Backyard Animal Track Trap

What you need

• Paper, 1 sheet
• Water, a little, for dry dirt (optional)
• Fruit or seeds, 1 small piece or a few seeds
• Pencil, 1
• Ruler, 1
• Animal track book, 1, or a phone to look up tracks

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Pick a quiet spot outside with bare soft dirt, sand or mud. Plan to be there for the morning check, and keep pets indoors overnight.

1. In the evening, smooth out your patch of soft dirt until it has no bumps.
2. Pat the patch flat so prints will show up clearly.
3. Place the fruit or seeds right in the center of the patch.
4. Wait for night to pass while the animals sneak by.
   Ask: Which animal do you think will visit, and how will we know it was them?
5. In the morning, walk to the patch with a grown-up and look for prints.
6. Draw the best prints on your paper. Count the toes and look for claws.
7. Measure your prints with the ruler and write the size next to each drawing.
   Ask: Is the print bigger or smaller than your hand? What does that tell you about the animal?
8. Open the track book and match your drawings to find the visitor.
9. Wash your hands with soap. Then set the trap again tonight and see who comes next!
   Ask: Do you think the same animal will return, or will a new one visit?

Play it again

• Bait swap: try seeds one night and fruit the next. Which one brings more visitors?
• Track map: draw a map of the yard and mark where each set of prints went.
• Different spots: set traps by a fence, a bush and a pond edge to see which gets the most visitors.