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Citizen Science: BioBlitz!

man standing on open field under white sky
Photo by Janiere Fernandez on Pexels.com

We are big fans of citizen science! Of course, science is always cool, and STEM/STEAM projects are an increasing part of everyone’s work and school experiences. So understanding how science works is not just cool, not just fun, but a good way to understand what is going on in the world around us all.

So we are sharing some cool science you can do, contributing toward large projects, and learning new things. Maybe you can use this today; maybe you will save it for later. As long as you enjoy some exploration and learning new things – citizen science is for you!

This week we highlight a project called the BioBlitz Program, found on a National Geographic page.

“What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity. These events can happen in most any geography—urban, rural, or suburban—in areas as small as a backyard or as large as a country.

Smartphone technologies and apps such as iNaturalist make collecting photographs and biological information about living things easy as part of a BioBlitz. High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an open source database used by scientists and policy makers around the world. “

Plan a BioBlitz

Get inspired with these BioBlitz Guides and videos to create an event at a school, in a park, or anywhere. Use the planning sheet to organize your ideas. During the event, collect observation data using the iNaturalist app or on paper with these data sheets: BioBlitz Observation Guide, Species Identification Cards, or Data Chart.”

BioBlitz Activity Guides

Learn about BioBlitz activities you can implement in a shorter time frame, virtual or in-person, using apps, or no additional technology.

Schoolyard BioBlitz

What is a schoolyard BioBlitz, and how can you plan one for your school, class, or afterschool program? Hear from teachers, students, and volunteers on their experience of discovering biodiversity through a bioblitz organized in their suburban schoolyard.

Grades 3 – 12+

Subjects: Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Experiential Learning

Check out their video here! “What is a schoolyard bioblitz, and how can you plan one for your school, class, or afterschool program? Hear from teachers, students, and volunteers on their experience of discovering biodiversity through a bioblitz organized in their suburban schoolyard.”

What can you do to enhance learning with this program from your library? We have a few ideas!

  • Break out your books! Set up a display of animals and plants, with an emphasis on those in your area.
  • Let kids take videos of the natural world around the school, or their homes, then work to identify the images they find.
  • Pass out the colored pencils, markers, crayons, or other supplies and encourage everyone to draw some pictures of the animals they see outside.
  • Give everyone tools to write a story about an animal encounter – something real or something entirely made up (the time I met a unicorn while standing on a rainbow and we went on to fight crime, for example!).
  • Make a map of your school or library’s yard, or a nearby park. Break it up in to grids to get ready for this project. If you can go outside, give everyone their own grid(s) to record everything they see.