Family Camping BASECAMP | LITTLE EXPLORERS | BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW | GET-AWAY | BUBBLE STREET


Take only pictures… and footprints.


PHOTO: MEGAN KOPP // INSET: A.KOPP [ little exPlorers ]


Keeping Track


MAKE YOUR OWN ANIMAL PRINT CASTING


BY MEGAN KOPP S


potting wildlife on a camping trip creates lasting memories for the whole family. Most


wildlife, however, is active at dawn and dusk or at night when we are tucked into our sleep- ing bags fast asleep. Although you may not see wildlife on your next camping trip, you can spot animals’ activity by searching for tracks in the soft mud or sand along riverbanks and trails. With a few simple materials, you can create an animal track casting—a unique and wild keepsake of your discoveries.


Materials n Animal tracks identification book n Plaster of Paris in a re-sealable bag n Large plastic pop bottle


n Scissors n Water n Stick n Plastic straw n String


Instructions


1. Search for animal and bird tracks in soft ground or mud. Use a track identification book to discover which animal left the imprint.


Crossword


ACROSS: 1. Animals, ____ and reptiles leave tracks.


4. A diagonal or left-right sequence track pattern.


7. Showshoe hares usually leave a ______ pattern.


9. A person who looks for tracks. 10. Path left by an animal. DOWN: 2. A great place to search for tracks. 3. Another word for animal droppings.


5. Line left in the mud by an animal’s trailing feet.


6. Footstep left by an animal.


8. The material used for making track castings.


26 SPRING 2010 4 7 10 9 1 2 3


2. Clean any loose leaves or twigs out of the track.


3. Cut the bottom off the plastic pop bottle to create a small bowl. Then, cut a ring of plastic, at least 10 cm wide, from the plastic bottle.


4. Place ring around the track, pushing lightly into the ground to create a seal. In the ring, press the straw vertically into the ground above the track.


5. Dump the plaster of Paris into the pop bottle bowl and add water, stirring with a stick


8 6 5


until it reaches a thick, smooth and creamy consistency like pancake batter.


6. Carefully pour the plaster in the ring over the track and let it dry for at least one hour.


7. Brush sand and dirt off the track casting. Cut the straw flush with the top of the track and thread a piece of string through the hole to hang it.


8. Paint it, collect more and tell a story about your animal track at the campfire.


ANSWERS Across: 1. birds, 4. alternating, 7. hopping, 9. tracker, 10. trail. Down: 2. riverbank, 3. scat, 5. dragline, 6. print, 8. plaster


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