We are moving right along with our fantastic guest bloggers this week in honor of Environmental Education (EE) Week in the USA. EE Week is hosted by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), an orgnisation dedicated to connecting people to the environment through education. In honor of this year’s theme of ‘Taking Technology Outdoors’, we’ve invited teachers, parents and environmental educators to share how they’ve used ARKive to connects kids to nature.

Today, we meet Hannah who is going to share how she and her son, D, explored their local natural enviornment using ARKive.

Adding technology and nature learning to toddler play time

As a mother of a non-stop three year old, I am always looking for simple but interesting lessons to incorporate into our play. A friend recently told me about ARKive. I decided to poke around the site and, as anyone with children knows, it wasn’t long before I had company. Together, using some of ARKive’s search options, my son D and I went through each of the six animal groups. Keeping it three-year-old-simple I explained the six animal groups. Mammals drink milk, birds have feathers, fish swim, reptiles have scales… and the other two (invertebrates and amphibians) are a little confusing even to me! There are so many photos on ARKive, we spent a full afternoon exploring.

The following day, armed with six species photos I printed from ARKive, we headed outside for our morning adventure. My goal was to talk about the similarities and differences of the six animal groups and compare the ARKive photos to living things in our own little neighborhood. Would you believe that just 10 feet from our front door we stumbled onto a perfect teachable moment- the circle of life? There, next to a large electrical box, a stunning hawk pecked at a mound of feathers. “He’s eating feathers” D exclaimed. “Yes, yes, he is. Where do you think those feathers came from?” I asked. We talked about big birds eating smaller birds, some birds eating mice and fish, and even smaller birds eating insects and seeds. We compared the hawk to the emperor penguin photo I had printed.

D practiced spotting similarities between a local hawk and an emperor penguin.

They both had feathers (and so did the poor little bird that met his demise.) These birds also had beaks and large claws, and the penguin had webbed feet for swimming. Unlike our usual haphazard exploring, with this exercise we moved through the neighborhood with direction and intent. We noticed dog footprints in the mud and compared the type of feet and number of legs to our ARKive photos. Later, seeing a squirrel sparked a conversation about camouflage. Three of our photographed animals, the Darwin’s frog, the coconut crab, and the Figi banded iguana, were clearly using camouflage just like the squirrel.

D discovers wildlife in less than 10 feet from his front door!

D loved looking through the photos online, learning about animal groups, and picking out his favorite animals. Blending ARKive with an adventure in our own backyard was even better. Though I believe open play is of the utmost importance, this loosely structured activity led us through some new discussions. Today’s adventure helped to establish a sense of appreciation for new creatures and I’m hopeful it heartened his respect for the environment, near and far.

Hannah, Stay-At-Home Super Mom

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ARKive is partnering with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) to celebrate EE Week – the nation’s largest celebration of environmental education. We’ve invited some top-notch guest bloggers to share their story of exploring the natural world outside with ARKive in support of this year’s EE Week theme, ‘Taking Technology Outdoors’. Kicking off the week is Sarena, an environmental educator and mother of an adorable little girl, who shares how she has used ARKive to discover new-to-you species in their local ecosystem. Let’s see what outdoor adventures Sarena and her daughter experienced with ARKive!

Species Discovery through my kid’s eyes

Hello blogosphere! Before I delve into the fantasticness that is the ARKive activity, let me introduce myself. I am not a blogger; this is my first foray into this realm. But I am an environmental educator as my ‘regular job’ with a background in biology and zoology, as well as a mom who shares my love and appreciation for the natural world with my nearly nine year old daughter on a daily basis. This is an important point to remember when it comes to the activity we chose to experience.

The kid and I decided to try out the Species Discovery activity. I think it’s fantastic to go explore, see what you see, and then decide what it is based on the behaviors, appearances, diet, and so forth (there’s the biologist in me!). Problem becomes when you, the parent, realize finding a place to go, to which you’ve never been, in the limited amount of free time in your currently busy (ok, let’s face it, currently busy? When is that never true?) schedule is exceptionally difficult. (Score one for the environmental educator exploratory parent! And yet, not helpful in this instance. Cue disappointed game show sounds.) I wracked my brain and was delighted to have a light bulb moment. There is a riparian habitat preserve to which the kid has never been. As we drove the discussion in the car was excited chatter about the goals of our exploration. She was prepared with her camera and anticipated getting pictures and video. We arrived, brought along our umbrellas to block the toasty sun (and prevent our pale wintery skin from gaining a particularly unhealthy pink glow), grabbed the camera and water, and began the adventure.

