Nature Bowl

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Nature Bowl 2025!

Hey Teachers! Gather up your teams of 3rd-4th grade students and/or 5th-6th grade students and prepare to have a fun and educational time learning all about our local and regional ecology and conservation.

Get started today!

  1. Attend the virtual Coaches' Workshop on January 8, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. to learn more about the competition and your role as a coach.
    • If you aren't sure whether you want to join Nature Bowl, this is a great opportunity to learn more and ask questions before signing up.
  2. Register your team and sign up to compete in a Semi-Final event at one of the Nature Bowl Partner sites across the North Central Region using the 2025 Coach Registration Form
    • Team registration closes on March 1, 2025!
  3. Participate in training opportunities hosted by CDFW staff to learn more about California nature and how to teach environmental concepts to students. This year, we are offering two different trainings for participating teachers and coaches.
    • A Natural History Crash Course for coaches on January 22, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. where we will dive into how extraordinary California's nature really is.
    • A Project Wild workshop on February 8, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., where teachers will be trained to facilitate the amazing lessons found in Project Wild and Aquatic Wild curriculum. Registration for this training will be announced soon.
  4. Check out our other resources, like this year's 2025 Coaches Packet, to delve deeper into the Nature Bowl Glossary and each of the five activities: Outdoor Investigations, Nature Relay, Team Problem Solving, Speedy Ringers and Environmercial.

For more information, contact the Nature Bowl Coordinator at Lacey.Carlson@wildlife.ca.gov.

2025 Event Schedule

Semi-Finals

  • March 19 - Nimbus Fish Hatchery
  • March 25 - American River Conservancy
  • March 27 - Placer Nature Center
  • April 3 - Stone Lakes
  • April 9 - Yolo Basin Foundation
  • April 11 - New Melones (Calaveras/Tuolumne)

Finals

  • May 3 - Camp Pollock, Sacramento

Overview: Exploration, Critical Thinking, and Fun in Nature!

Nature Bowl is an annual, science-based educational program for 3rd through 6th graders. Through games, problems, puzzles, and exploration, students gain ecological knowledge and conservation literacy. Teamwork and creativity are encouraged as students rotate through stations in a friendly, educational competition.

Natural Bowl curriculum is based on the California Education and the Environment Initiative in conjunction with the Next Generation Science Standards. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife develops the curriculum and works with partners to hold Nature Bowl events.

Watch this 4-minute video for a glimpse of Nature Bowl in action (YouTube).

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Nature Bowl Work?

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.

How Do I Get Started?

Whether you are a seasoned coach, or you are thinking about joining us for the first time, your very first step will be to register for and attend the virtual Coaches Workshop on January 8. 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 this year's Nature Bowl, you can register your 2025 team using the Coach Registration Form. Registration is open now, and closes on March 1st, 2025.

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 on January 22. 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 Do I Prepare My Team?

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.

January: Teachers/coaches should join the virtual Coaches Workshop on January 8 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 on January 22 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. 

  • Important! Confirm your team and register for a Semi-Final event by March 1.

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 on Saturday, May 3. Families are welcome to attend and cheer on their students.

What Happens at the Semi-Finals?

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.

What Happens at the Final Event?

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.

children with poster displays
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children engaged in an activity
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North Central Region (Region 2)
Regional Manager: Morgan Kilgour
Main Office: 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Sales Hours 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Email the North Central Region | (916) 358-2900 | FAX: (916) 358-2912