The great grizzly bear is a magnificent and strong creature; huge paws, sharp claws, and pointy teeth. Despite their strength, and lack of predators, grizzly bears are still under threat all across North America due to habitat loss, poaching and climate change. Grizzly bears require a large habitat range to roam, which is why they feel the effects of a disappearing habitat owing to human development. In order to help out our grizzly bear buddies, it’s important to learn about them and the issues they face. Try to solve this grid of grizzly vocab to learn a little bit about these special bears.

Answer Key

If you want to take action to protect these magnificent creatures, adopt your very own grizzly bear today! By purchasing a grizzly bear plush adoption kit, you help Earth Rangers, The Youssef-Warren Foundation (TYWF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) support a team of biologists studying grizzly bears in the Yukon, assessing important factors such as grizzly bear population size, habitat use and distribution. This significant research will then help define what the next conservation steps should be to help increase grizzly bears’ protection.

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Create a meadow oasis in your backyard with these homemade wildflower seed bombs!  As Earth Rangers, we know how important our native wildflower population is for our pollinator friends’ health.  The relationship between plants and pollinators is completely codependent – one cannot survive without the other!  Not to mention, us humans depend heavily on the work of pollinators for our own food sources as well. 

For today’s eco-activity, create these seed bombs to help disperse native plants, and reinforce your local pollinator population!

Steps if using clay powder:

1. Mix together 1 cup of seeds with 5 cups of compost, and 2-3 cups of clay powder.

2. Slowly mix in water with your hands until the mixture can be easily molded.

3. Roll the mixture into firm balls.

4. Allow the seed bombs to dry in the sun.

5. Plant seed bombs by throwing them onto bare spots of the garden – have some fun!

6. Wait to see what pops up from the soil where you threw in your seed bombs!

Steps if using recycled paper:

1. Shred your recycled paper into small pieces either by hand, or using a paper shredder machine.

2. Allow your paper scraps to soak in water while you work to soften them.

3. Place the torn and soaked paper bits into a blender, about 1/3 of the way full, and then fill the rest of the blender with water.

Note: You may have to adjust the ratio depending on the size of your blender.

4. Blend the paper until a mushy pulp forms.

5. Strain the paper pulp over a bowl to drain some of the water.

6. Place the paper pulp in a separate bowl.

7. Add your wildflower seeds to the bowl and mix them in by hand.

8. Roll the mixture into spheres and place aside to dry in the sun.

9. Plant seed bombs by throwing them onto bare spots of the garden – have some fun!

10. Wait to see what pops up from the soil where you threw in your seed bombs

Notes:

• Make sure to only use native wildflower species. Invasive species can cause large environmental problems, and can wreak havoc on the local ecosystem.
• Be sure not to throw your seed bombs on private property or in someone’s personal garden without permission.

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Trees are simply magnificent and carry a lot of wisdom within their layers of wood. If you think about it, many old trees have lived through very significant events and phenomena that have been experienced on Earth. Trees in many cases outlive people, remaining firmly rooted in place for long periods of time; sometimes even centuries. The oldest known tree is over 5,000 years old! This tree is a bristlecone pine living in the White Mountains of California, in the United States. This tree is truly spectacular, and even has a name – Methuselah!

For today’s eco-activity, learn how you can identify a tree’s age! Check out these three tips for cracking the code.

1) Count the rings

Can you see the top of the stump, or if you find a spot where the branch has been sawed off? If so, look closely and start counting! As trees grow, they add a new layer of wood below the bark (normally a new ring will be added each year of a tree’s life). Each layer (known as a ring) may come in a different width. Several factors such as access to nutrients, water, attacks from insects and fungi, and damage from fire can affect how much a tree grows each year. How many tree rings do you see?

2) Measure the circumference

You can also measure the circumference (the distance around the outside of a circle) of the tree to estimate its age! With a rope, wrap it around the trunk of the tree. Mark off the spot where the rope encircles the tree; measure it beside a ruler or measuring tape. As an approximation, a tree grows about 2.5cm a year, so you can make your guess from there!

3) Count the whorls 

A whorl is a cluster of branches that arrange themselves in a circular fashion, often wrapping around the stem of a tree or plant. Many species, like pines, spruces and firs, will grow a whorl of branches annually. If you count the number of whorls of branches, you should be able to guess how old the tree is! Check out the photo and diagram below for help.

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

American Badgers are elusive members of the weasel family. You will mostly find them in open grasslands and scrublands all across North America. These four-legged creatures use their sharp claws to dig burrows and find food underground! Unfortunately, habitat loss is threatening American Badgers in British Columbia and Ontario.

For today’s eco-activity, show off your love for our awesome furry friends by making your very own badger mask! Most badgers live with other badgers, so why not invite your friends to make these fantastic badger masks with you?!

Want to do more to help American Badgers? Earth Rangers is working with the Nature Conservancy Canada to restore the Kootenay River Ranch in order to bring back some of the badger’s habitat! This careful land management will give the American Badger a safe space to call home for years to come! Support NCC’s restoration work by adopting an American badger today. 

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!