Naturalist Center © California Academy of Sciences

Resolve to do something good for you and the environment this coming new year! Swing by the Naturalist Center on Level 3 today (Dec. 31) until 5 p.m. and make your own green resolution scroll. For suggestions about what simple changes you can do to make a difference, download the Academy’s Green Guide: Sustainability Made Simple here

Check out this week’s featured specimen!

(Pictured below, really close up!)

Photo: N. Sincero 2011



Can you guess what it is?



Here are some hints:

• This animal usually eats 3% to 6% of its total body weight per day.
• It has very good hearing since it is able to hear sounds up to a mile away.

Leave us a comment with your answer! Then come see us outside the Project Lab on Friday, December 30th at 11:30 AM for Specimen Spotlight in order to find out if you’re right and to learn more about this animal.

Dec. 23-24: Make a Recycled Envelope
Create a colorful envelope with recycled magazines and calendars!

Check out this week’s featured specimen!

(Pictured below, really close up!)




Photo: N. Sincero 2011



Can you guess what it is?



Here are some hints:

• Adults of this species can weigh up to 60 lbs. (27 kg).
• They have transparent eyelids, which help them to see when they are underwater.

Leave us a comment with your answer! Then come see us outside the Project Lab on Friday, December 24th at 11:30 AM for Specimen Spotlight in order to find out if you’re right and to learn more about this animal.

Photo:Nautilus shell. E. Harrington © California Academy of Sciences

Click here for the Patterns online handout.

Each week in the Naturalist Center, we take elementary school-aged children on Science Story Adventures. We look at a different theme connected with the natural world and the exhibits in the Academy, and explore it through stories, activities and crafts.

Now you can continue your adventure at home with this online handout. It includes the planned learning outcomes of the Science Story Adventure, which are usually drawn from the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools. Can’t remember the title of the books we read or how to do that craft? It’s on the sheet. We’ve also included a list of resources – books, DVDs or websites – for further exploration.