Without our pollinator pals we wouldn’t have the delicious fruits and vegetables to eat, beautiful flowers, and many other important plants that support a variety of ecosystems. Pollinators play an important role around the world, but unfortunately they face many challenges due to habitat loss and climate change. For today’s eco-activity, test your knowledge on pollinators and pollinator habitats with the pollinator puzzle below! Can you find all the right pollinators and habitats below and match them to the clues we’ve provided?
Down:
1. A flower oasis! This type of habitat starts with the letter ‘M’.
2. A fluttery pollinator that flits and floats.
3. I’m a small pollinator that has two very fast beating wings, a beak and bright feathers. What am I?!
4. A powdery, yellow substance that sometimes makes people sneeze!
6. A sugar-rich liquid produced by plants that pollinators like to sip!
Across:
5. A sweet, sticky substance produced by bees in the process of pollination.
7. The way us pollinators get around from flower to flower.
8. I’m the colourful part of the flower that draws in all of my pollinator pals.
9. I’m black and yellow, with stripes! What am I?!
10. The opposite of a “tame” flower.
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Summer is here, and that means all of the delicious, bright coloured fruits and veggies are also popping out of the soil too!
In most areas of Canada, summer doesn’t last too long, making this season and all of the beautiful produce we grow during these warm months all the more precious. For today’s eco-activity we suggest heading out to a local fruit or vegetable farm to go pick your own produce for some summer fun! Whether you’re picking strawberries, cherries, peaches or melons, you will surely enjoy your haul of local goods!
How to get started on your harvest adventures:
With a parent or guardian, find a local farm that allows you to pick your own produce! Certain farms might specialize in specific produce, so make sure to pick your favourite.
If possible, bring reusable produce bags, carrying bags, and repurposed baskets – often the farm will provide baskets or bags to place your freshly picked fruit inside, but going with a reusable or repurposed option is an excellent idea to reduce waste!
Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring a hat to protect yourself from the strong summer sun.
Be inquisitive! Consider asking the farmer or employees some questions about the farm and the harvest. Here are some questions below that you can ask yourself while picking your favourite produce:
What other plants, insects, or animals are nearby, what are they doing?
What does the field or orchard look like?
How long does the crop take to grow?
Do these specific crops grow better together?
Take home your well-earned bounty to enjoy!
Eat your produce fresh and raw, or try a new recipe to transform your summer goodies into a lovely dessert, jam, or preservative!
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!
Not only are we (hopefully!) going to break an awesome record, but we will be using the paper snowflakes to share your messages of hope, concern, and bright ideas for the future of our planet. As Earth Rangers, we know climate change is a big problem for our planet – but we also know that when we work together, we can make a huge impact. For today’s eco-activity, it’s time to get your snowflake on! Here’s how to participate:
Not only are we (hopefully!) going to break an awesome record, but we will be using the paper snowflakes to share your messages of hope, concern, and bright ideas for the future of our planet. As Earth Rangers, we know climate change is a big problem for our planet – but we also know that when we work together, we can make a huge impact. For today’s eco-activity, it’s time to get your snowflake on! Here’s how to participate:
Here’s what you need:
Paper – either use scrap paper for an eco friendly alternative or download and print off the template we have created here
Scissors
Writing utensils
Decorations (optional)
Follow these simple steps below to create your snowflake – even if you’re using a piece of scrap paper, you can pull up the template online to use as a reference and follow the instructions.
Start with a symmetrical square piece of paper
Fold your snowflake according to the directions on the template
Cut out your snowflake
Write your message on your snowflake – you can come up with your own idea or complete the prompts on the template if you need inspiration
If desired, add decorations
Send your snowflake to Earth Rangers Headquarters (9520 Pine Valley Dr, Woodbridge, ON L4H 4Z2) in the mail with “Attn: Snowflake Challenge” on the envelope so that we can put it towards our record-breaking attempt!
If you decide to create your own snowflake on scrap paper, please make sure your snowflakes:
are symmetrical
have 6 sides by folding it accordingly
exceed 10 cm (3.94 in) in height and width
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!
In Canada, we’re extremely lucky to have a country full of bustling streams, glassy lakes and swelling ocean coastlines. To be exact, approximately 12% of Canada’s surface is covered in water! One of the largest problems our shorelines face is, you guessed it, pollution! Ever wonder what exactly ends up in our waterways? Well, it turns out that most of the litter found along shorelines and in bodies of water comes from activities that occur on land. For today’s eco-activity, we want you to discover the most common pollutants affecting your nearby shoreline. Head out to a local shoreline with a parent or guardian to do your own garbage clean up (don’t forget to bring gloves, a bag to stash the litter, and good shoes for walking!), and use the tally chart below to conduct your own shoreline waste audit!
