Application Questions:
Alex Hornstein, Wild Lives
Name of event. Make another post with another event name if you have another event.
Owl Prowl by Wild Lives
Email address by which you may be contacted.
What open science hardware tool(s) will be the focus of your event?
Phone microscopy/open flexure scopes, interdisciplinary curricula
Describe your course or workshop, whom and what it is for, where and when it will be held, how many attendees (IRL or virtual) you expect.
Owl prowls are weekly nature walks for children in our city exploring different facets of an interconnected ecosystem right outside our doors. We are offering them in partnership with our local library. The walks are free for all attendees, and the library is not compensating us for the time we put into the program. This will be a series of nine workshops that we’ll run each week in April and May. We expect between 10-20 children to attend each workshop, along with their parents/caregivers.
The theme for each week will be different — we’ll be hosting the walks during peak Springtime activity in a local cemetery, and there will be an incredible amount of natural activity going on during that time. We have a team of six teachers, and each of us will be leading walks on different weeks.
As an example, one week will focus on watching the five nests of owls that we’ve found in the cemetery, and watching the hatchlings begin to leave the nest, climb through the branches of the tree, and perch, all under the watchful eyes of its parents. We’ll watch through a telephoto lens, at a distance that will not disturb the animals.
Another week will be focused on building ultra-low-cost microscopes with families, using parents’ cell phones, the lens from a $1 laser pointer, a bobby pin, and a bit of tape, and then putting these DIY microscopes in the hands of children to take macro photos and video of the small things they find in the natural world.
Another will be focused on illustrating the things we find in the natural world.
All classes will be held outdoors, rain or shine.
Do you have plans for ongoing activities after this event OR is it intended that the participants will continue activities after this event? If so, describe the intentions and plans here.