posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 31
Today’s camp theme was “Water Magic” and we had sooo much fun!! Here is what happened at camp:
Little and Junior Explorers
Today the Little and Junior Explorers learned all about water! They went on several small hikes to ponds and lakes around the park to explore whether they were man-made or natural and to examine the different types of wildlife. They found turtles, snails, slugs, bugs, birds, and butterflies! The campers played “Nature Bingo” on their hike where they are given a bingo board with items found in nature. Once they spotted an item on their hike, they would cross it out on their board. One of the Brown Toads caught an alligator lizard on their hike!! In addition they had fun measuring pond water and playing a pond tag game called “Frogs and Insects.”
Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists
Today the Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists learned about water, the animals that live in the ocean, and had fun on several hikes! They started the day blasting off bike pump rockets and playing “Wolves and Deers”. They hopped aboard bus 29 to Fort Mason where they hiked up and over Fort Mason to the Aquatic Park. There they had amazing views of the ocean and city. The campers then ran over to Pier 41, visited the South End Rowing Club where they saw many boats and talked to a gentleman who swims in the Bay. At mid-day, they jumped aboard the Blue and Gold Fleet which took them to Tiburon, the Ice House Historical Museum, and Sausalito. While on the ferry, they spotted a gray whale and several dolphins. It was a great day!!
Click here to view more photos from camp! (New photos will be posted on this site tomorrow)
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 30
Today’s themes were “Wild Science Laboratory” and “Tree Frog Treks Space Camp.” Here is what happened today at camp:
Little and Junior Explorers
Today the Little and Junior Explorers learned all about seasonal changes and chemical reactions. Spring brings many changes and chemistry is the science of change! The campers watched and participated in several “hot and cold experiments” such as making fog in a jar, making a balloon expand with gases, and blasting off rockets using baking soda and vinegar. The Blue Turtles ate lunch in the Botanical Gardens and along the way pointed out several change in nature. The Brown Toads ate at the Redwood Forest and played Redwood Family Circle. The groups also learned about camouflage and made play-doh animals.
Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists
Today the Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists had their space training and did some Wild Science experiments. They started their day hiking around the park making their way to the De Young Tower. While observing the world from above, Mr. Science and Dr. Fronkensteen pointed out some native birds. The campers went through space camp at the 8th and Fulton park where they went through the tunnel of echos, decontamination, and a series of space drills to get ready to search for aliens life forms. They hopped aboard their Space Shuttle (the 5 Fulton) and made their way to Tree Frog Treks home base. While at the office, they explored our Animal Reptile Sanctuary that houses over 100 rescued reptiles and amphibians! At the end of the day, Mr. Science did some wacky experiments including knowledge popper rockets, sink or float, and made “space slime.”
Animals presented today: Pablo the Bearded Dragon, Lizarda the Leopard Gecko, Neptune the Blue Tongued Skink, Engulfa the Golden Bell Frog, Sneaky Snake the Kansas Glossy Snake, and the Cave Roaches.
Click here to view more photos from camp!
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 29
We are so glad to be back at Golden Gate Park for Spring Camp! Today’s theme was “Roots & Shoots” and “Anchors Aweigh.” Here is what happened at camp:
Little and Junior Explorers
Today the Little and Junior Explorers learned all about plants, the cycles in nature, and what happens in the spring time! They explored the park, found some rollie pollies, a hummingbird, and several worms. Our Camp Director, Kelley-Belley Frog said that these “campers are great insect hunters!” They learned about the parts of a plant, explored some native plants in the park, made seed mosaics, and did some tree bark rubbings.
Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists
Today the Adventure Explorers and Wild Scientists adventured all throughout Golden Gate Park. They started their day on a hike to the waterfall and along the way went on a scavenger hunt. They learned about native and non-native plants and even enjoyed a few edible plants in the park such as Sour Grass, Miners Lettuce, and Willow Bark. They hiked the trails looking for new plant growth and examined an exposed tree roots. They also made boats using recycled materials and had a boat race on Lloyd Lake. In the afternoon, the campers went to Stow Lake where they went on paddle boats on looked for Great Blue Herons. At the end of the day, Mr. Science did a few experiments about density and water surface tension.
Animals presented to all campers: Trucker the Red-Footed Tortoise, Thorny the Bearded Dragon, Declan the Corn Snake, Maddie and Gasgar the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, Clark the Western Toad, Choco the Malaysian Painted Toad, and Stickem the Whites Tree Frog. Moe the Western Toad made his first appearance to one of our programs. He recently morphed and is about one inch in length!
Click here to visit our Flickr page for more photos!!!
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 29
This past weekend’s Kid’s Play Night was themed “The Magical Mystery Tour to the Magnifying World.” The goal was to get the kids familiar with the different tools for magnification and to give them a different perspective on the world around them! They made their own snake skin slides, dusted for finger prints, and learned how to use a microscope. They watched Scooby-Doo as they enjoyed their pizza.
The kids met several animal ambassadors this weekend, including Tiki the Bearded Dragon, Savannah the Savannah Monitor Lizard, Roon the Fat Tailed Gecko, Digger the Sand Boa, and Stumpy the Crested Gecko. However, Stumpy was the star of the show! The kids loved to watch him jump for person to person and were mesmerized that he would lick his eyeball with his tongue!
This weekend’s Kid’s Play Night theme is “April Fooled.” Registration is now open at www.treefrogtreks.com!
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 26
Here is what we have been talking about on Twitter and Facebook this week (click on the titles to view the article):
“It’s World Water Day – Try Using a Little Less”
Best-selling author Thomas Kostigen shares simple tips on how you can use a little less water.