At the end of your litter pick up, talley up the total number of pollutants you were able to collect. What is the most common piece of litter? Do you know where in your community it is coming from? Can you personally avoid using that item? Is there a way we can prevent the item from getting into our aquatic habitats?
Considering it is Plastic Free July (the best month of the year!!), if you want to reduce your own plastic waste, now is the time to start! Download the Earth Rangers App to learn more about shorelines and how to hold your own shoreline cleanup by accepting the Shoreline Saver Mission!
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!
At Earth Rangers, we’re putting our Ears On to talk about climate change and how it affects animals that we love. Findings from our new eco-anxiety research show some level of concern for the environment can be healthy when it leads to eco-action. So for today’s activity, we want you to learn more about lynxes (one of the animals most threatened by habitat loss and climate change) and ways that you can help protect them. Test your knowledge with this quiz about the lively lynx, Canada’s most elusive cat! The lynx is quite the incredible creature, and there is much to be learned about this Canadian species. Let the quiz begin!
If you want to learn more about the Canadian lynx, and take action to protect our feline friends, check out the Got Your Ears On? campaign! Not only will you find a downloadable set of your very own lynx ears to wear whenever you want to start a conversation about climate change, but you can see what other suggested activities and missions you can complete to help protect lynx, their climate and habitat!
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!
The mighty migration that hundreds of bird species pull off every year is no simple feat. In some cases migration requires flying thousands of kilometres to reach another location in order to wait out the harsh winter months. Essentially, when the conditions of a habitat are no longer ideal for feeding, breeding and raising their young, it is time for birds to get on the move.
Photo: Pixabay
There are about 4,000 species of birds that migrate – that makes up 40% of the total number of birds in the entire world! Because of this, there are many, many different migration patterns that exist depending on the species of bird and their starting location. Most migrations travel from northern areas to southern areas, where birds will find warmer wintering grounds. Owing to the sheer difficulty of making this journey, over time birds have developed the perfect morphology and physiology to help them. Birds require certain features that help them fly fast (such as a lightweight skeleton) and fly for long periods of time (like a very high stamina).
Impressively, the red knot migrates farther distances than any other species of bird. The red knot breeds in Siberia, and winters on the west coast of Africa – that means red knots must travel approximately 16,000 kilometres, not once, but TWICE a year! How miraculous!
But how do birds know where to
fly?! Good question! Bird migration is still not even fully
understood, but there are some theories!
For instance, it’s thought that during the day, birds are able to guide
themselves based on the position of the sun, and at night they follow the
stars. Additionally, some species of
birds may be able to detect polarized light and the geomagnetic field – now
that’s complicated stuff!
Photo: Matt Bango
Unfortunately there are many obstacles that birds must overcome to make their great migration; if migrating wasn’t hard enough already, humans have only made it harder! Large cities full of tall skyscrapers often pose a major issue for our bird pals. Not only do their bright lights cause confusion and disorient birds along their route at night, but many birds crash into windows or try to fly against them until they fall from exhaustion. Urban development is one of the main reasons some bird species, such as the red-eyed vireo, ovenbird and the Swainson’s thrush, are facing population decline.
Want to help out our bird buds?! Check out the For the Birds Mission on the Earth Rangers App to learn more about what you can do to help out your local bird population.
Summer might be in full swing, but we’ve got a different holiday on the brain here at Earth Rangers. Our friends at FPAC (The Forest Products Association of Canada) want your help: they’re working on designing this year’s holiday card, and they want to feature YOU front and centre! Simply create a piece of art that captures the beauty of trees and forests, then submit it to win one of THREE swag bags full of goodies, plus a chance to have your artwork featured on their Christmas card!
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Your artwork can be a painting, drawing, or you can get creative and design something using found forest materials – the sky is the limit!
2. The more creative the submission, the better! Take a walk through your fave forest and keep your eyes peeled for some inspiration, or think back to a time when you were awed by an outstanding tree – can you recreate this moment on paper?
3. Your submission doesn’t have to be festive, but if you feel like getting into the holiday spirit, bring it on!
Hurry: the contest closes on August 8, so be sure to submit your entry soon! Good luck, forest fans!
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!
In the Jungles of Sri Lanka Emma finds herself in a desperate situation that could end her quest to find missing conservationist Adelia Goodwin. But luckily a new friend emerges to help her out so that her journey can continue! Following clues from the Adelia’s journal, Emma makes her way to Yala National Park in search of a “…mammal that walks at night and lives alone. Its name might make someone think it’s very slow but it can be quite ferocious…”
Click the play button on the player below to listen to today’s episode!
