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Robotic Wildlife Monitor

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Grades 6-890-120 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students build a simple sensor rig, like a motion-triggered camera trap, to watch real local wildlife. Then they write a plan for collecting data that keeps the animals undisturbed. It is field biology powered by a bit of electronics.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • Second site setup (old school device or motion camera)Borrow or school hasuse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$22.98 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • sand tray for tracksRequired1 x 2.88 lb + 1 x 10 trays2.88 lb + 10 trays$9.99 + $12.99AmazonAmazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$35.96 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

  • optional bird feederOptional1 x 1 feeder1 feeder$12.98Amazon

Materials

Motion-triggered camera or sensor rig; Weatherproof container; Outdoor site with permission; Second site setup (old school device or motion camera); sand tray for tracks; optional bird feeder

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

  • Motion-triggered camera or sensor rig

    Motion-triggered camera or sensor rig

    No link

  • Weatherproof container

    Weatherproof container

    No link

Steps

  1. Scout outdoor spots and pick at least two sites that differ in one resource, such as near water versus dry, dense shrubs versus open lawn, or with a bird feeder versus without. Predict which site will have more animal activity.
  2. Build a motion-triggered camera or sensor rig (an old school device with a free motion-detect app in a weatherproof container) and a cheap track tray (shallow pan of damp sand) for each site.
  3. Place rigs so they do not disturb animals, with the same height, direction, and time period at each site.
  4. Check data after one or two days. If the rig triggers on wind, adjust sensitivity or position and rerun.
  5. Record the number of visits, species or animal type, and time of day for each site in a data table. Repeat for at least two more data periods.
  6. Graph visits by site and species and interpret the data: does more of the resource mean more organisms or more kinds of organisms?
  7. Present the findings as evidence of how resource availability affects animal populations, along with your no-disturbance plan.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-LS2-1

    Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.