Looking for animal tracks is a great way to engage with nature and discover interesting facts about the animals that left them. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates all leave tracks behind that we can find and track. Be patient with yourself as you learn about tracking animals, it’s been said that learning to identify tracks is akin to learning a new language. Get started with these guides for some of our favorite animals.
Animal Tracks
The Nature School students played a game of tag inspired by “The Wild Robot.”![]()
![]()
Written by Peter Brown, "The Wild Robot" tells the story of a robot named Roz, who accidentally washes up on a remote island and must learn to survive in the wild by adapting to her surroundings and forming unlikely friendships with the island's animal inhabitants. ![]()
![]()
The Nature School students recently read the part of the story where Roz sees a badger pounce on an opossum. As a defense mechanism, the opossum enters a catatonic state and looks dead, discouraging the badger from attacking. ![]()
![]()
Inspired by this story, the Nature School students played a version of tag where they pretended to be a group of opossums being chased by a badger. Tagged opossums would “play dead,” while one ‘robot’ player could help them regain consciousness. The children took turns in the different roles but it was particularly fun when Ms. Ana became the badger and tagged nearly all the students! ![]()
![]()
Photos: Stephanie Briand, Aldo Leopold Nature Center![]()
![]()
#NatureSchool #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsForEveryone #EveryBodyOutside
