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Yuma Conservation Garden Activities

Click on the activity in which you are interested below. All documents are in PDF format and can be read using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please check the Activity Matrix to determine which activity you might want to use based on the topic presented or the skills needed or practiced.

Garden Activity Journal: for on site visits. This link will take you to PDF copies of a generic journal to be used when visiting the Garden. Copy the pages and assemble in the numbered order. It is designed to provide space for 3 activities, notes and a visit evaluation. A "clothespin necklace" will be provided at the Garden for students to use during their visit to keep their journal papers organized and hands free for activities.

This table below is designed to assist groups to select activities to do while at the Garden. Almost all the activities can be modified for any grade level. The grade level column to the right indicates the level that most closely matches the Arizona Articulated Science Standard for content and most of the activities incorporate Inquiry Strand One. Many of these activities will also assist in teaching Performance Objectives in many content areas other than science. A planned Garden visit can incorporate a full days curriculum for a class.

Activity Title	Description	Grade(s)	Science Content Strand	Other Content Areas
1. The Pond is a Habitat For?	Collect and observe pond water samples	1, 6, 7, 8, HS	1, 4
2. Who Lives in This Pond?	Use microscopes and hand lenses to observe microscopic life	K, 1, 6, 7, 8	1, 4
3. Caught in a Web	Identify producers and consumers in an aquatic food chain	3, 4, 7	4
4. Is That All Water?	Collect and filter pond water samples	6, 7, HS	1
5. Parts Per Million	Explore mathematical concept of parts per million	HS	1	Math
6. Measuring Temperature	Measure and compare water temperature at varying depths in the pond	HS	1	Math
7. Investigating Pond Perimeter and Area	Estimation perimeter and area of an irregular shape	6, 7, 8	1	Math
8. Testing One, Two, Three	Explore pond water quality including pH	6	1,5
9. Animal Match-Up	Animals and their adaptations to desert climate	1, 2, 4, 6	4
10. Good Buddies	Plant and animal relationships of symbiosis, commensalisms, mutualism and parasitism	1, 3, 4, 6, 7, HS	4
11. Speed Buddies	Compare and contrast adaptations of the tortoise and jack rabbit	K, 1	1	Reading
12. Track That Animal	Identify animal tracks	K, 2, 6	1, 4
13. Web of Life	Plant and animal interdependence	1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, HS	1, 4
14. Wildlife at the Garden	Observe evidence of life in the Garden	K, 1, 4, 7, 8	1, 4
15. Mr. Arthropod's Neighborhood	Arthropod identification	4, 7, 8	1, 4
16. Polar Bears in Yuma!	Animal to climate adaptation	4, 6, 7, 8,	1, 4
17. Riparian Life Zones	Study desert riparian habitats	4, 7	1, 4
18. Riparian Areas	Vocabulary associated with riparian habitats	7	1, 4	Reading, Writing
19. Ants	Observe and describe ant behavior in a natural setting	K, 1, 2	1, 4	Writing
20. Desert Plants	Observe and describe desert plant adaptations	1, 3, 4, 6, 7	1, 4	Writing
21. What Leaf is This?	Observe and classify leaf structures	3, 4, 6	1, 4
22. How Big is That Cactus?	Measure cactus heights using a variety of methods	6, 7, 8	1, 4	Math
23. Exploring the Desert	Sketch and describe desert plant characteristics	3, 6, 7	1, 4	Writing, Art
24. Cactus Kids	Collection and storage of water by cactus	3, 4, 6, HS	1, 4
25. Desert Trees Are Terrific	Examination of tree adaptations to desert climate	3, 4, 6, 7, HS	1, 4
26. YCG Detective Agency	Examine cause and effect relationships	7, 8, HS	1	Writing
27. Habitats of the Conservation Garden	Examine different habitat zones in the Garden	K, 1, 4, 7, HS	1, 4
28. Fibonacci Patterns in Desert Flora	Analyze plant growth patterns	HS	1, 4	Math
29. Litter Analysis	Analyze litter in the Garden	K, 1, 4	1,3
30. Mapping a Pond	Create a map of the pond area	6	1	Social Studies Math
31. Operation S.O.N.A.R.	Create underwater topographic map	6	1	Social Studies Math
32. Contour Mapping	Construct a contour map of a hill	6	1	Social Studies Math
33. What's in That Area of Sand?	Examine all that exists in a small area of the Garden	1, 3, 4, 7	1, 4, 6
34. What Kind of Rock Is It?	Classify and identity rocks	K, 3, 7	1, 6
35. Mineral Lotto	Play a game to learn about minerals in rocks	3, 7	6
36. What Settles First, Sand or Rocks?	Examine sediments from a pond sample	6	1, 6
37. Rock Hounds	Classify rocks using multiple attributes	K, 1, 6, 7,	1, 6
38. Temperatures in the Desert	Record and compare temperatures in different locations	6, HS	1,6	Math
39. Nature Made Toolbox	Identify natural objects that could be used as simple machines or tools	K	1, 5
40. Castaway Creatures on a Desert Isle	Study ecosystem relationships	6, 7, HS	1, 4	Writing Art
41. Garden Scavenger Hunt	Identify location of objects in the Garden	All	1
42. Once Upon a Time…	Read stories about history of the region	3, 6	2, 3	Reading
43. Characters Sketches	Examine antique farm machinery	K, 6	1, 6
44. Aliens in the Garden (Weeds)	Use map skills to locate weeds in the Garden	3, HS	3, 4	Social Studies
45. Simple Machines	Identify simple machines as used in antique farm machinery	6	1, 5
46. Off Road Vehicle	Examine impact of off road vehicle use and its impact on the fragile desert environment	4, HS	1, 3
47. Letter to Farmer Hank	Examine antique farm equipment, predict uses and write a letter to "Farmer Hank" for verification	All	1, 5	Writing
48. Air Quality	Study of air particulates in the Garden environment	4, HS	1, 3, 6
49. Shapes	Identify shapes in the everyday objects in the Garden	K, 1	1, 5	Math
50. How Much Water and Soil Is There?	Discover how limited our soil and water resources are by using an apple or water analogy	4 - 12	1, 3, 4	Math
51. Oh Coyote!	Examine changes in a species with changes in its habitat	4 - 12	1, 4