These wind chimes are a breeze to make but be careful you don’t get blown away!
Here’s what you need:
String
Things to hang off your wind chime
Help from an adult
Optional: glue
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1:
Head out to your favourite outdoor space to gather materials for your wind chimes! Sticks are a must but the rest is up to you! You can use rocks, pinecones, shells, or anything else you find.
TIP: Make sure you don’t disturb any animal habitats while you’re gathering your materials!
Step 2:
When you’re back home, find the biggest stick you have and tie some long pieces of string to it. This will be the top of your wind chime.
Step 3:
Next, tie the materials you found to the other ends of the string. Ask an adult to help tie them super tight so they won’t fall off. You can also use glue but it will stick better to some things than others
Step 4:
Tie an extra-long piece of string to the big stick and use it to hang your wind chime up outside. Then just sit back and enjoy the soft sounds it makes as it blows in the breeze.
What were some of the things you used for your wind chime? Let us know in the comments!
Our hero’s quest is far from over! This time, Emma dives deep underground, into the world’s longest cave system. What can she learn down there, and who will finally take the lead in the quest for the best? Let’s tune in and find out.
We’ve got some exciting news! Guess what? Emma found an amazing cave system to explore. Thank you everyone for suggesting Mammoth Cave! It was a great idea.
Emma was super lucky to get to examine the world’s longest cave system! More than 400 miles of caves are down there, and they have many stories to tell – from ancient explorers to miners, and let’s not forget the number of different rare animals that call these caves home! Amphibians, Bats, Fish, Insects, Reptiles, and much more!
Emma shared a great trick on how to tell apart stalactites and stalagmites! Do you have other tricks to know which ones are which?
Let’s take a look at Ryan’s journey today: He went to visit Wind Cave, National Park. Still, he could have tried to learn about cave animals…
The Wind Cave national park is supposed to be a great place to explore. Underground, the Wind Cave is 154.2 miles long, making it the seventh-longest cave system in the world. It is known for its “Boxwork” walls – making the rock look like a bee’s honeycomb. Aboveground is just as interesting! You can find fields with bison, elk, deer, prairie dogs, and antelope.
Photo of Boxwork “Honeycomb”.
So…why did Ryan not explore this amazing place more? He could have talked about the boxwork that the cave is known for or found some animals who spend time in caves. Actually… Can you guys think of any animals he could have talked about that live close to caves?
The next assignment is a tricky one Earth Rangers! Emma and Ryan need to find “a unique ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the world”. Can you think of an interesting area for her to explore, that’s not too far from Tenessee? Make sure to share your suggestions in the comments! Emma is counting on you.
Time for this episode’s trivia competition: The first person to type the correct answer to this Trivia question into the comments will win a “keep on ranging” podcast T-shirt for their avatar:
“What disease is bothering many bats across North America?”
Be the first to guess the correct answer! As always, the winner will be announced in the next episode’s shownotes.
🎺 Congratulations to Earth Ranger Audrey for being the first to comment the correct answer!! 🎺 The solution to “What class of animals do frogs and salamanders belong to?” is “amphibians!” Be sure to check your inbox for the award code to receive your special t-shirt.
Know any unique nearby ecosystems that Emma can explore next? Let us know in the comments! Careful – Don’t forget the no airplane rule!
Want to instead try your best with the trivia question? If you don’t have any ideas for either of those, I’m sure Emma would love to hear some cool animal facts to help inspire her! She needs all the trivia she can get to help her win the competition!
You’ll go bananas for this little guy! It’s time to make your berry own Gobbly Gecko!
Here’s what you need:
Strawberries
A banana
Two blueberries or grapes
Pretzel sticks
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: Let’s start by preparing your gecko’s body! First, cut one strawberry in half (from top to bottom). Next, cut your banana and the rest of your strawberries into slices.
Step 2:Now, let’s put your gecko’s body together. Start with one strawberry half for the head, then switch back and forth between banana and strawberry slices. Finally, add the other strawberry half for a tail.
Step 3: Time to give your gecko some eyes! Cut your blueberries (or grapes) in half and place them onto the gecko’s strawberry head.
Step 4: Finally, add some legs. Place two pretzel sticks on either side of your gecko’s body, one set for the front legs and the other set for the back.
And with that, your gecko is complete! All that’s left is to gobble it up!
Great work, Earth Rangers! You CRUSHED Team Plastic in the Rangers vs. Plastic Challenge. You know what that means? You’ve unlocked the final Community Reward! It’s a donation that will help support the work being done by Camille Lavoie. She’s a marine biologist trying to protect kelp forests in the Arctic!
What in the World is a Kelp Forest?
Kelp is giant algae. It looks like really long seaweed! When you have a whole bunch of them together, it’s called a kelp forest. Lots of animals rely on kelp forests every day. Some live in them. Others, like seals, use them as feeding grounds. That means they’ll stop by to get something to eat.
Kelp forests also absorb a lot of carbon dioxide. This is really good news! Carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that makes climate change worse. BUT that’s not all! It also makes our oceans more acidic. When this happens, the shells that protect some animals get weaker and they can get really hurt. By absorbing carbon dioxide, kelp forests are planet-protecting superstars!