Capturing photos and video was easy. Spotting animals and plants we’d never seen…not so much. Luckily there were some birds neither she nor I knew. Our time came to a close and we hopped back into the car, where she spent the ride revisiting the experience and carefully analyzing the best pictures and finalizing her decision. Over the next week and a half we continued to discuss the time we spent at the preserve and the activity goals. One evening we brought her younger cousin with us to an arts event. In the car I giggled to myself while pretending to not listen to the exchange happening in the back seat. The kid authoritatively showed the pictures and video to her cousin, while explaining that she was going to give that bird a scientific name and describe all about it since she’d never seen this bird before our adventure. He responded with a frustrating “oh I’ve seen that. I know what that is.” The kid was unimpressed when his response to her query of the name of the bird was “I don’t know!” and remained confident in her choice.

After homework one evening we had some minutes to spare and sat down to complete the other part of the project. The kid was curious about what a scientific name was and I caught myself beginning to describe Linnaeus taxonomy and that scientific names are in Latin. Blank stare. Oops. Luckily for me, she’s incredibly patient with me especially during my moments of biology nerdiness. I simplified and we talked about how scientific names are the same for animals no matter where the animal is found, as a way for all scientists to know what animal another scientist is discussing, while common names are often different in different places. She understood (at least there wasn’t a blank stare in response), especially when we talked about different languages people speak in different countries and made the comparison to names.

Overall, the adventure this activity afforded us was one I greatly value for a variety of reasons. One, I got to spend some fun time with my kid, looking from her point of view at the world around us. This is vital to me as a parent and an educator. Two, it was another opportunity to appreciate nature and how scientists work. A recent quote from the kid that gave me a ‘parenting win’ moment was “Scientists are always curious and clever. I’m always curious, so I’m a scientist.” I’m so incredibly glad she has that perspective! Three, stretching myself as a parent and an educator. Writing this blog post is definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but a huge step I am happy to take. I assume if you are a fan of ARKive, you probably already appreciate nature and get out into it as much as possible (although we all know what assuming does…), but regardless I feel compelled to say: get outside. Explore the world around you away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Take off those modern convenience blinders and see where you are. And bring along your kid(s), or borrow a few (with permission, of course!), or both. Learn through their eyes. Then share it.

Sarena G, Environmental Educator and Mom

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ARKive and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) have partnered to celebrate this year’s Environmental Education (EE) Week.  The largest celebration of environmental education in America, EE Week strives to connect people to nature through a new theme each year. This year’s theme is ‘Taking Technology Outdoors’ and we’ve organized a fantastic list of guest bloggers who are using ARKive outside to connect their students and children to nature. Be sure to visit the ARKive blog every day this week for a new guest blogger with an inspirational story.

Here to share a little more background on EE Week and more ways to get involved this week is Sarah, the Education Program Coordinator at NEEF:

It’s spring, and as the weather begins to warm, thoughts turn to outdoor activities. In today’s era of tech gadgets and global connectivity, there are new and exciting ways to connect young people with the wildlife in their communities.

Join National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) for Greening STEM: Taking Technology Outdoors, April 14-20, 2013 and explore how technology can enhance environmental learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Hosted by the National Environmental Education Foundation, EE Week is the largest celebration of environmental education in the United States held each year the week before Earth Day and inspires environmental learning and stewardship.

In 2012, EE Week kicked off a multi-year Greening STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiative on the important role the environment plays in engaging students in STEM learning and helping them solve 21st century challenges.

The environment provides a gateway to STEM learning through hands-on, real-world projects on topics like energy efficiency and resource conservation that incorporate all four pillars of STEM.

Research indicates that 77% of teachers in the US believe using technology in the classroom increases student motivation to learn, while 75% of 1,900 surveyed educators in the US said students who spend regular time outdoors tend to be more creative and better problem-solvers.

View and share NEEF’s new infographic ’Tech & Our Planet’ inspired by this year’s EE Week theme:

Providing students with opportunities to connect with and learn about nature through technology can also mean improved workforce readiness: in the US, STEM jobs are expected to increase by 20.6% between 2008 and 2018, compared to 10.1% for all other jobs, and 71% of STEM jobs will be within the technology field.

Connect with EE Week on Facebook and Twitter to learn more, and join us for a Tweet Chat on Greening STEM starting on April 15 at 1 PM ET, using the hashtag #EEWeek. And be sure to visit the ARKive blog each day for a new inspirational story on how teachers and parents are ‘Taking Technology Outdoors’ with ARKive!

