How does an ocean greet friends?
It “waves” hello!
Dive into the BIG SPLASH Challenge to help fight climate change and learn how to protect water! Loads of rewards are up for grabs! Get started in the Challenges section of the app now.
Pixel Puzzler #41: The Great Reveal
We got tons of great guesses on Part 1 of this Pixel Puzzler and now it’s time for the answer. Are you ready for the great reveal? Find out if you got it right!
The answer to this Pixel Puzzler is (drum roll please) a Deer! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Ultimate Guide to National Parks: Everglades
Alligators, sharks, crocodiles, pet-shop pythons and underwater cows… Today’s national park seems like it was designed by a mad scientist!
Welcome to the Everglades. Hope you packed your swamp survival kit!
Hello from sunny Florida! Today, Emma visited the strange and beautiful Everglades. You guys were right to suggest it – there’s a lot to see here! It’s not like most parks; it’s a wonder of nature! A special ecosystem of many different plants and animals. Guess what? It’s the only spot on Earth where alligators and crocodiles live together! How cool is that? There’s so much fun stuff to explore and learn there!
The Everglades has both salty and fresh water. That makes it a comfy home for marine animals that like either type of water! This is why Emma hopped on a boat (and even went scuba diving) to check out the cool wildlife there!
GUESS THE ECOSYSTEM
During her travels, Emma got to see a few of of the NINE different ecosystems found in the Everglades National Park: Sawgrass Prairies, Sloughs, Mangrove Swamps, Cypress Domes, Hardwood Forests, Pinelands, Marl Prairies, Estuarine Areas, and Coastal Areas.
Do you remember which ones she saw this episode? Why don’t we make this a game? Can you guess which of those she saw are found in this picture? Let us know your guesses in the comment section!
From the boat, Emma saw the Pinelands in the distance. The Pinelands (also called “pine rocklands”) are full of tall trees, palmettos, and pretty wildflowers. Since there are many fires there, special plants that can grow again after fires are known to live there too.
The Pineland Trail is a short and easy trail for visitors, including wheelchairs. It is perfect for hiking and exploring. If you’re lucky, you might spot some wildlife, especially birds that appear when it’s peaceful and quiet.
Emma toured the waters of the Everglades instead of walking on its trails. Her boat ride was a great way to safely see different animals, like pythons, dolphins, alligators, and even lemon sharks!
The Lemon shark is a social animal that normally isn’t a threat to humans. They are commonly found in the coasts of Florida, New Jersey, Brazil and west Africa. These sharks are group hunters, preferring to eat fish, crustacean and even birds. Scuba divers who meet lemon sharks have said they are vocal, communicating with whistles and clicks.
Emma went underwater hoping to find the curious and friendly manatee. These sea cows (yes, they’re called that) really like eating plants in the water. Sadly, there’s not enough seagrass for them where they live in Florida. Boat injuries and pollution mean there aren’t many of them left. All the more reason to talk about them, protect them, and tell others about their existence!
What did you think of this national park tour? Is there anything you especially enjoyed? Do you think you can guess the ecosystem pictures correctly? Give it a try!
March- Circular Economy Month
What is a Circular Economy?
By reusing, repairing, repurposing, or recycling, we can use as little raw materials as possible and reduce our carbon footprint. It’s all about using resources wisely and finding ways to use the leftover materials.
In 2020, Canada successfully diverted 27.5% of its waste, which is an increase of almost 50% since 2002, This is great, but we still have a lot of work to do to reduce the remaining 72.5% that is sent to landfills or incinerated.
There are five key areas of unsustainable consumption: Plastics, Food, Aluminum, Steel, and Cement. With circular economy strategies, we can eliminate about 9.3 billion tons of emissions, which is the equivalent to all the transported related emissions globally.
There are ways to create a more circular economy everywhere!
Swap Events
With these projects, you get to plan an event for your community, where people can come together and trade their ill-fitting clothes, sports equipment they no longer use, or other items in good condition they no longer have use for. Check out Lana’s event!
DIY Workshops
These projects are great for those who love to teach! You can encourage other to be more sustainable by teaching them new sills like how to make new items out of old (think reusable shopping bags out of an old t-shirt), how to create sustainable products (think beeswax wraps or cleaning supplies), or even how to repair a bike!
Waste Re-route
Did you know that some items can’t go in a regular landfill and might actually be dangerous if they end up in one? You can divert waste, so it can’t harm the environment. Batteries, electronics, paint, markers, and many other items can be properly disposed of, but only if someone takes the time to do so. Check out a few examples of projects teens have done!
Tin Can Owl
Tin Can Owl
Time:20 min
Difficulty:Medium
Look hoo’s here!
Have you come to craft a very special owl? We’re sure you tin can do it!
- An upcycled tin can
- Glue
- 2 googly eyes
- 2 bottle caps (plastic or metal)
- A clothes pin
- 3 pipe cleaners
- Paper, foam, or felt sheets
TIP: Upcycle an old piece of paper or newspaper instead of using something new!
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: Clean off your can and make sure all of the labels have been removed.
Step 2: Glue your googly eyes to the inside of your bottle caps. Once dry, stick them to your tin can.
Step 3: In between your owl’s eyes, glue the clothespin. Your bird now has a beak!
Step 4: Cut out two wing-like shapes in your paper, and your pipe cleaners in half.
Step 5: Arrange your pipe cleaner halves in a way that resembles talons. Glue them to the bottom of your tin can. Add the two wings and you’ve got yourself a funky owl!
What are you naming your new buddy? We’re owl ears.
Would you Rather #61
Would you rather…
Do business with a ferret or parade with an elephant
Tell us which one you pick in the comments!
Pixel Puzzler #41: Part 1
Let’s put your identification skills to the test! Can you figure out what is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.
Check back next week for the answer!
Quiz: Oceans and Climate Change
Oceans aren’t just giant bathtubs – they’re full of life, from the tiniest plankton to massive whales and vibrant coral reefs!
Climate change is making waves, affecting everything in the ocean. Take this quiz to see how much you know about oceans and climate change.
We’ve got a resource to help you answer the questions! Check it out here.
Join the Big Splash Challenge, and log your habits to help protect water!
Feathered Friend Feeder
Feathered Friend Feeder
Time:15 min
Difficulty:Easy
When snow covers their habitat, it makes food-finding more challenging for birds and animals. This winter, you can be a birdy buddy by helping our feathered friends find an extra food source.
Here’s what you need:
- Large Pinecone
- Shallow bowl, pan or cardboard box
- Bird seeds
- Honey or suet
- String or ribbon
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1:
Fill your shallow bowl/pan/box with bird seeds
Sift through the birdseed and investigate the different seeds! It’s a fun sensory experience and you’ll get to do a little quality control work for your fluttering friends.
Step 2:
Tie a string to the top end of your pinecone.
Once done, cover your pinecones in thick honey or suet.
Step 3:
Once the pinecone is covered, roll it around in your birdseed until it is all covered.
TIP:
Leave the very top of your pinecones un-honey-ed for easier handling your string!
Step 4:
Tie the pinecone feeder to your favourite tree, and wait for your flying feathered friends to come and feast! You might get lucky and have some other friendly visitors.
What animals came to visit your feeder? Did you spot any special birds?
UnBEARably Exciting! An Arctic Adventure in the Beaufort Sea with Polar Bear Researcher Nick Paroshy
Hi! My name is Nick Paroshy. I study polar bears at the University of Alberta. I’m learning all about how polar bears move through the Arctic Circle. Because of climate change, some of the sea ice that polar bears depend on to get around and hunt for their prey is melting. I’ve been studying polar bears who live in two areas of the Arctic: one called the Beaufort Sea, and the other called Hudson Bay. This will help me and my team better understand how polar bears move on the sea ice. The more we know about their movement, the more we’ll be able to help them adapt to climate change.
When you adopt a polar bear from Earth Rangers this year, you’ll be supporting me as I track polar bears and work through a lot of complicated math to find patterns in their movements. You’ll receive a cuddly polar bear stuffie with soft white fur, along with an adoption certificate, a trading card, and a poster for your locker or your bedroom wall.
Check out the adoption section in the Earth Rangers App to learn more, and check out these cool photos we took while tracking polar bears!
How I Research Polar Bears in the Beaufort Sea
This photo was taken from a helicopter high up above the ice where the polar bears live. Although they may look cute and cuddly, polar bears are wild animals, and it’s unsafe for human beings to get close to them. That’s why polar bear researchers like me don’t walk around looking for bears–we scout them out from the safety of a helicopter.
Don’t worry–this polar bear is safe and sound, just unconscious – kind of like being in a deep sleep! In order to track polar bears and learn more about their movements, we need to tag them with tracking devices. These tracking devices let me use a computer to follow them around.
But remember: polar bears are wild animals, and it’s not safe for human beings to get close to them. We can’t ask a polar bear politely if we can tag it. Instead, we tranquilize the polar bear. This means that we give the bear a dose of medicine that sends it to sleep for a little while–just long enough for us to tag the polar bear and leave safely.
First, from the safety and comfort of our helicopter, we aim a dart at the polar bear. When we’re sure that the dart will land safely on the polar bear, we send it out. We watch the dart fly out and connect with the polar bear’s skin. Then we wait as the medicine makes the bear calm and sleepy enough to lie down, close its eyes, and become unconscious. At that point, we land the helicopter and begin to measure and tag the polar bear so we can track it.
Here is a photo of me measuring a polar bear’s head. We need to collect all sorts of measurements to compare bears to each other. Once we have all our measurements, I fit the tracking device securely on the polar bear. Then my team and I return to our helicopter and fly off to find another bear.
Bears come in all sizes. They can be kids or teenagers or parents. Some bears are huge! See how big this bear is compared to me! Look at my hand next to its paw! Polar bears have very large claws which can seriously hurt humans, but help them hunt seals.
Check out this photo of a ringed seal that I saw during my journey! We call them ringed seals because of the circular patterns on their fur. These creatures happen to be polar bears’ favourite food. If there aren’t enough ringed seals, then polar bears don’t have enough to eat. That’s why it’s important for us to conserve ringed seals along with polar bears.
Now That I’m Home from the Arctic
Studying polar bears doesn’t mean that I spend all my time flying over the Arctic Circle in a helicopter! Once I’ve tagged enough polar bears with tracking devices, I come home and study the data that they’re sending me. It’s my job to find patterns in the data, talk about what I’m finding with other scientists, and write down everything that I’ve learned.
Right now, I’m focusing on putting all of my research on polar bears together into a very long piece of writing called a thesis. When that’s done, I’ll publish it in a journal. This isn’t the kind of journal that you hide under your mattress to keep your secrets safe from your little siblings–it’s a magazine that scientists read to learn about the discoveries of other scientists.
I’ll also defend my thesis in front of a group of my teachers. They’ll ask me all kinds of questions about polar bears, about my research methods, and about everything I’ve discovered. When that’s over, I’ll graduate with a Master’s Degree in Science.
If you want to research polar bears when you grow up, you might go through this process someday, too! But whether or not you decide to become a scientist like me, I hope that you’ll stay interested in polar bears, climate change, and the Arctic Circle. We need kids like you to stay curious and compassionate so that polar bears and their icy habitat will be safe for generations to come.
