BirdSleuth K-12
BirdSleuth K-12 creates innovative resources that build science skills while inspiring young people to connect to local habitats, explore biodiversity, and engage in citizen science projects. With an inquiry-based approach to science curriculum, kids are engaged in scientific study and real data collection throught the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s exciting citizen science projects.
Building a Bat House
Building a bat house is a great way to help these threatened animals. Once you’ve built your bat house, identified suitable habitat to install it, and it is successfully inhabited, join WDNR’s roost monitoring project. Through this project you can let bat researchers know about what kinds of bats inhabit your bat house, and how many bats you get each year.
*Supports Wisconsin Bat Program
International Crane Foundation Activity Packets
Activity packets for ages preschool through high school, along with select activities in Spanish, for use in your classroom. Packets include information about cranes and a variety of activities.
*Supports Annual Midwest Crane Count
Ladybug Learning
Ladybug biology, biodiversity, conservation, and sampling are addressed. Younger students contruct replicas of ladybug life stages out of recycled materials and learn about ladybug diversity playing “ladybug bingo”. Older children play food web and ladybug sampling games. The core of the Lost Ladybug Project, where we actually go outside to search, is the same for both age groups. The toolkits allow for two collecting trips to two habitats for comparison, and then submission of data on the Lost Ladybug website.
Project NOAH
Project Noah was created to provide people of all ages with a simple, easy-to-use way to share their experiences with wildlife. By encouraging your students to share their observations and contribute to Project Noah missions, you not only help students to reconnect with nature, you provide them with real opportunities to make a difference.
Squirrel Mapper
Students will learn to identify squirrels and begin to record data on the types of squirrels found around them. The students will then be able to record their data on the Squirrel Mapper website and view the observations of people in other locations. This activity can also be used to show how the environment (and humans!) can be used to select which organisms are most “successful”, based on their characteristics.