Education

Audubon Arizona’s “Raptors Keep the Balance” Program

Audubon Arizona is partnering with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to offer an exciting new program called “Raptors Keep the Balance”. Audubon staff and volunteers are visiting 30 City of Phoenix summer school sites with non-releasable birds of prey to deliver this 45-minute, interactive presentation. The program focuses on raptor adaptations and approximately 3000 students are expected to participate this summer alone. Program objectives include discussing the important environmental niche that raptors occupy and the specific tools they use to do their job. Educators will also discuss the conservation efforts underway to protect these birds and suggest ways improve local bird habitats.

In addition, each student will receive the Audubon Adventures “Hunters of the Air” newspaper to take home and share with their families. This document offers additional raptor-related readings and activities. For more information or to help with this program, please contact Cathy Wise at (602) 468-6470 or via email.

Great Horned Owl Mask Directions:

1. Print a double-sided, color copy of the owl mask document. There are 2 masks per page.

2. Cut out the masks, and use a hole punch for the eyes.

3. Tape a Popsicle stick on to the bottom of the mask

4. See if anyone can guess “whooo” you are….

Audubon Arizona thanks Jon of Ohio-Nature.com for permission to use this stunning photo.
The bird pictured is a non-releasable Great Horned Owl named “Icarus”.

Does it seem like there’s simply no unspoiled place left to go in our congested Valley of the Sun? Surprise yourself by visiting a lovely streamside oasis in the heart of urban Phoenix: the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area! Located on Central Ave south of the I-17 Highway, this green jewel is just minutes from downtown and admission is free. Audubon Arizona invites everyone: teachers, students, community members, visitors…to explore our “backyard river” either on your own or through our hands-on environmental education programs.

Although the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Center is currently under construction, Audubon Arizona is already offering exciting pilot programming on site. We are pleased to offer both formal and informal outdoor courses that engage, inspire and instill wonder in community members, especially kids. Teachers please note that school programs are aligned to state standards.

Science Takes Wing, Lesson 1

Attention Teachers! We are pleased to announce the first lesson in our new classroom series called Science Takes Wing. Aligned to Arizona State Standards for grades 5-8, this free download focuses students on finding 10 of central Arizona’s most common urban and suburban birds. After surveying the school yard or local park, students may enter their data online at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “eBIRD” website. This free interactive site allows students to access millions of bird sightings records to generate reports, maps and graphs. For more information, please contact Cathy Wise.

Science Takes Wing, Lesson II

Take the next step in bird identification and teach your students to identify common birds by ear! ASU’s “Ask a Biologist” program has teamed with Audubon Arizona to create this exciting interactive lesson that is aligned to AZ State Standards. Simply download the power point presentation, print and distribute the student answer sheets provided in the teacher’s manual and get ready to learn some of central Arizona’s most common bird sounds. Many thanks to ASU’s “Ask a Biologist” program for providing bird photos and recordings. To learn more birds, please see the “Ask a Biologist” Virtual Aviary here.

The River Connection

Bring your students to the banks of the Rio Salado for hands-on, standards based environmental education programming! The curriculum consists of four modules centered around the riparian habitat of Rio Salado: native plants and water quality, birds and animals, the ancient Hohokam, and conservation. Modules can be stand alone, but we are sure you’ll want to sign up for all four! This course is best suited for students in grades 4-6.

* In exit interviews, the teachers identified the River Connection’s hands-on science experiences as a major benefit to students, consistently citing the field work as “bringing science alive”.

Cost: $4.00/ Student (includes materials & snack. Honorariums available)
Time: Offered Fall through Spring. Workshops last approximately 3 hours.

River Pathways (still in development)

This after-school program is more loosely structured than our other programs and is designed to provide latch-key kids with a safe and fun alternative to indoor activities. The program uses well-trained high-school and college students as mentors to younger participants, and includes activities in art, science, drama. Participants will also hike, observe birds and catalogue local wildlife.

Cost: $20.00/participant for 5 sessions. Includes materials & snack. Honorariums available)
Time: Pilot programs to be offered in Winter and Spring 2008.

For more information or to schedule, please contact Cathy Wise (602) 468-6470