Activities for School Closures

As we are all being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to provide educational activities for students to do from home in order to continue their learning during this difficult time. Below is a list of activities that can be done in accordance with social distancing recommendations. Some of these activities involve going outside, some involve craft supplies or printing worksheets, and some are individual activities that can be done on the computer. We hope you enjoy, and let us know if you have any resources that you think should be added to this list! 

NWF Poster contest: Design a poster to be featured on the promotional materials for the annual Nisqually Watershed Festival at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. This year’s theme: Amphibians of the watershed! Click the link for more information on how to enter. 

NetLogo wolf-sheep-grass simulator: This is a great online simulator through which you can explore the relationships between wolves, sheep, and grass and the exchange of energy in an ecosystem. Each parameter (like number of sheep, amount of time grass needs to re-grow, and the amount of times it takes wolves to reproduce) is customizable, so you can change each one and see how it affects the outcome! 

Free Virtual Marine Biology Camp: Oceans Initiative is launching this free, online camp for students at home to learn about marine biology! Tune in Monday and Thursday at 11am PST.

Craft Ideas for Kids: Check out this list of fun craft projects you can do at home, including making a dome from cardboard.

Water Quality Activities

Well/Aquifer Activity: A fun activity using household objects that demonstrates the relationship between groundwater, streams, and wells! You may already have most of these things on hand, but with a little imagination they can turn into a whole watershed!

Runoff Animation: This is a great (short) animation that demonstrates how our actions can affect surface runoff and water quality. 

Hyporheic Zone Video: This exciting video explores that wacky world of things living in the hyporheic zone (the area between pebbles in the stream bed)!

Calculating Stream Flow Float Test: Want to get outside? Find your nearest stream (with an adult) and use this activity to calculate the stream flow. 

Home Watershed Activities: Compiled by our friends at South Sound GREEN

Tree Planting Activities

Northwest Conifer Identification: Use this dichotomous key to identify evergreen branches or twigs you find outside! 

Salmon Activities

Salmon Defense Video Featuring Billy Frank Jr: This animated video teaches you about the difficult journey upstream through the eyes of the salmon. 

Salmon Activity Book: This activity book contains games, coloring, mazes, and more! 

Salmon Challenges Game: This game allows you to be the salmon! Collect and lose points as you find obstacles and answer questions about a salmon’s journey. 

Eye On Nature Activities

Diving Ducks Puzzle Game: Complete this online jigsaw puzzle, then learn about how to identify different species of diving ducks! 

All About Birds: This website has a great assortment of online games!

Make a DIY Backyard Bird Feeder: This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to make bird feeders using household items! 

PBS Kids: For younger kids, PBS Kids has great nature games. 

Animal Olympics: Get moving! This game gets you exercising and teaches you about the fun features of different animals. 

Endangered Species Board Game: Print out the game board and play this board game which teaches you about endangered species! 

Live Wildlife Cams: Check out this youtube channel to watch live video of different kinds of wildlife, and record how many different behaviors you can observe!

Bird Song Hero: This is a fun game that helps you practice the key skills you need to ID all the bird songs you’re curious about. 

CLAMSS Materials

Discovering Estuaries: What is an Estuary? In this lesson participants learn how to identify estuaries, relate to Puget Sound’s ecosystem and learn how important estuaries are locally and globally. (From South Sound Estuarium)

Sanctuaries at Home: Learn about the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Great Lakes While at Home thanks to National Marine Sanctuaries. 

For Parents

Fatherly.com: A great list of games and activities for kids at home. 

Art Lesson: How Do Birds Get Their Names? This guided activity walks through how many birds are named, and gives kids an opportunity to create their own bird and name it! 

Check out this list of resources for activities that involve going outside!

To find outdoor trails and activities in your area, check out AllTrails. 

This post will be updated as we find more resources to help students and caregivers through this unusual time. Please contact maya@nisquallyriver.org with questions, concerns, or any additional resources that we could add!