Sarah Kozicki, Education Program Coordinator, National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)

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ARKive is proud to partner with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), an organization dedicated to connecting kids and adults alike with environmental knowledge that can improve the quality of their lives and the health of the planet. Every year, NEEF spearheads Environmental Education (EE) Week – the largest celebration of environmental education in the US. This year’s theme is ‘Taking Technology Outdoors’ which is a perfect opportunity to explore all the ways that the ARKive collection can be used to inspire and enhance connections with the natural world.

The ARKive team has come up with a few fun, extension activities to our free classroom lessons for any adult to use to lead kids on outdoor explorations in their own backyards or local green spaces. The activities can be done with or without the accompanying lesson.

Web of Wildlife (7-11 year olds)

Photograph your local food chain. In this activity, kids spend time outdoors trying to locate different types of food sources. They take a picture of each food item they find including grass, acorns and even small critters that are food for birds and other animals. Kids then create a poster using print-outs of the food source pictures and drawings of other species that rely on those food sources. Using lessons learned in the Web of Wildlife activity and using ARKive as a resource, kids can draw lines between food sources and species to illustrate the local food web.

Biodiversity Hospital (11-14 year olds)

Be a conservation photographer. A conservation photographer has the ability to capture an environmental story in a single image. In this activity, kids play the role of conservation photographers and try to capture, in one image, any conservation threats in their hometown. The photograph should speak for itself and taking on the role of a ‘doctor’, the kids should try to prescribe a solution to the problem. They then take turns showing their picture to friends and family who try to identify the conservation threat and potential remedies.

Species Discovery (7-11 & 11-14 year olds)

Catch new-to-you species on film. Using a smartphone with a video recording feature, trek outdoors and help kids to capture any species that are new to them on camera. From city-dwelling birds to local flower species they may have never noticed before, kids log their findings on camera and then explore the ARKive site to find a species that closely matches their discoveries. Kids should try to identify the features that are similar whether its color, beak shape, etc. Choosing one of the species they caught on camera, kids can get creative by thinking of their own scientific name for it.

NEEF guest bloggers

We also have an exciting line-up of guest bloggers who will be appearing on the ARKive blog during EE Week to share their adventures with the activities above and other ways they’ve used ARKive and technology to get kids outside. Our friends from NEEF will be kicking things off for us next Monday!

If you are interested in joining in the ARKive/EE Week celebrations by doing one of the above activities, feel free to share a short paragraph on your experience and a picture with us at education@wildscreenusa.org. We’ll in turn publish your story in an ARKive blog at the end of EE Week sharing it with thousands of readers in the US and beyond.

Happy Outdoor Exploration!

Liana Vitali, ARKive Education & Outreach Manager, Wildscreen USA

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It’s National Wildlife Week in America and a perfect excuse for us to comb the ARKive collection for species in support of this year’s theme, ‘Branching Out for Wildlife’ – celebrating trees and their importance to wildlife and people.

Trees are essential for species survival around the world. They provide vital habitat for species in nearly every category from mushrooms to mammals and everything in between. Their leaves clean the air we breathe and their wood provides invaluable ecosystem services to humans. Basically, we just couldn’t survive without them!

We thought we’d showcase some of our favorite images on ARKive featuring species ‘branching out’ in their own ways. Take a look; you might be surprised at some of the species on our list!

Ring-tailed clinger

You may have spotted a Northern raccoon scampering around the forest floor but this species is actually right at home climbing in and around the limbs of trees. For a more classic image of raccoons and trees, take a look at these cuties.

Leg-less limb lounger

Did you know that some snakes could climb trees? Snakes like this red-sided garter snake are able to slither their way up trunks and limbs to avoid predators or, in this case, to escape from a pining male suitor.

Fir-climbing feline

You’ve probably heard the story of the little house kitty that got stuck up in the tree, right? Well, the far distant cousin of the house cat, the Canada lynx, has no problem ambling up and around the trees in its native habitat. On the ground, these cats rely on fallen trees, among other shrubbery, for cozy bedding.

Pine tree pecker

No collection of tree-dwelling species would be complete without a woodpecker which uses its powerful beak to ‘peck’ holes into tree trunks to create a home. Woodpeckers like this pileated woodpecker are especially important to the woodland ecosystems since vacated woodpecker homes provide essential shelter for other species such as owls, bats and swifts.

Branching bear

While the large claws of the brown bear are better suited for digging rather than tree climbing, it certainly doesn’t stop this opportunistic feeder from climbing up a trunk or two for a meal.

Can you think of other American species that require trees to live? Why not do some exploring around the Wisconsin’s Northwoods or the Eastern deciduous forest of the US. Shout out your favorite species in the comments below and include a link to the species on ARKive so we can learn together!

Liana Vitali, ARKive Education and Outreach Manager, Wildscreen USA

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