Uses Birds to Teach Core Curriculum
Flying WILD’s focus on migratory birds is designed to inspire young people to discover more about the natural world. It encourages middle school students to get involvedd in activities that promote environmental learning and stewardship. The Flying WILD program places special emphasis on reaching urban schools with student populations that traditionally receive few opportunities to participate in environmental education initiatives. However, activities can be used with multiple age levels in multiple settings.
Provides Teachers with Educational Tools and Partnerships
By providing teachers with educational tools and partnerships, the Flying WILD program encourages the integration of bird education and conservation activities into the school curriculum in an engaging, successful, and academically purposeful manner. In addition to Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds, Flying WILD offers training for educators to implement the program in their schools. This approach empowers teachers, students, school administrators, and community organizations to tap into the services and resources provided by the network of bird experts, bird organizations, and environmental professionals assisting with the Flying WILD initiative.
Expands Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) Celbrations
Expanding the efforts of International Migratory Bird Day celebrations, the Flying WILD School Bird Festival allows young people to come together with environmental experts, local businesses, and community organizations to learn and teach about birds and their conservation needs. Students lead hands-on activities, create educational exhibits, host art displays, and stage performance-learning activities designed to run smoothly in a festival setting. As a venue for showcasing their school and community service projects about migratory bird conservation, the festival also provides an occasion for students to reflect upon and celebrate their accomplishments.
For more information, check out the International Migratory Bird Day website.
About the Flying WILD Curriculum Guide
Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds provides comprehensive, quality bird education. The main purpose of the guide is to provide activities that teach middle-school students about birds, their migration, and what people can do to help birds and their habitats. The guide’s many activities can be used to teach classroom lessons or to initiate. service-learning projects that help birds and their habitats. The guide also provides information on how to implement a bird festival.
You can receive a copy of Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds by attending and successfully completing a Flying WILD Educator Training.
The guide also provides simple suggestions and practical how-to steps…
- planning ahead to meet the public’s needs
- organizing your festival stations
- fund-raising ideas (before and during the festival)
- building publicity
- creating educational exhibits
- hosting art displays
- staging performances
- program follow up
- stewardship activities as a next step
- program evaluation
- acknowledging students and volunteers
What is a Flying WILD Bird Festival?
A Flying WILD Bird Festival is an opportunity to bring people together to celebrate one of the world’s most valuable resources—birds! A bird festival is a fun-filled way to teach bird-biology, ecological concepts, and environmental stewardship. Also, a Flying WILD Bird Festival encourages hands-on participation and provides opportunities for students to take leadership roles.
The bird festival can be what you want it to be. It can feature one type of bird or dozens of birds. In addition to activities, the festival can include educational games, lectures, live bird demonstrations, and bird walks. It can celebrate wildlife in your community and at the same time raise awareness about the remarkable journeys that many species of migratory birds undertake each year—traveling thousands of miles, crossing oceans and mountain ranges, and skirting skyscrapers—on their way to and from wintering and breeding grounds.