Desert Detectives
Welcome to Camp Cooper Online!
We are so excited you are here.
These activities were put together by our Camp Cooper team and designed to work for a wide range of ages. If an activity doesn't feel quite right for you, don't worry, keep scrolling down to find something you like!
How Plants Adapt To A Desert Environment
Surviving the desert requires each of us to make adaptations. What is an adaptation? It's how we adjust how we live to survive in our environment. When summer arrives in Tucson, people will change the kind of clothes they wear, drink more water, go for a swim, or look for shade. Plants make changes too - some shed their leaves, some store water, others hide out until water arrives. Come along with Butterfly as she shows us all kinds of desert plants and how they adapt to survive in the desert.
Okay! Let's do two activities!
See if you can locate plants in your yard and what adaptations they have made to survive in their environment.
Part 1. Find Plant Adaptations
Venture out to your yard, or in your neighborhood (with an adult of course) and check off all the plant adaptations you can find.
Part 2. Invent A Desert Plant
Draw (and color!) your own imaginary plant, one well adapted to the desert, using evidence you found in Step 1.
Animal Evidence Reveals Our Hidden Neighbors
Animal evidence is all around us. This video will show you animal evidence that may often go overlooked - evidence you can find in your backyard, in the alley behind your house, at a park, or on a walk around your neighborhood. Join Butterfly as we uncover evidence of all kinds of Sonoran Desert animals, then continue to the next activity!
Let's go find some animal evidence!
Animal Evidence All Around Us
If you look, you can find evidence of animal life just outside your door.
Common Sonoran Neighbors
Pack Rats and Coyotes are very common in the Sonoran Desert. Cooper educator Quail gives us more info in his series: Animal Spotlight. Can you find evidence of these neighbors around your home?
Stay tuned!
Your next activities will land in your email inbox next Monday - if you're signed up for Camp Cooper Online.