• California Kingsnake
• Western Garter Snake
• Western Fence Lizard
• Gopher Snake
• Western Pond Turtle

Birds

• Turkey Vulture
• Great Horned Owl
• American Kestrel
• Marsh Wren
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Pygmy Owl
• Red-Shouldered Hawk
• Sowett Owl
• Wrentit
• Scrub Jay
• California Quail
• European Starling
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Steller's Jay
• Acorn Woodpecker
• American Robin
• Winter Wren
• Black-Shouldered Kite
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Common Barn Owl
• White-crowned Sparrow

Water Birds

• Mallard Duck
• Ring-Necked Duck
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American Coot
• Great Blue Heron
• Green-winged Teal
• Snowy Egret
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Caspian Tern
• Willet
• Herring Gull
• Great Egret
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Gadwall
• Western Grebe

Mammals

• Deer Mouse
• Coyote
• Dusky-footed Wood Rat
• Broad-footed Mole
• Evening Bat
• Virginia Opossum
• Striped Skunk
• Brush Rabbit
• Raccoon
• California Ground Squirrel
• Bobcat
• Eastern Gray Squirrel
• Mule Deer
• Western Gray Squirrel
• Harbor Seal

Endangered Species of the San Francisco Bay Area

• Mission Blue Butterfly
• San Bruno Elfin Butterfly
• Bay Checkerspot Butterfly
• Smith's Blue Butterfly
• San Joaquin Kit Fox
• Stellar Sea Lion
• Southern Sea Otter
• California Brown Pelican
• California Least Tern
• Marbled Murrelet
• American Peregrine Falcon
• Bald Eagle
• Bank Swallow
• Whales
  • Grey
  • Humpback
  • Blue
  • Northern Right
  • Fin or Finback
  • Sei
  • Sperm

Field trips provide opportunities for direct study of the environment and exposure to resources not available at the school site. The following list highlights some of the best and most accessible field trip destinations for environmental education in San Mateo County.

Año Nuevo State Reserve

San Mateo Coast District
New Year's Creek Road
Pescadero, CA 94060
(650) 879-2025 Information
1-800-444-4445 Reservations

Año Nuevo State Reserve was established to protect the habitat and breeding grounds for the Northern Elephant Seal and is a unique landscape of the California coast.

Programs

Guided walks are available during breeding season (December 15-March 31) $21 for groups of 20, $20 parking fee for buses.

California Academy of Sciences

Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 750-7159

Programs

School tours on natural science topics. Cost: approximately $1.50/person.

California Department of Parks and Recreation

San Mateo Coast District
95 Kelly Avenue
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-8820

Programs

Class visits and Ranger-led park activities can be scheduled with availability of Park staff. Subjects include marsh, tide pool, birds, Native Americans, fish, insects, and others.

CuriOdyssey science playground & zoo

1651 Coyote Point Drive
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 342-7755

Contact

Call Bonnie at (650) 340-7598 to schedule activities regarding environmental education and the natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Programs

The museum's community education program includes field trips, slides, lectures, and other activities. Fee varies by activity.

Environmental Volunteers

921 E. Bayshore Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 961-0545

Contact

Hillary Leonard

Programs

EVS offers hands-on classroom presentations and docent-led field trips in the area. Subject areas include ecology, geology, conservation, and Native American culture. A minimal fee is required.

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

P.O. Box 451
Moss Beach, CA 94038
(650) 728-3584

Contact

Bob Breen, Naturalist

Programs

Docent-led field trips are available in this protected marine area with a diversity of coastal wildlife. Groups of 10 or more are required to make a reservation to visit the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve tide pools. For more information, visit  or call 650-363-4021.

WildCare

76 Albert Park Lane
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-453-1000 x19

Contact

Tory Russell, Education Program Manager

Programs

Education programs are available for pre-k through high school, including Live Wildlife Ambassador classroom presentations, Nature Van classroom presentations, Nature Hikes at sites throughout the North Bay and Center Tours at our center in San Rafael. Scholarships are available.

Marine Mammal Center

Marin Headlands, GGNRA
Ft. Cronkhite, CA 94965
(415) 289-7325

Programs

Class tours focus on features of marine mammals. Visits to your school can also be arranged.

Marine Science Institute

1200 Chesapeake Drive
Post Office Box 7142
Redwood City, CA 94063-7142
(650) 364-2760

Programs

The Institute offers two programs, one on the beach and one in your school. Both are hands-on marine science learning. One of them can be brought to your school.

Oakland Museum

Natural Sciences Department
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 238-3818

Contact

Education Department

Programs

School education programs offered in both marine and freshwater sciences.

Environmental education lessons provide opportunities for teachers to integrate subject areas and meet the goals of the school curriculum. The following list of environmental education resources are recommended for use by classroom teachers:

The Growing Classroom

Roberta Jaffe & Gary Appel of Life Lab Science Program, University Of California at Santa Cruz, 1990.

This guide describes how to develop a garden and use it in teaching science and environmental education.

Project Learning Tree

Western Regional Environmental Education Council and the American Forest Institute.

A supplemental activity guide involving environmental awareness, tree and forest cycles, and human use of natural resources.

Project Wild

Western Regional Environmental Education Council.

An interdisciplinary environmental education program focusing on wildlife education. Available for elementary or secondary grade levels.

Project Wild Aquatic

Western Regional Environmental Education Council.

A follow up of Project Wild focusing on aquatic wildlife and habitats.

Ranger Rick's Nature Scope Series

National Wildlife Federation, began in 1985.

A series of periodicals including activities by theme such as insects, mammals, wetlands, and trees.

Save Our Seas

The Center for Marine Conservation and The California Coastal Commission, 1993.

Interdisciplinary activity guide about oceans and marine pollution.

Schoolyard to Barnyard to Your Yard

Hidden Villa Environmental Education Program, 1992.

Describes many activities suitable as pre- and post-outdoor education activities.

Sharing Nature With Children

Joseph Cornell, Ananda Publications, 1979.

Sensory and exploratory outdoor activities.