Each school or group may enter one team in the 3rd - 4th grade division and one in the 5th - 6th grade division. Teams are made up of a coach and 3-10 children. The coach chooses a semi-final event and registers their team(s). The coach and other parents or friends work with the team at least an hour a week until their event.
At the Nature Bowl semi-finals event, up to nine teams are brought together for a fantastic day in the outdoors. Teams will participate in the following challenges: Team Problems; Speedy Ringers; Nature Relay; Enviromercial; and Outdoor Investigations.
The emphasis is on learning and teamwork rather than winning, and at the end, each team is recognized for the skills and qualities they demonstrated in their tasks. The top-scoring team in each division moves on to the Finals event. Often wildcard teams also participate in the Finals.
The goal of Nature Bowl is to help children explore, value, and understand their local environments. All problems and challenges are based on the natural environments in this region, from the Sierra to the Delta–and everywhere in between.
Whether you are a seasoned coach, or new to Nature Bowl, your very first step will be to review the 2026 Coaches Workshop (Video) and the Coaches Orientation Packet (PDF). There, you will learn about the activities and the site where your experience will take place. The Nature Bowl coordinator will explain what to expect from this year's events and will provide you with an updated Coaches packet, glossary, and other materials to share with your students. Seasoned coaches will also have ideas and suggestions to help you succeed.
Once you know you want to participate in Nature Bowl, you can register your 2026 team using the Coach Registration Form. Registration for 2026 closed on February 15th, 2026.
Next, you’ll need to put together your team and confirm with your school district that they can be released for this whole day educational event. You’ll want to teach your team the glossary words and if possible, visit a wild place or two. Teams will need to meet for a minimum of one hour per week to be successful. More details on how to prepare can be found in below sections of this FAQ.
Coaches who want to learn more about CA's nature are encouraged to attend the virtual California Natural History class for Coaches. The class explores the biotic zones and biodiversity that makes California one of a kind, while focusing on our region’s specific ecology.
Coaches may want to purchase the book The Outdoor World of the Sacramento Region, available at local retailers or online. Another good place to start is the California Education and the Environment Initiative website. Click on the “Curriculum” tab and scroll down to access curriculum, workbooks, flash cards, pictures, posters and more. Additional resources (PDF) are also provided.
How each team prepares is up to them! For teachers who are new to Nature Bowl, we suggest the following general timeline for preparing your team:
November-December (optional): Start introducing some general nature knowledge with your students. You could take field trips, go on nature walks, start nature journals or watch relevant videos in class to spark their interest. Take this time to get your students comfortable with the outdoors and familiar with the concepts found in the Nature Bowl Glossary. Remember - the goal is to inspire students to learn about nature!
Around this time, you can also start talking to students about forming your team. You can begin introducing these concepts to a wider class, and form a lunchtime or afterschool club with students who want to keep learning more. As a reminder, each school can send one team of 3rd/4th grade students and one team of 5th/6th grade students.
New coaches are invited to join the Nature Bowl Info Session to learn more before committing to this year’s events. If you miss the Info Session, reach out to our team for a recording.;
January : Teachers/coaches should join the virtual Coaches Workshop in January to learn more about the specifics of this year's Nature Bowl, such as the themes for each activity and how each activity is generally run. Teachers can also join the optional CA Natural History Crash Course for Coaches to learn more about California's nature themselves.
January - March: After the Coaches Workshop, start practicing for specific events with your students. Begin preparing for your Enviromercial, and get comfortable answering questions in the style of each competition. As you continue to teach and learn with your team, keep inspiration and overall environmental literacy in mind.
We suggest meeting with your team 1-2 times/week as you prepare for the Semi-Finals.
March - early April: Semi-Final events take place on school days. At each Semi-Final event, the top two teams for each grade level will advance to the Finals.
April: Finalists should continue meeting and learning about natural history together. While the events are in a similar format, the questions asked at the finals will be more advanced.
Early May: Finals take place in early May each year. Families are welcome to attend and cheer on their students.
These events are hosted by our partner organizations, including Yolo Basin Foundation, American River Conservancy, Tuolumne County Office of Education, Bureau of Reclamation/New Melones, Sacramento Valley Conservancy; Placer Nature Center; Friends of Stone Lakes/Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and Nimbus Fish Hatchery.
Each host site sets a slightly different schedule, but you can expect to spend a whole day in nature at most sites. Currently all the events are held on school days, so check with your school district about their policy on releasing students for this educational activity.
Teams will arrive to find at five stations set up and a schedule for rotating through them. The stations—Outdoor Investigations, Nature Relay, Team Problem Solving, Speedy Ringers, and Enviromercial—are judged and scored by natural resource volunteers.
Teams bring their lunches, and some like to bring a pop-up for the weather or even t-shirts they’ve made to build team spirit.
The top scoring teams from each semi-final site advance to the Finals, to be held on Saturday, May 3, at Camp Pollock in Sacramento. At the Finals, many of the stations are similar, but the challenges may be harder or require more knowledge. Our goal is still to provide a positive, enriching day for the students. Judges for this event come from all our sites and also include many CDFW professionals.