Choose your Character

Imani (left), Ava (middle), and Tomás (right)

NPS Graphic / Karen Ceballos

Before you start your virtual journey, first choose your character. Select one of the three characters listed below.

These adventurous kids have different interests and hobbies. They especially love science. Meet Imani, Ava, and Tomás! Read about them to see who you have the most in common with.

You don't have to look a certain way to be interested in science. Anyone can be a scientist, including you! If you're naturally curious, enjoy observing and learning about the world around you, then you already have the qualities of a scientist.

 

Imani is holding her binoculars and has her notebook and pencils ready to draw any plants and wildlife she sees.

NPS Graphic / Karen Ceballos

Imani

Imani enjoys the outdoors where she often sits and watches the wildlife through her binoculars. She admires nature so much that her favorite color is green. She even has different types of indoor plants in her room that she takes care of everyday.

Outside, she carries her camera to take photos of what she sees, and she likes to sketch flowers and take notes about the different animals around her in her trusty notebook. She likes to stop and smell the wildflowers, but she never picks them.

She cares about animals and believe it or not, Imani loves to eat vegetables, especially green leafy ones!

When she's at home, she likes to read books and play video games with her friends. To get fresh air, she enjoys going on walks with her dog Gaia around her neighborhood.

 

Ava is holding her butterfly net ready to catch any bugs that come her way.

NPS Graphic / Karen Ceballos

Ava

Ava wants to learn as much as she can about the nature surrounding her. She's usually outside playing where she likes to look at different bugs.

She collects insects with her mom, who taught her about insect pinning. She likes to collect butterflies the most and uses her net to catch them.

At home, she enjoys gardening with her mom to see the different pollinating insects that visit her garden. Their garden has different vegetables and plants native to her area.

When she plays outside, she enjoys bird watching and uses her bird call to listen to the different bird sounds.

On the weekends, she goes to the lake to go fishing with her dad where she tries to catch the biggest fish she can.

When she's not outside, she draws everything she sees on her adventures.

 

Look at cool rocks with Tomás! He has his compass and is ready to go adventure.

NPS / Karen Ceballos

Tomás

Tomás likes collecting rocks in his backyard. He uses his rock hammer to break open rocks while wearing his safety glasses. To take a closer peek, he uses his hand lens to look at the minerals that make-up the rocks he breaks open.

When he goes outside to explore, he brings his compass to know where he's going. He likes collecting and reading maps to see where he can go on his next adventure.

He enjoys learning about the different earth sciences. After school, he likes to play different sports with his friends.

During vacations, he enjoys camping, rock-hounding, and fossil hunting with his family on long road-trips.

His favorite collection is his Jr. Park Ranger badges. He enjoys visiting National Parks to learn and protect those places for future kids to enjoy!