Wild Wonders:  Outreach Programs

Amazing Animal Adaptations

Delve into the world of natural habitats and the creatures calling them home.  Students investigate wildlife and discover how adaptations help wildlife survive within their environment.  What makes a opossum play dead?  Why do turtles have different feet? How does camouflage benefit an animal? Our wildlife ambassadors provide the clues to answer these questions and more!

Turtle Hurdles

Have you ever wondered if turtles can really move to a larger shell as shown in cartoons? Do all turtles swim?  How is a turtle so different from other reptiles?  Children discover what makes this ancient creature unique and why many species of turtles are threatened with extinction today.  Students leave knowing how they can have a positive impact on the future of turtles.

Litter Harms a Critter

Thousands of animals are injured or killed each year because of litter.  Using actual animal stories, this program shows children the many hidden dangers that litter poses to wildlife.  Students are put through a “recycling challenge” to discover the benefits of recycling for wildlife and the environment.

If You Care, Leave Them There

Do birds reject their young, if touched?  Each spring, millions of young birds, squirrels, fawns and other wild animals enter this world.  Their parents are programmed to take care of them, but sometimes people intervene.  To rescue or not to rescue, that is the question.  Students will learn the “do’s and don’ts” of rescuing wildlife and leave the program with the answer!

Urban Wildlife: As Close As Your Backyard

Neighborhoods keep growing and changing, and wildlife is losing habitat forcing them to move into our own backyards.  Opossums that climb, snakes that slither, and birds that fly – our own backyards are filled with countless fascinating creatures to protect! Students learn how animals have adapted to living close to humans and how we can make our neighborhoods safer for them.

Keep the “Wild” In Wildlife

Wild animals are fascinating creatures and sometimes it seems cool to feed a wild animal by hand, or even keep one as a pet!  This program examines the difference between domestic pets and wild animals and why bringing a wild animal into your home may be riskier than you think.  Children discover why it’s best to keep the “wild” in wildlife.

Interactive Wildlife Program

A unique program integrating live animals with a “hands-on” component, encouraging students to explore and experience the natural world up close.  Children are engaged with the introduction of “wildlife ambassadors”, and a stand alone display incorporates colorful graphics, samples (birdhouses, feeders), and artifacts (nests, eggs) to provide kids with a sensory learning experience.  This program is a fun way for young people to learn through experience about wildlife and introduce them to the important concept of conservation.  NOTE:  For groups of 25 or less.

From Shells to Scales and Tails

Utilizing live birds, reptiles and artifacts from both, students have fun discovering the similarities and differences of these strange animals that hatch from eggs.  They may seem different at first, but students are amazed to discover just how similar birds and reptiles really are!

New for 2010

Whoo’s Stirring in the Shadows?

When we go to sleep at night, a whole other world comes alive. Meet some of these mysterious nocturnal animals and learn how they use special adaptations to survive in a world of darkness.

A Bird’s Eye View

What is it that puts a bird of prey at the top of the food chain?  Discover incredible features of these marvelous hunters and learn how they deserve their place among the most respected predators.

Animals People Love to Hate

Bats flying into hair and snakes chasing people are stories we often hear, but are they true?  Students unravel the mysteries behind such strange, but beneficial creatures.  We identify fact from fiction, and children gain a better understanding and respect for these misunderstood animals and their turbulent relationship with humans.