Challenge A | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Welcome to the elementary school challenge page for Challenge A of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.

Challenge A: Biologic Sculpture

Title: Phipps’ Fairchild Climate Tails
Due Date: Fri., Oct. 24, 2025 by 5 p.m.

Your Challenge:

When the weather gets really hot, rainy or stormy, animals sometimes need our help! Pets, farm animals and wild animals that live in Pennsylvania—like bees, birds, frogs and turtles—can all feel the changes happening around them. On really hot days, dogs and cats might need a cool place to rest and plenty of water. Chickens and cows might need shade on the farm. Bees and butterflies might have trouble finding native flowers to pollinate, and birds might struggle to find food after a big storm. Luckily, there are so many fun and creative ways you can make a difference! Planting flowers, building birdhouses, setting out clean water or helping to create shady spaces are all great ways to care for animals. Learning and sharing what you know can help others take action too. Your challenge is to create a set of 3 – 10 ornament sculptures of animals made entirely out of “found objects” and recycled materials that each inspire people to learn more about how to help our furry, scaley or slimy friends!

K – 1st Grade: Explore the basic needs of your chosen animal. What kind of weather do they like, what do they eat, how can we help them? Once you have conducted your research, draw a 3-panel comic that represents what you have learned. Please submit a maximum of one 3-panel comic per sculpture.

2 – 3rd Grade: Explore the basic needs of your chosen animal. What kind of weather do they like, what do they eat, how can we help them? Write 3 – 5 sentences about your research. Please submit a maximum of one essay per sculpture.

4 – 5th Grade: Write 1 – 2 paragraphs about the animal you chose and how they are impacted to changes in our climate. Include any relevant information about the animal such as its habitat/where it lives, how it is impacted and how we can help. Please also include what materials you chose to construct your bird out of and where you sourced them. Please submit a maximum of one essay per sculpture.

Finished sculpture may be scaled up in size should be no larger than 5” x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds. Sculptures should not contain any food or edible ingredients (including wheat, seeds or pinecones). Select sculptures from this challenge will be featured in Phipps’ Winter Flower Show. Therefore, each sculpture must have a securely-fastened string or wire so that it can be hung on display.

Entry Requirements:

Deliver to the science education coordinator at Phipps in person or via certified mail (electronic submission is not accepted):

Challenge Entry Form
Each sculpture MUST be labeled with the participating school and students’ names
Create an animal sculpture using found or recycled materials
Each finished sculpture should be no larger than 5 ”x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds and should have a securely fastened string or wire to be hung on display.
Additional writing/drawing prompts tailored for each grade.
Include the school’s name and the participating students’ names.

School Submits:

Challenge Entry Form and up to 3 – 10 sculptures.

Address:

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Fairchild Challenge c/o Alyssa Mulé
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Resources:

The following list of online resources may be used when preparing your entry:

Standards:

Read below to find the standards for each grade level for Challenge A of the Elementary School Fairchild Challenge

Grades K – 1st

CC.1.1.K.E Read emergent-reader text with purpose and understanding.
CC.1.2.K.C With prompting and support, make a connection between two individual, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
CC.1.4.K.A Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/ explanatory texts.
CC.1.4.K.B Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to focus on one specific topic.
CC.1.4.K.V Participate in individual or shared research projects on a topic of interest.
3.1.K.A3 Observe, compare, and describe stages of life cycles for plants and/or animals.
3.1.K.A5 Observe and describe structures and behaviors of a variety of common animals.
CC.1.1.1.B Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
- Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence.
CC.1.2.1.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.4.1.A Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.
CC.1.4.1.B Identify and write about one specific topic.
CC.1.4.1.C Develop the topic with two or more facts.
CC.1.4.1.R Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
- Capitalize dates and names of people.
- Use end punctuation; use commas in dates and words in series.
- Spell words drawing on common spelling patterns, phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
CC.1.5.1.E Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
CC.1.5.1.F Add drawings or other visual displays when sharing aloud to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
9.1.V.1.A1 Know and use basic elements of visual arts.
9.1.V.1.B1 Create works of art and identify art materials, techniques, and processes.
9.1.V.1.E1 Use imagination and creativity to express self through visual arts.

Grades 2 – 3

CC.1.2.2.A Identify the main idea of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
CC.1.2.2.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.4.2.A Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CC.1.4.2.C Develop the topic with facts and/or definitions
CC.1.4.2.V Participate in individual or shared research and writing projects.
CC.1.5.2.E Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
CC.1.5.2.F Add drawings or other visual displays to presentations when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
3.1.2.C2 Explain that living things can only survive if their needs are being met.
9.1.V.2.A1 Know and use basic elements of visual arts.
CC.1.2.3.G Use information gained from text features to demonstrate understanding of a text.
CC.1.2.3.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.3.3.B Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text; refer to text to support responses.
CC.1.4.3.A Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CC.1.4.3.C Develop the topic with facts, definitions, details, and illustrations, as appropriate.
CC.1.4.3.F Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
CC.1.4.3.V Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
3.1.3.A1 Describe characteristics of living things that help to identify and classify them.
3.1.3.A2 Describe the basic needs of living things and their dependence on light, food, air, water, and shelter.
3.1.3.A3 Illustrate how plants and animals go through predictable life cycles that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death.
3.1.3.C2 Describe animal characteristics that are necessary for survival.

Grades 4 – 5

3.1.4.A1 Classify plants and animals according to the physical characteristics that they share.
3.1.4.A2 Describe the different resources that plants and animals need to live.
3.1.4.A5 Describe common functions living things share to help them function in a specific environment.
4.5.4.B Determine the circumstances that cause humans to identify an organism as a pest.
CC.1.2.4.I Integrate information from two texts on the same topic to demonstrate understanding of that topic.
CC.1.2.4.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.3.4.B Cite relevant details from text to support what the text says explicitly and make inferences.
CC.1.4.4.A Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CC.1.4.4.C Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic; include illustrations and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CC.1.4.4.E Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CC.1.4.4.F Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
CC.1.4.4.T With guidance and support form peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
CC.1.4.4.V Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
3.1.5.C1 Describe how organisms meet some of their needs in an environment by using behaviors (patterns of activities) in response to information (stimuli) received from the environment.
4.1.5.A Describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within a local ecosystem.
CC.1.2.5.B Cite textual evidence by quoting accurately from the text to explain what the text says explicitly and make inferences.
CC.1.2.5.G Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
CC.1.2.5.I Integrate information from several texts on the same topic to demonstrate understanding of that topic.
CC.1.2.5.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.4.5.A Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CC.1.4.5.L Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
CC.1.4.5.V Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
CC.1.4.5.W Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
CC.1.5.5.F Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

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Challenge A: Biologic Sculpture

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