Get your child outside, curious, and engaged in REAL science
Parents today are facing challenges that NO generation has ever faced before – the allure of endless screen time through video games, social media, and devices purposely designed by large tech companies to make us subconsciously addicted to them so that we are mindlessly checking them and scrolling. Kids are no exception to this, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to break the trance.
Over the past ten years, I’ve collaborated with K-12 teachers, developing original programming that gets kids outside learning science by doing REAL science, igniting their curiosity through exploration in the natural world around them. I know what works to get kids asking questions, engaged, and making discoveries.
Getting outside in nature and fostering children’s natural sense of wonder is an antidote to endless screen time.
Here’s how it works. When you enroll, you’ll receive:
🖼 20+ worksheets and activities getting you and your child outside and exploring: Each activity is based on 🎥 short science-based video (5 min or less) on YouTube 🎬 . Activities incorporate community science so that the data your child collects goes to REAL science.
💬 A growing group of like-minded families in a supportive community (on Discord) to share discoveries, inspire each other, and stay curious together!
Access to me! A real-life scientist to answer your children’s questions and guide you to keep them curious and making discoveries.
Sneak Peak of Activities Included:
As a wildlife biologist, I’ve had many parents come up to me asking what they can do to foster their child’s curiosity in animals, science, and nature.
So I was inspired to create a fun monthly membership is designed to:
🌍 Get you and your children outside 🌳
🔍 Foster their natural curiosity about wildlife 🐻
🤝 Build meaningful connections with nature and each other 🌸
📚 Teach children about scientific exploration and inquiry 🧪
🌟 Empower them to give back through community science projects 🔬
FAQs
Will this program be useful during cold winters?
Yes! I live in Chicago, so I understand the long winters and have designed this program around them. The structure of the program is incredibly flexible. You can make activities as short as you want or as long. There are already over 20 activities to choose from, many of which you can do at any time of the year. During winter, I’m conscious that it can get super cold outside and am going to be creating more that you can do indoors that 100% involved nature.
What are the age ranges for this program?
This program is open to ANY age range. Because we have a community where you can interact directly with me, I can help you tailor the activities to your child’s age and natural interests and curiosities.
Currently, the content is written for children around the ages of 8-10, but again, this all can be adapted to your child.
Learn About Wildlife with a REAL Scientist
About Me:
Hi! I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka and my passion is getting people connected to nature, especially kids. I’ve been working in the field of wildlife biology since 2003. I have a lot of experience!
- BA in 2003, 3 internships, Ph.D. in 2012, 6 years of postdocs working in cool places like Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the School for Wildlife Management in Kenya
- 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications in animal behavior, mammal communities, predator-prey relationships, non-invasive genetics, satellite telemetry, social science, and citizen science
- Study species and systems across four continents
- Work experience in the government, zoos, museums, academia, and alongside nonprofits
Not Your Typical Scientist!
I pride myself on breaking stereotypes about what scientists, especially wildlife biologists, look like. I have A LOT of experience working with kids and the public:
- 2 years working directly with kids in classrooms alongside K-12 teachers, creating lesson plans on my research
- ~8 years creating lesson plans for K-12 classrooms based on my own camera trap research. Kids set camera traps, collected and uploaded data, and investigated data in 4 different countries!
- TEDx speaker
- 100+ public talks for audiences of all ages at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Learn About Wildlife with a REAL Scientist
Learn About Wildlife with a REAL Scientist
Hi! I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka and my passion is getting people connected to nature, especially kids. When kids form emotional connections to nature, they are more likely to become environmental stewards, develop a strong sense of place, and develop care and concern for the beings around them. They also receive immense mental, physical, and emotional health benefits. In short, being out in nature allows us to become our best and most connected versions to ourselves.
Therefore, in early 2025, I am launching a super easy and fun monthly membership to get parents and their kids outside, connecting to nature, and each other. The emphasis is going to be on spending purposeful time outside to foster curiosity and learn about nature.
How I imagine it working is that each month there will be a theme (e.g. birds, pollinators, tracks, etc.) and each week I’ll offer you a short science-based video (5 min or less) and activity to get you and your child outside, getting curious, and making observations about the natural world. There will be a Facebook group for us to share and connect.
My goal is to make this SUPER easy and affordable for you ($10/month?). Right now, I am looking for founders to help me get this started, test this out, and offer me feedback. It’s open to all ages!
If this sounds like something you would be interested in sign up below and I’ll add you to the list for more information. I expect to start in January. Who’s in?
