TRACKS!

About this Event

By using stamps and guided examples, participants will create their own take-home book of native animal tracks, building pages as they go and turning observation into hands-on discovery. This interactive session strengthens critical thinking, attention to detail, and a deeper understanding of the wildlife that shares our world.

TRACKS! is an immersive, hands-on learning experience from Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation, offered as part of May’s Inside the Wild program during Remake Learning Days. Designed for curious learners of all ages, TRACKS! invites participants to slow down, look closely, and discover the stories wildlife leaves behind, right beneath our feet.

Using animal track stamps, guided examples, and real-world context, participants will create their own personalized, take-home book of native animal tracks. As the session progresses, learners build their book page by page, transforming simple observations into a growing field guide they can continue to use long after the program ends. Each page focuses on a different native species, helping participants recognize track shapes, sizes, and patterns while learning how and why animals move through their environments the way they do.

TRACKS! goes beyond identification. Participants explore what tracks can tell us about animal behavior, habitat use, and survival strategies. Is the track wide or narrow? Paired or staggered? Leading toward water, shelter, or food? These questions encourage learners to think like wildlife biologists, using evidence and inference to understand the unseen lives of animals that share our communities. This process strengthens critical thinking, attention to detail, and pattern recognition; skills that are foundational across STEM disciplines.

The stamping-based format makes TRACKS! highly accessible and inclusive. Learners do not need prior wildlife knowledge or advanced reading skills to participate fully. Visual cues, tactile engagement, and step-by-step guidance ensure that every participant can succeed and feel confident in their discoveries. The creative aspect of designing each page also allows for self-expression, reinforcing that science and creativity go hand in hand.

Facilitated by experienced wildlife educators, the program connects track identification to real rehabilitation stories, helping participants understand how professionals use signs like tracks to locate animals in need, assess habitat quality, and reduce human–wildlife conflict. These real-world connections make learning meaningful and memorable, grounding abstract concepts in authentic experience.

By the end of TRACKS!, participants leave with more than a book, they leave with sharpened observation skills and a deeper appreciation for the wildlife living alongside them. The program empowers learners to notice what they may have previously overlooked and inspires continued exploration of nature in backyards, parks, schoolyards, and beyond. TRACKS! turns curiosity into discovery and transforms the ground beneath us into a living storybook of the natural world.