The Robert and Elizabeth Karplus Outdoor Nature Lab

Exhibit

Explore nature and connect with the various organisms that call our backyard "home," in this outdoor experience at The Lawrence.

Follow Your Curiosity

Follow wherever your curiosity takes you and get hands-on with the local flora and fauna. From birding with binoculars to observing the bees and other pollinators, you will learn about skills and tools that can help you observe nature anywhere there is a patch of green.

Activities

A young visitor examines a flower up close with a hand lens

Flipping Through Nature

Follow your curiosity and explore the natural world at your own pace using our brand-new Flipping Through Nature activity decks in English or Spanish!  Grab a card deck and take your friends and family on a lark or an expedition; it’s all up to you. Explore flowers and leaves, write nature poetry, and more. Check out the activity card decks online!

A group of young people are observing nature using binoculars in the Outdoor Nature Lab

Birding Scavenger Hunt

Our fan-favorite Birding Scavenger Hunt is back and better than ever! Grab a scavenger hunt guide and put your bird-spotting skills to the test as you search for different birds hidden around our habitat. Learn about the feathered friends that call the Outdoor Nature Lab home!

Sensory Discovery Hunt

Let your senses be your guide as you discover the wonders of nature! Smell the difference between a lavender leaf and a sage leaf, feel a slimy slug or the hard exoskeleton of a roly-poly, listen for the call of a red-tailed hawk, and see the colors of the rainbow in flowers all around the Outdoor Nature Lab.

A child examines flowers using a yellow magnifying glass in the Outdoor Nature Lab.

Bug Exploration

Discover the tiny denizens of the Outdoor Nature Lab! Grab a bug cup and one of our Bug ID Guides and search for bug sites throughout our backyard to learn about our insect friends. Search for roly-polies, butterflies, and more under logs and perched on native plants.

Local Fauna

The Outdoor Nature Lab is a living ecosystem home to native plants and animals. Here are a few animals you might spot when exploring our backyard!

Anna's hummingbird

Anna’s hummingbird
(photo credit: Berkeley student Cleo Lu)

Western fence lizard

Western fence lizard

Acorn woodpecker

Acorn woodpecker
(photo credit: Berkeley student Cleo Lu)

Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterfly

Coming Soon

Ohlone Language & Traditions

As part of the ‘ottoy initiative, new signage will soon be added to the Outdoor Nature Lab in the native Ohlone language Chochenyo, the first language spoken in the East Bay. Visitors will be greeted by a land acknowledgment in Chochenyo. Additional new signage will share the Chochenyo words and traditional uses for various native plants in our pollinator garden.

Who are Robert and Elizabeth Karplus?

The Outdoor Nature Lab is named in honor of Robert & Elizabeth Karplus. Learn more about their legacy and connection to UC Berkeley and The Lawrence Hall of Science.

Sunprint
Sundays

Sundays, 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Through August 13

Join us each Sunday this summer to create art using the power of the sun! Harness the power of UV light to create a collectible image that you can take home and share with family and friends.  Kits are also available to purchase in our Discovery Store during normal business hours, as well as our online store.

Plan Your Visit

Admission

General

Age 3+: $20

Kids under 2: FREE

Members: FREE

Learn More >

3D Theater

$5 + Admission

Planetarium

$5 + Admission

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