Bell Museum/SMINC Mash-Up
Join us at the Sally Mazara Interpretive Nature Center on Saturday, April 25th, anytime between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a Nature Center/Bell Museum MASH-UP! Bell Museum volunteers will be on site to assist visitors with nature-based, science activities. From “Garden & Greens” to “All About Astronomy” there’s plenty to explore and learn in each mini-program. This event is free, though freewill donations are greatly appreciated.
We are also partnering with the University of Minnesota Master Naturalist’s for the international City Nature Challenge (CNC) with a live bioblitz in Sunfish Lake Park. A bioblitz is typically a biological survey of a specific area in a set time frame. Sunfish Lake Park is one of those areas to be included in a 4-day race. There will be Master Naturalists on hand to explain the challenge and get you started using the iNaturalist App
Here is a little info about what you can expect from each station at the event:
Bell Museum Basics
Engineer a Bird Beak – Design your own bird’s beak and explore how different shapes have evolved to eat different foods.
Mini BioBlitz – Practice evaluating the biodiversity of an area and then put it into action with the City Nature Challenge by iNaturalist
City Nature Challenge – Participate in an a live bioblitz of Sunfish Lake Park through iNaturalist. People from the Minnesota master naturalist program will direct participants on what to do.
Garden & Greens
Germination Station – Explore different types of seeds and build a germination kit to bring home.
Soil Cores – Observe natural soil layerings, which can affect how the land looks and what will grow on it.
All About Astronomy
Aurora Art – Examine and harness the beauty of night sky Auroras so you can create your own.
Rocket Engineers – Learn about what it takes design a rocket that flies. Design and if needed, improve your own rocket for launch.
H2-Woah!
Cloud Exploration – Learn all about cloud formation and different cloud types. Then, create your cloud and a pop-up cloud booklet.
Water Filtering – Experiment with different materials to see how to filter dirty water till it’s clean.
