Citizen science for summer

There are some great opportunities for scientific involvement this summer, and it’s not too late to get in on it.

I like citizen science projects.  I think they’re a really fun way to get my family practicing science, and we love the feeling of doing our part to help real scientists.

Usually the projects are really simple, like counting species of birds, insects, etc. and recording your data online.  Each project typically provides you with all the information you’d need about the animal, along with observation recording data sheets.  Then you just log in after you’ve made your study, and type in what you found.

Citizens for Science is a great place to get started.  They offer a project finder, member blogs so you can see what other families are up to, and other resources.

The Audubon Society has a number of species counts throughout the year, which are good to get in on, particularly if you have a bird-lover in the family.

We’re taking part in the Firefly Watch right now, you can read more about it here.  And on the 16th we’ll be counting bees, for the Great Sunflower Project.  You can follow the widget in my sidebar to learn more about this citizen science project.  And if you don’t have a sunflower, don’t worry–there are a number of plants that qualify for the project, so be sure to check it out.

Got a great citizen science project I missed?  Let me know!  Or share a story of one of your family’s exploits in citizen science!