Bonus Quest-Did you see the Northern Lights?
Ther Auroras appear as colored lights in the night sky and are usually visible only in the far north or south of Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere the aurora is knowns as the northern lights.Auroras are caused by the sun when it sends out a stream of charged particles called the solar wind. The solar wind travels from the Sun toward the Earth very quickly.The Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field which forces the charged particles in the...
10/13/2024
October Quest-Fat Bear Week!
Weigh-in with fat bears and vote for your favorite one as Fat Bear Week returns! Choose the bear that you think has what it takes to survive the winter and experience the crowning of the champion on October 8th. Fat Bear Week started in 2014 as a way to celebrate Katmai’s bears and the ecosystem that allows them to thrive. Bears feast on a banquet of Alaska wild salmon in one of the greatest salmon run...
10/7/2024
September Quest-Keep a weather log!
With September here and summer almost over, the weather is starting to change. Are you noticing any changes in the temperature? How about when the sun rises and sets each day? For 5000 points in September, keep a weathe...
9/4/2024
August Quest-World Elephant Day!
First celebrated in 2012 and observed every August 12th since then, World Elephant Day is a day to celebrate these amazing animals. Both African and Asian elephants are endangered, and World Elephant Day is an amazing opportunity...
8/6/2024
July Quest-National Zookeeper Week
July 21-27th is National Zookeeper month! Our amazing keepers work tirelessly to care for our animals. This month let's show them how much all our Nature Swappers appreciate them...
7/2/2024
May Quest-At Home Quest- Endangered Species Day!
When you think of "endangered species", what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Is it a panda bear? A gorilla? There are some endangered animals that everyone knows about, but there are also some, like the American Bu...
5/15/2024
April Quest- Create a Mythical Creature!
To celebrate the opening of the Zoo's Dragons and Mythical Creatures Trail, for April let's create some mythical creatures of our own! Have you ever had your own idea for an animal? Or imagined an existing ani...
4/4/2024
March Quest-World Frog Day!
Wednesday, March 20th, is World Frog Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about frogs and other amphibians. There are over 7,000 species of frogs, and we...
3/4/2024
February At Home Quest-Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2nd is Groundhog Day! Traditionally, if Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog sees his shadow, he predicts we will have six more weeks of winter. Have you ever taken a good look at your shadow? How big is it? Does i...
1/31/2024
January At Home Quest-Winter Weather Tracking!
New England winter weather can be tricky! Some days it's sunny and warm, some days it snows, and some days it rains! For our quest this month, pick at least 3 days and record your weather observations. What are the high and ...
1/3/2024
December At Home Quest-Motus!
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international collaborative network of researchers that use automated radio telemetry to track hundreds of individuals of numerous species of birds, bats, and insects. The system enables a community of researchers, educators, organizations, and citizens to undertake impactful research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Roger Williams Park Zoo is proud to have installed a Motus tower in November!Click on the link below to go to the Motus Data Dashboard. Use your mouse to zoom in over Rhode Island. Ea...
12/3/2023
November At Home Quest-Faces in Nature!
Do you ever feel like you're being watched? This month we're challenging you to find faces in nature! Whether in it's a ...
11/1/2023
October At Home Quest-Fat Bear Week!
“From its humble beginnings as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014 to over 1 million votes cast last year in 2022, celebrating fat bears and Katmai's healthy ecosystem has since become a tradition!”Each winter, the bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska gorge themselves on salmon to prepare for entering their winter dens. While in their dens, bears will not eat or drink until they emerge in the spring. Since they lose up to 1/3 of their body weight during this time, it's important for them to put on as much weight as possible before w...
10/8/2023
September At Home Quest-Dark Skies!
According to the International Dark-Sky Association, light pollution is defined as, “any adverse or unintended effect of the use of artificial light at night, including sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility at night, and energy waste.” Light pollution has detrimental consequences on biodiversity and the environment, and also on people! Everyone enjoys seeing the stars, and light pollution often makes this difficult or impossible in densely pop...
8/30/2023
At Home Quest - August
At Home Quest-National Honeybee Day!National Honeybee Day is Saturday, August 19th! Do you know that without bees, we wouldn't have foods like apples, cherries, almonds, pumpkin and chocolate? For 5000 points in August, ...
8/3/2023
July Quest-Shark Appreciation Day!
July 14th is Shark Awareness Day! Sharks and their "cousins", skates and rays, are a huge and diverse group of more than 1000 different species. Although often misunderstood, sharks are fascinating animals with an important role to play in our ecosystem! To earn 5,000 points in July, find o...
7/2/2023
June Quest-Mini BioBlitz!
Have you heard of a "BioBlitz"? In a BioBlitz, volunteers working in teams have 24 hours to tally as many species of animals and plants as they can on a particular parcel of land. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey's official state BioBlitz is June 9th and 10th. This month, we are encouraging Nature Swappers to hold your own mini BioBlitz!For 5000 points this month, find an outdoor space, ...
6/5/2023
May Quest-April Showers Bring May Flowers (and Rainbows!)
Early spring can see a lot of rain. But after the rain comes the rainbow, and the flowers! To celebrate the arrival of spring, we'll be focusing on the colors of the season that "April Showers" can bring. Can...
5/3/2023
April Quest-Earth Day Bingo!
Earth Day is April 22nd! Earth Day is a day to show your support for conservation and environmental protection. The first Earth Day in 1970 is considered the start of the modern environmental movement...
4/11/2023
March Quest-World Wildlife Day!
March 3rd is World Wildlife Day. This is a United Nations International day that celebrates the world's wild animals and plants, as well as the contribution that they make to our lives and the planet. For 5000 points in March, document how you help wildlife. Do you put out birdfeeders? Recycle? Pick up trash in your neighborhood? All of these are ...
3/2/2023
February Quest-Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2nd is Groundhog Day! Tradition says if a groundhog sees its shadow on this day, we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Although groundhogs may not ...
2/1/2023
January Quest-Squirrel Appreciation Day!
January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Do you know there are at least 285 species of squirrel? Or that the oldest squirrel fossil dates back 35 million years? Show your love for o...
1/3/2023
December At Home Quest-Keep a Weather Log!
The Winter Solstice is on December 21st. On this day, the Earth's north pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun, and the northern hemisphere experiences its shortest amount of daylight. With winter on the way, you have probably noticed a change in the weat...
11/30/2022
November Quest-All About Turkeys!
November is all about Turkeys! Wild Turkeys are one of the most successful conservation stories in America. In the early 1900s, there were less than 200,000 left in the entire country. Today, thanks to conservation efforts, there are over 6 million! ...
10/31/2022
October Quest-Animals That Scare Us!
A lot of people have at least one animal that makes us nervous-and that's ok! But a lot of times, when we take a closer look at these animals, we find things that make them interesting and unique, and discover why they're important to our ecosystem. For 5,000 points t...
10/18/2022