Help Kelp Forests by Going Plastic-free
You might be wondering how this connects to this Challenge. Well, a lot of the plastic we throw away ends up in the ocean. While there, it can really hurt kelp forests and the animals that depend on them. By saying “no” to plastic, you’re helping keep our ocean pals safe and their kelp forests clean!
You did an amazing job with the Challenge! Here’s a special gift to say thank you. If you logged a habit during this Challenge, you’ve unlocked a Seal Buddy for your avatar! Visit the Community Milestone section of the Challenge to learn more.
Keep up the great work! You’re making a real difference in protecting our planet.
DID YOU KNOW… You can help support animals like the ringed seal and collect more avatar buddies when you do! Visit the Adoptions section for more.
1. We’d love to hear more about Holden! What does he like to do?
Liz: He enjoys reading, creating marble runs, mountain biking and snowboarding!
2. What’s his favourite animal and why?
Liz: He loves ring-tailed lemurs because of their cool colouring, acrobatic skills, and the fact that they are primates just like us.
3. Has Holden’s eco-action had a ripple effect on the family and friends?
Liz: Yes! He loves sharing all about the fun facts he has learned, and always makes sure his mom doesn’t run the water during toothbrush time!
4. Tell us about one activity in particular that he really connected with.
Liz: He loves the cooking activities and is excited to try more of the recipes like the crab apple.
5. What do you think is one of the most important things he has learned as an Earth Ranger member?
Liz: Holden has learned that small actions we take daily can make a larger positive impact. He even started his own journal after listening to the ‘Adelia Goodwin’s Secret Journal’ on the Earth Rangers Podcast. He writes cool facts in the notebook about animals and nature he observes.
6. As a parent, what do you think of Earth Rangers programs?
Liz: I love how much the Earth Rangers Podcast and Earth Rangers App have made him aware of how our actions can benefit our climate. He has also gained a deeper knowledge of animals, their habitats, and how we can help keep them safe and thriving. It also connects him to like- minded kids around the world! Also, the jokes on the podcast – we love the jokes!
What day is that? Earth Day! Emma comes to you with a special episode to celebrate this special day. She’s got some good news to share, and much more! What might it all be? Let’s tune in and find out.
Happy Earth Day everyone! The “Quest for the Best” isn’t about to stop Emma from enjoying this special day. Today is a big day, so let’s be sure to join in on the fun!
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day celebrates the progress that the environmental movement has made, and the impact that raising awareness has helped bring to saving animals and the planet. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 – 53 years ago. A lot has happened in that time, but there’s still plenty of work to do!
How can I celebrate Earth Day?
There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day! Ask a parent to take a look at where you live to see if there are any events being organized. Can’t find anything? Don’t worry. Here are a few ideas on how you can go about it yourself:
organize a litter clean-up in your neighborhood
plant a tree or some flowers
limit your water waste
turn off the lights when you leave the room
spread the word about Earth Day
Some of these idea might be closely connected to missions on the Earth Rangers app – be sure to take a look and accept those you want to do. Today is a perfect chance to complete a mission and celebrate Earth Day.
What about Emma?
In this episode, Emma mentions some good news that’s worth celebrating. What are they? Let’s take a look…
Pandastic news:
Remember the red panda Emma talked about while staying at Adelia’s cabin in Nepal? If you missed it, Earth Rangers Headquarters announced an update, and they had great news to share! Over 500 rangers came in to help support the red pandas, and it has helped spread the word, give these cute animals more trees and much more! Check out the full update here: This Red Panda Update is Pandastic
50th years saving animals:
Photo Credit: Plutoforpres
Emma reminded us that there’s a lot to party about. The endangered species act can also show us more reasons to celebrate! In just 50 years, it has saved 99% species that were listed as under threat. That is HUGE! This is proof that we’re making a difference when it comes to saving the planet.
Emma also mentions her list of favorite animals: African Wild Dogs, Elephants, Sea Turtles, Red Panda and Snow Leopards. Were any of these a surprise to you? Wait, let’s not stop there! Why not share your own Top 5 of favorite animals?
Can’t pick a Top 5? You can also celebrate in the comment by sharing any cool rare or unknown animal facts you want more people to know about. Are there any animals you think others don’t know about or deserve more love and attention? There’s no better time than now to celebrate them!
Some of you have already been passing on some sweet messages to Emma and the rest of Earth Rangers headquarters. We love all the sweet jokes, animal encounters, animal facts, and messages you send us! For this special day, I made a small montage of sweet messages you all had to share with Emma. If you want to relisten to it, you can go check it out here:
If you missed that you can do that, you can leave us a voice recording by going to earthrangers.com/podcast and clicking on the “leave us a message” button. Who knows? Maybe your message will end up getting played on the podcast?
How do you celebrate Earth Day? How do you want to celebrate it in the future?
We’ve gotten 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 bighorn sheep! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Time:60 mins
Difficulty:Hard