Take a look at this page from Adelia’s Secret Journal!
So the creature Emma was looking for was a Sloth Bear! One mystery solved…but what could onwards and upwards to the world’s highest point mean? Where do you think Adelia went next?
Stay tuned for more episodes to find out what happens next!
Emma may just have embarked on an epic quest, but our junior wildlife reporters contest is still going on!
Wow! Thank you to our Junior Wildlife Reporter Eloise (and special guest Colin) for all the awesome facts about woodpeckers! Were you able to guess which animal made that sound?
If you’ve ever wanted to be a podcast correspondent like Eloise, here is your chance. You can create your very own animal report! It could be about your all-time favourite animal (like this report about woodpeckers), with some cool wacky facts that nobody knows about them! Or it can be about some rare animals that most people would never have even heard about. Or cool conservation projects that happen in your neighbourhood. You can even make your own quizzes, riddles and games. It is 100% your segment, but we will help you out a bit by adding cool sound effects! Ready? Click on the ‘Leave us a message’ button below!
The significance of shorelines
cannot be stressed enough! That’s why as Earth Rangers, you must lead the way
and help us take care of our very own shorelines right here in Canada. We have the pleasure of enjoying our lakes,
streams, rivers and oceans, which makes it all the more important to give back
to the Earth and clean up our act when it comes to shoreline pollution. Although the task of keeping all of Canada’s
many shorelines clean may seem daunting, anything is possible when we band
together to make a change!
Photo: Terry Ott
Canada is covered by a lot of water,
12% to be exact! We also have the most
lakes in the world, with a whopping 563 lakes!
There’s so much beauty surrounding our waters, but there is one big
problem: plastic pollution. Despite the
efforts of many amazing organizations and volunteers aiming to clean up our
shorelines, plastic pollution is still a major issue and has many detrimental
effects on our aquatic environments. But
where does all this plastic come from?
Well, according to data collected from the Great Canadian Shoreline
Cleanup, in 2012 about 91% of the litter removed from shorelines was a result
of land-based activities! This means
plastic being used on land escapes, is forgotten about or is intentionally littered
and then makes its way into our water systems.
The most common items found on our shorelines in 2020 included cigarette
butts, tiny plastic or foam, food wrappers, paper, bottle caps, beverage cans,
plastic bottles and plastic bags – in order of rank!
In order to secure a healthy future for our waterways we need to take action! Here are some things that we can do:
1)Reduce our plastic usage. Like any problem, to defeat it, we must go straight to the root of the issue. This means we must eliminate as many single-use plastics as possible from our daily routines. Less plastic usage in the first place automatically reduces the amount of plastic that ends up on our shores and in our water!
2) Hold shoreline cleanups. Whether you go out by yourself, with family or friends, or join a larger-scale organized cleanup, every piece of litter you pick up makes a difference. Think what would happen if everyone picked up just a few pieces of litter every time they were out!
3) Learn more about the issue. In order to make a difference, we need to understand the problem, why it’s happening and then use our knowledge to work towards a solution. Read articles and books, listen to podcasts and speakers or watch documentaries on the subject.
4) Raise awareness. Spread the word (and the facts!) about the plastic pollution crisis by talking to friends, family members and strangers alike.
5)Support organizations with the same goals. Whether you donate to a charity that conducts shoreline cleanups, volunteer with them or help spread their message, all helps to tackle this plastic problem!
Want to take direct action to
protect your local shorelines? Accept
the Shoreline Saver Mission on the Earth Rangers App to make a difference for
the aquatic environment that surrounds us!
Summer is in full force, so why not enjoy the nice weather and time outside by taking part in Earth Rangers’ eco-activities and Missions! Not only will you have a blast, but by taking part in Eco-Activities this summer you’ll have the chance to win one of three Super Summer Swag Bags!
Super Summer Swag Bags sound AWESOME – what are they?
A super summer swag bag is an Earth Rangers bag packed full with amazing Earth Rangers Swag including items like shirts, water bottles, and lunchboxes!
How do I win a Super Summer Swag Bag?
It’s simple! All you need to do is follow the steps below:
Share your photo of your activity and tag #EcoSummer21 and @EarthRangers OR share any of our eco-activities (don’t forget to tag us!)
Be entered to win one of three AMAZING prize-packs. We’ll be selecting one winner from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Contest Rules
Entries must be submitted before August 31st at 12:00p.m.
Limit of 3 entries per person on each platform
All entries must either tag us or use the hashtag #EcoSummer21
Our three lucky winners will be announced on September 1st, 2021.
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!
