The Lawrence Hall of Science
The public science center of the University of California, Berkeley.
Wednesday - Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed December 24 & 25 Open New Year’s Day View Additional Hours >
We’ll bring our science programs to you.
We partner with school districts to support science learning. We offer district-wide elementary, middle, and high school programs, either virtually or in-person.
We collaborate with a range of partners to innovate in science education. Together, we go further.
View All >
Search
Self Guided Activities for nearly all ages!
Flipping Through Nature: Card Decks to Guide Outdoor Exploration (Flip Cards) are designed to be used by learners without the support of facilitation or interpretation by an educator. These activities invite learners to take an active role in their own outdoor explorations, support them in developing their own personal relationships with the outdoors, and encourage the development of skills that can be used across many outdoor settings. While field tested and designed for use in nature centers and other outdoor exploration settings, they are versatile—you decide if they are appropriate for you, your setting, and your learners!
Time spent closely observing and exploring something as common as leaves—and discovering how intriguing, complex, and beautiful they are—can lead learners to experience awe, which can promote happiness, physical health, generosity, humility, and critical thinking.
The following activities promote equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive learning experiences in several ways:
Guidance Document:
Flip Cards Background Information
If you have oak trees, you probably have acorns, which serve an important ecosystem role. This activity sparks learners’ curiosity through acorn mysteries.
Looking at flowers closely can be exceptionally cool! This activity guides learners through noticing the different colors, markings, shapes, smells, and phases of flowers.
This activity can inspire learners to notice leaves everywhere they go, and explore the eaten parts, veins, edges, and other markings that offer countless mysteries.
Often overlooked, lichen sparks people’s curiosity! In this activity learners find different shapes, colors, and kinds of lichen and learn how it grows.
Nature journaling supports observation, thinking, and learning. This activity walks learners through recording observations, questions, connections, and possible explanations for things found in nature.
This card deck walks learners through effectively using magnifiers, which can support learners to directly engage with nature, look closely, and discover new worlds.
This activity embraces technology by encouraging learners to use close-up photos and slow-motion videos to make observations that are easy to miss in real time.
Writing poetry helps us slow down and notice our surroundings. This activity guides learners in writing poems based on their observations, connections, and memories.
Questions? We’d love to speak to you.environmentallearning@berkeley.edu
Sign up to hear about events, camps, classes and more!