The Kids In Nature (KIN) program is a partnership between Sedgwick Reserve and the UCSB Museum of Systematic and Ecology (MSE) to serve underrepresented elementary students in the surrounding Santa Barbara school districts. Read on to learn how coordinated classroom learning, field trips, computer simulations, and museum visits brought plant and animal life to “life” as students participated in an authentic restoration effort. While the project described in this article took place on the California coast, the model can be adapted to suit your locale and thus involve your students in an authentic science experience.