🔭 Real Field Science
Practise three real citizen-science programs here, then try them for real.
How this works
Real scientists need real observations from people everywhere — that’s citizen science. These three programs are run by real scientists and use what volunteers send in. Practise each one here, then try it for real.
Your observations are saved on this device only. When you want to send them in, a grown-up does it with the program’s own app or form.
Cloud Watch NASA GLOBE Clouds Estimate how much of the sky is cloud the GLOBE way (four quarters, then average), sort clouds by how high they are, then record your real sky. When: Any day — a minute of looking up Bird Count Great Backyard Bird Count · eBird Learn the fair way to count — the most of each kind at one time — then do a real 15-minute watch with your own tally. When: Every February (count) · any day (eBird) Rain Gauge CoCoRaHS Read a rain gauge to the hundredth of an inch, learn trace and overflow days, then keep your own daily rain report. When: Every morning, about 7 a.m. My field log Everything you’ve recorded, with a CSV download and a print view for the grown-up who sends it in.
What makes it real
- The same rules the scientists use. Each page teaches the program’s actual method, so your observation could really be used.
- Honest about the hard part. Practice skies and gauges are drawings, so the answer is exact. Real skies and real birds are messier — that’s why scientists ask so many people to look.
- Nothing leaves this device. No account, no location, no upload. You decide, with a grown-up, what to send.