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Resources for Families

There are many ways to get outside and enjoy nature with the children in your life. If you want to learn more about the incredible biodiversity around you, check out the iNaturalist app, a free resource that empowers anyone with a smartphone or computer to document wildlife. Unsure about a plant or animal you’ve encountered? Share a photo and the iNaturalist community will help you identify it.

Getting Started with iNaturalist

  1. Visit the iNaturalist website or download the app (available for free on iPhone or Android).
  2. Make observations: photograph wild plants and animals in your area and upload them to iNaturalist.
  3. Engage with the community as other people help identify your observations or join a project and contribute to other people’s research.

Why Explore?

Learning outdoors isn’t just fun, it improves health and connects us with the natural world. Community science tools such as iNaturalist can help expand our understanding of the natural world while improving focus, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

  • Enhance curiosity. Community science allows us to see the outdoors in a new light.
  • Build skills. Participating in community science builds scientific skills.
  • Protect wildlife. Learn about local species in your neighborhood, and contribute to scientific research. San Diego is the most biodiverse county in the continental United States, and there is so much nature to love and explore.
  • Science is for everyone. No matter what interests you, you can contribute to science and engage with nearby nature.

Embrace the chance to explore and learn about the natural world right in your neighborhood. Happy exploring!

Post-Adventure: Keep the Curiosity Alive

Check out our guides to get ready, get outside, and dive into nearby nature.

English guide

Spanish guide

  • Review your observations. Check back on observations to see what other community scientists think about your identifications.
  • Continue to use the app. Revisit your favorite outdoor sites to see how those plants and animals may change with the seasons. You can also use the map on the desktop site to discover what other people have observed both in your neighborhood or around the world.