Join us for NatureWebs!

Free Science & Nature Webinars from the Montana Natural History Center

MNHC staff are working hard to provide you with new content that’s accessible online. While we are offering these great resources free of charge, we ask you to consider a small donation to help keep our operations going during these times. You can DONATE HERE. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Our last webinar for the season aired July 7th, 2020. See below for recordings of all our NatureWebs!

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We will make all NatureWebs recordings available after their airing. You can find our NatureWebs library on YouTube here. The individual recordings are also linked below.

CHECK OUT OUR PAST WEBINARS:

NatureWebs #1: Winging It: A Biomimicry Adventure

Does the length of a bird wing change how it flies? Do all birds fly the same way? How can we explore these questions using only paper? We will look at all of this and more using bird wings and the wonder of flight as our inspiration.

This webinar will last approximately 30 minutes and will then lead you and your test pilot(s) to an instructional video that teaches you how to build your own glider.

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here:

Supplies needed:

  • 3 pieces of 8.5 x 11 copy paper (recycled paper is fine!)
  • 1 piece of scratch paper
  • Pencil
  • Glue stick (works better than liquid glue)
  • Scissors
  • Paper clip

After watching the webinar, head over to our “Let’s Build a Glider” video for a short tutorial.

NatureWebs #2: Batty for Bats!

Explore the wonderful world of bats! You’ll learn about what bats are and what makes them unique, discover some of the coolest bat species, and leave feeling batty for bats!

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here:

NatureWebs #3: Fly Like a Goose and Build Like a Bee! Explore Nature Through Biomimicry!

How can we use nature to solve human problems? Inspiration from nature has led to many inventions to make our lives easier. We’ll dive into the science of biomimicry, explore examples of inventions humans have learned from nature, and engage in an engineering project to build a better marker box based on shapes found in nature.

This webinar is best for kids in grades 1-3 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here:

Supplies needed:

NatureWebs #4: Making Mountains: Adventures in Topography Part 1

How can we represent a three-dimensional landform on a two-dimensional piece of paper? How do map makers show elevation? Are all maps the same? Let’s take a look at all of these questions and more by making a mountain and then making a map!

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here:

Supplies needed:

  • Playdough or clay
  • Floss or thread
  • Ruler with centimeters
  • Pencil
  • Paper

Watch our step-by-step “Making Topography” video for how to build your mountain.

 

 

 

NatureWebs #5: Map It!: Adventures in Topography Part 2

Pull out a map and join us as we adventure deeper into topography! What do maps tell us, and how can we use them to get a picture of the landscape? Join us for a fun hands-on map reading activity and see what you can learn from topo maps—you might even discover a great place for your next outdoor adventure! (Note: this is part 2 of our 2-part Adventures in Topography series. You do not have to have watched part 1 first, but it’s highly recommended!)

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here:

Supplies needed:

  • Colored pencils, crayons, or markers in at least green, red, yellow, and blue
  • Any topographic map! It can be:

NatureWebs #6: Backyard Bird Challenge

Your backyard bird challenge starts the moment you step outside! Find out how to identify and record common Montana birds you might encounter in your backyard or neighborhood. We will practice our naturalist powers of observation to notice and describe field marks and flight patterns. Learn to see the important details through a bird sketching exercise you can do solo or as a pair. Every day can be a treasure hunt when you are birding!

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils

NatureWebs #7: Seed Engineering

Why do plants put seeds inside fruits, or attach things to them? We’ll talk about these questions and more before helping you plan through your own engineering process to develop a seed that can meet its own unique challenges!

This webinar is best for kids in grades 3-6 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Paper
  • Pencil

NatureWebs #8: Seeds, Part 2: Sprout Your Own!

Last week, we learned all about seeds and how they move. This week, we’ll take our NatureWebs investigation one step further. If you’ve ever watched a tiny seed sprout into a big, living plant, it might have seemed like magic. But it’s not magic–there are lots of very cool natural processes going on. Join us as we discover how a seed becomes a plant, and then practice sprouting a seed of your very own!

This webinar is best for kids in grades 3-5 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Small container (paper cup, egg carton, toilet paper or paper towel tube cut into shorter length, plant pot, etc.)
  • Drainage dish (plate, foil pie pan, plant saucer, etc.)
  • Soil
  • Seed(s) – any kind!
  • Pencil
  • (Optional) Sprout Your Own Seed Worksheet (for tracking your seed’s growth)

NatureWebs #9: Blooms and Their Besties

There are flowers blooming all over the place right now, in all sorts of colors, shapes, sizes, and arrangements! Have you ever wondered why there are so many different types of flowers? We’ll explore the purpose of flowers and why so many different types of flowers exist. Here’s a hint: it is all about their relationships with other organisms.

This webinar is best for kids in grades 3-5 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils

NatureWebs #10: Listen Up: How Do Animals Communicate?

How do animals use vibrations? How many ways do animals communicate? Let’s take a listen to all of this and more. We will take a look at the science of sound and how different animals use different types of sound to communicate. We will also explore our own relationship with sound as humans by making our very own sound maps.

This webinar is best for kids in grades 3-5 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Paper (or nature journal)
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils

NatureWebs #11: Museum Mysteries: A Bison's Tale

Have you ever wondered where a museum gets its specimens and objects? Did you know that there are mysteries in museums waiting to be solved? The mysteries and stories in museums help connect us to each other and the world around us, but many of us have not been able to visit any in a while. So, join us as we host this NatureWeb from the Montana Natural History Center. We’ll travel back in time to uncover the story of two larger-than-life zoological specimens and the people who helped them along the way!

This webinar is best for kids in grades 3-5 (but still fun for other ages, too!).

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: 

Supplies needed:

  • Paper (or nature journal)
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils

NatureWebs #12: Super Spider Edition with Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium

Join us for this eight-legged edition of NatureWebs! Our friends at the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium will cover everything from spider anatomy and feeding habits to how they grow and defend themselves. We’ll meet a wide range of spiders and dispel old and inaccurate spider myths. We’ll even feed Rosie the tarantula to help us better understand the unique way that spiders catch and digest their food.

Watch the recording of our Zoom webinar here: