Let's discover nature, appreciate the outdoors, and learn about the environment in your own backyard or neighborhood!
Experience Your Environment 2.0 returns in our second year with a three-part virtual program. The REACH Foundation collaborated with two premier community partners: Inside the Outdoors and Crystal Cove Conservancy to bring environmental literacy to PYLUSD students and families!
This year we are challenging you to join our first Community-Science effort to record as many plant and animal species as possible during the Bio Blitz (Part 1)! In Part 2, using the species you've identified on the Seek app, students & families can submit their individual Field Guides slides to create a PYLUSD Community Field Guide! Part 3 culminates in the grand finale, with Inside the Outdoors taking us on a virtual field trip to Carbon Canyon. Please scroll down below to see specific instructions for each of the three parts. Don't forget to register to receive the latest updates! Let's explore, experience and enjoy nature!
Explore your neighborhood, backyard, patio, or inside your home to see what species of plants and animals you can find! Plants and animals can be found anywhere. Even pets, fruits, and vegetables in your home are animals and plants. Download the Seek by iNaturalist app to your smartphone or tablet in the link below. Then, let the fun begin!
Make a Field Guide in a simple notebook about one of the species you Found exploring your backyard or neighborhood. Write down Observations (smells, sounds, textures, size, or interesting information from Seek) and draw a picture of what you saw. Then you are ready to Share your Field Guide with friends and family and upload your Field Guide to the Community Field Guide! You'll be able to see what others have uploaded too! When you participate, your name will be entered in a drawing to win prizes! Field Guide Slides must be submitted by 5pm on April 8, 2021.
Inside the Outdoors will take us on a virtual nature hike in Carbon Canyon Regional Park. On the trail, we will identify plants and learn about how humans impact the environment. We will discover the importance of biodiversity, and you will have opportunities to ask questions along the way. Prize winners will be announced at this event! Stay tuned. More info will be emailed to the Registrants.
As parents, we understand that education unlocks the door to a future filled with possibilities. We encourage families to learn and work together outdoors in nature. In doing so, we plant the seeds that will encourage our children to grow into young adults who are knowledgeable, creative and skilled. They will be prepared to discover, advocate, and implement solutions to improve our world.