“Get 137 Years of Popular Science at Your Fingertips for Free”
Popular Science has now made their archives available for free on the web! Yay!!!
“Bee Hotel Trains Residents as Bomb Sniffers”
Did you know that bees have a good sense of smell? Read this article to find out more.
“Yellow Pages Paperless Petition & Official Opt-Out Registry”
Want to help save a few trees? Go to this website and fill out the form to stop getting phone books dropped at your doorstep.
“First Amphibious Insects Found in Hawaii”
Twelve new caterpiller species have been discovered on land and underwater leaving many scientists questioning how they are breathe in water.
“Learn About Environmental Science with Conservation Maven”
Great site that posts educational and research items about all things conservation.
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 26
Dear Mr. Science,
What is the difference between alligators and crocodiles?
Olivia, age 5
Hi Olivia,
This is a great question! There are few different ways you can tell the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Crocodiles have a very long and narrow V-shaped snout or when their mouths are closed, you can actually see all of their teeth (lower and upper jaw). Alligators have a wider snout that is U-shaped. You cannot see all of their teeth because their upper jaw closes over the lower.
Alligators are larger and can grow to be 19 feet in length. They live in brackish water and sometimes can be found in the ocean. They are less aggressive then crocodiles. Alligators prey on fish and mammals and are only found on the southern tip of Florida.
Crocodiles can grow to be 14 feet long. They prefer freshwater and can often be found preying on turtles. Crocodiles are found in the southeastern United States.
Keep those questions coming!
GET OUT and GET DIRTY
Mr. Science (a.k.a. Chris Giorni)
Photo credit: Snorg Tee
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 25
Pacific Tree Frogs range all along the West Coast from British Columbia to Baja and inland as far as Idaho. Most are found in native scrubs near a water source and vary in color from dark brown to bright green. (Interesting fact: The green frogs can sometimes turn brown in color but the brown frogs cannot turn green.) As tadpoles, these frogs eat mostly algae but sometimes their smaller siblings or bugs. As adults they are entirely insectivores.
We have two Pacific Tree Frogs at Tree Frog Treks named Capp and Mish. These two were raised in a local backyard in the Mission District from tadpoles fro the first few months of life. They were descended from the population that was rescued from an engineering yard here in the city. This population has been living here at least 100 years. Capp and Mish both morphed in 2008 and their sexes are unknown.
Related “Know Your Natives” Posts:
Pacific Gopher Snakes
Spadefoot Toads
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 23
This spring students receiving our school programming will be learning all about survival in our curriculum titled “Survivor Frog.” Here is a brief description:
Have you ever wondered how to make fire without matches, purify water, and build your own shelter? Or what you would go if you were stranded on a desert island? If so, then join Survivor Frog! We will learn to recognize and prepare edible plants, track and stalk wild animals, ans make rope and baskets out of plants that grow in your neighborhood park. Each class will start with a team challenge that will prepare you to work together in difficult conditions. Become a Survivor Frog with the knowledgeable naturalists and amazing reptile and amphibian animal ambassadors from Tree Frog Treks, who won’t vote you off the island, but will instead help you gain survival skills, work as a team, and explore the nature all around us!
It’s not to late to inquire about having your school enroll with Tree Frog Treks for this term. If interested, please contact the office at 415-876-3764.
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 22
Science relies on empirical data. This is information gained through observation and experimentation. Scientists often use measurements to quantify this data. For instance a scientist may observe that an animal is growing quickly, however to lend more support to this observation we can measure how much the animal grows over a certain amount of time. It is very important for scientists to record these measurements and track how they change over time or under different conditions. They will also learn about some types of measurement such as mass and weight, length, volume, temperature, and time.
FUN FACTS!!
- Largest Animal – Blue Whale. They can be up to 32 meters (105 ft) long and weigh up to 181,000 kg (200 tons). Blue Whales tongues can weigh as much as an elephant and their hearts can weigh as much as a car!
- Largest Land Animal – African Elephant. They can be up to 4 meters tall (13ft) and weigh up to 6,350 kg (14,000 lbs)
- Largest Reptile – Komodo Dragons(see image above). They can be up to 3 meters (10 ft) long and weigh up to 150 kg (330 lbs).
- Largest Amphibian – Chinese Giant Salamander. They can be up to 2 meters long (6 ft) and weigh up to (110 lbs).
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- Tallest Human – The tallest person who ever lived was 8’ 11 (2.72 meters).
photo credit
posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Mar 21
This week students receiving our school programming will learn all about electricity. The goal this week is to introduce students to the fundamentals of electricity, electric current, and circuits. Students should be able to also recognize the dependence our society has on electricity.
Remember when we talked about how everything is made of atoms? They are so tiny; you cannot see them unless you have a very powerful microscope. Each atom has one or more even tinier things called electrons that spin around its center. Sometimes, when we apply energy, electrons start to move or jump to other atoms. Electricity is made up of electrons moving in a specific direction. For the electricity to work, the electrons must move in a complete loop. When electricity flows through a loop, it is called an electric current, and the loop is called a circuit. Now for a fun experiment/art project:
SNAKE CHARMING
Materials
- Scissors
- Tissue Paper
- Metal Plate
- Plastic Pen
- Silk handkerchief or animal fur
Procedure
- Cut out a spiral from a circle of tissue paper with scissors.
- Lay the tissue paper spiral on the metal plate.
- Rub the plastic pen vigorously on the silk, so that it takes electrons from the silk, and becomes negatively charged. (An animal fur might work instead of a silk handkerchief).
- Use the charged pen to draw the center (head of snake) of the spiral gently into the air.
Photo credit: Kids’ Corner
