28th ANNUAL NATURE BOWL 2012

Engaging Youth in Science, Conservation and Citizenship

NEWS

• Local Students Win Annual Nature Bowl Competition

What is the Nature Bowl?

• A cooperative team environment where 3/4- and 5/6-graders actively participate
• Science-based activities (correlated with the State Science Standards) emphasizing local and regional environments
• Innovative strategies to teach and reinforce conservation
• Engaging activities challenging students in critical and creative thinking

How Does the Nature Bowl Work?

Teams of three to seven students participate in two divisions: 3rd-4th grades and 5th-6th grades (only one team per division from any given school or club). The teams work together to find answers to environment-related questions that are aligned with State Science Standards. These questions/challenges are framed in several engaging and popular programs that have been developed through the years. Here are some of the challenging programs that your students can look forward to:

BELL-RINGERS: Short answer questions will be given for all teams to answer on a “first ring” basis. Fun times for quick thinkers!

ENVIRO-MERCIAL: What’s an environmental issue in your region? Present it in one minute, including causes, effects, and solutions! Students use their ingenuity and creativity, with many leading to actions in their school, neighborhood or community.

NATURE INVESTIGATIONS: Each team answers a set of exploratory questions through outside investigations. Emphasis is on team work for problem solving. The team becomes nature detectives searching for un-natural items, living specimens, signs of wildlife, etc.

NATURE RELAY: Items representing environmental terms or concepts are placed on a snow disk. Team members line up opposite the items and run one at a time to pick an item that represents the concept given. An all-time favorite of Nature Bowlers.

TEAM PROBLEMS: Each team will be given a series of hands-on questions to answer. Examples are constructing food chains, matching tools to adaptations, comparing products of renewable and non-renewable resources and deciding which can be recycled, reused and reduced, or even acting out a concept (charades).

All teams are invited to one semi-final event (dates vary in Spring). A small number of teams can participate. A small number of teams advance to the finals. The competitive aspect of the program is de-emphasized so all students feel comfortable, achieve success in learning, and enjoy the activities! Any child with interest can participate.

How do I get started? What are my obligations?

First, attend the Coaches Workshop or the Extended Coaches Workshop (on a Saturday). Scheduled late afternoons on weekdays in December and January, these workshops provide coaches (new and returning) with a packet that includes a glossary aligned to State Science Standards and a description of activities along with guidance on how to prepare their teams for success. Coaches can be teachers, parents, youth leaders, senior citizens, student teachers—anyone who wants to guide young team members through this discovery of nature.

2012 Nature Bowl

The Nature Bowl program—the workshops and semifinals—is offered throughout the Sacramento Valley, Stockton and in the Sierra foothills. This wide dispersion makes it easier for you to choose a location. Indicate clearly on the Nature Bowl Registration Form (PDF) which location you will be attending.Feel free to contact the program site representatives with questions or for more details.

Program Site	Workshop*	Semifinals	Contact #
Yolo Basin Wildlife Area 45211 County Rd. 32B Davis, CA 95617	December 7 4:30-5:45 pm	March 28	Corky Quirk (530)902-1918 Cquirk@yolobasin.org
American River Nature Center 348 Highway 49 Coloma, CA 95613	January 18 4:30-5:45 pm	March 16 and 20	Molly Hucklebridge (530) 621-1224 molly@arconservancy.org
Gray Lodge Wildlife Area 3207 Rutherford Rd. Gridley, CA 95948	By Appointment	Program is Pending - - March 13	Lori Dieter (530) 846-7505 ldieter@dfg.ca.gov
Nimbus Hatchery 1700 Nimbus Rd. Rancho Cordova CA 95670	January 17 3:45-5:00 pm	April 10 and 12 (a team attends one)	Laura Drath (916) 358-2884 ldrath@dfg.ca.gov
Placer Nature Center ** 3700 Christian Valley Rd, Auburn CA 95602	January 7 ** 9:00-12:30 pm	March 30	Linda Desai (530) 878-6053 linda@placernaturecenter.org

* Attendance at workshop is highly suggested for newcomers.
** This is an extended workshop (see below for details).

Workshops: These sessions are late afternoons on weekdays and provide coaches (new and returning) with a packet that includes a glossary and description of activities with sample questions and answers to any questions you may have. Time is also spent on resources to prepare. Please see the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) website for a full listing of environmental education resources available in the region www.creec.org.

Extended Workshop: There is also an extended workshop that is valuable for new coaches and a brush up for veteran coaches. The format begins with an overview of activities and how to get started and is followed by a mock Nature Bowl. The workshop closes with a discussion on how to get a team together. Please contact Linda Desai (see Placer Nature Center above) for more information about this special workshop.

Semifinals: Two formats: Some sites have the 3rd and 4th grade division compete in the morning, 8:30am - 12:30pm, and the 5th and 6th grade division compete in the afternoon from 12:20 to 4:30. At other sites, all grades participate at the same time (approx 9:30am - 3:30 pm).

Finals: May 21, 2011 at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS)

Register

• Nature Bowl Registration Form (PDF)

Testimonials

“I appreciate the lack of emphasis on competition, the amount of instruction, and the guidance and teaching done by the judges.”
  —Cindy Fleming, Indian Diggings School

“A program like this provides motivation to the unifying concept and makes learning more fun. It also builds team work since the other students in the class contribute to the teams learning in cooperative activities and presentations.”
  —Stephani Saranillo, Mariposa School

“Nature Bowl helps my students become environmentally conscious enough to change the choices they make in everyday life. Nature Bowl is a positive, exciting, nurturing activity for all participants.”
  —Veronica Schwalbach, Deterding School

“The Nature Bowl inspires kids to take actions to practice conservation. They’ve become leaders for a “green” campus. Their choices reflect responsibility that they’ve learned which will last them a lifetime.”
  —Lili Joy, Latrobe School

"The Nature Bowl helps to make learning fun and teaches cooperation. It uses the community where kids live as the classroom, and this helps to make everything they experience very relevant and meaningful."
  —Bobbie Winn, Wilton 4-H Club

“My underachieving students were turned upside down by Nature Bowl. Their excitement for learning and working together blossomed with this well conceived and well run program.”
  —Alma Quesnal, Edward Kimble School

The Nature Bowl Program is sponsored by:

• American River Natural History Association
• American River Conservancy
• California Department of Fish and Game
• Placer Nature Center
• Yolo Basin Foundation

Thanks to funding from:

• The Wildlife Society – Sacramento Shasta Chapter
• Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration – USFWS
• Rachel Lem

For more information, please contact:

Bruce Forman
CDFG, 1701 Nimbus Rd., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Call (916) 358-2353 or email Bforman@dfg.ca.gov

The Nature Bowl is coordinated by DFG in partnership with the organizations above.