Project Wild

What is Project WILD?

Project WILD is one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education programs among educators of students in kindergarten through high school. It is based on the premise that young people and educators have a vital interest in learning about our natural world. Emphasizing wildlife because of its intrinsic value, Project WILD addresses the need for human beings to develop as responsible citizens of our planet.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is the Maine sponsor of this award-winning program. Workshops are offered to teachers and other educators interested in integrating wildlife and conservation education into their daily lesson plans. Through 2007, over 7,200 educators had enthusiastically participated in over 310 WILD workshops throughout Maine. Check out the National Project WILD website at: www.projectwild.org

Project WILD is a set of 100 multidisciplinary wildlife and conservation activities targeted at grades K-12. Project WILD is currently used in all 50 states and internationally, and is sponsored by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Activity guides are available upon completion of a 6-hour teacher workshop, which is full of hands-on activity participation, background information on Maine wildlife, with a variety of handouts, posters and prizes.

WILD K-12 activities are organized around a conceptual framework addressing these major themes:

Awareness and appreciation of wildlife
Human values and wildlife
Wildlife and ecological systems
Cultural/social interaction with wildlife
Wildlife issues and trends
Alternatives and consequences
Wildlife, ecological systems and responsible human actions.

Project WILD is designed to prepare young people for decisions affecting people, wildlife and their shared home - earth.

Project WILD Goal: To assist learners of any age in developing awareness, knowledge, skills and commitment to result in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment, upon which all life depends.

Project WILD activities are correlated to the original Maine Learning Results in math, science, language arts, social studies and visual/performing arts and are available at: www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlinks.htm or to participating workshop teachers in CD format.

Project WILD activity guides are available to classroom teachers, outdoor educators and youth leaders only after completing a six-hour teacher workshop.

Peoject WILD Aquatic Logo

Project WILD Aquatic

Project WILD Aquatic is a set of 40 multidisciplinary wildlife and conservation activities targeted at grades K-12, and focusing on aquatic habitats and wildlife. Hands-on activities take a closer look at whales, wetlands, turtles, salmon, invertebrates, marine/freshwater environments and more! A program currently used in all 50 states and internationally, Project WILD in Maine is sponsored by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Activity guides will be available upon full comopletion of the workshop session, which is full of active participation, background information on Maine wildlife, and a variety of handouts, posters and prizes.

Is Project WILD Aquatic for you?

Do you want an introduction to wetlands, Atlantic salmon, whales, turtles, water cycles, and more?
Are you personally interested in the wildlife that lives in freshwater and ocean habitats?
Do you need activities relating to water and wildlife?

Then Project WILD Aquatic is for you!

Growing Up WILD

Growing Up WILD is a resource that will be invaluable for early childhood professionals. With growing recognition of the need for young children to spend time outdoors, this guide provides practical suggestions for planning activities that are developmentally appropriate and includes all educational domains. Developed with the vision of changing the culture of early childhood education to embrace learning in the outdoors, Growing Up WILD is the first nationally distributed early childhood professional development program and activity guide that integrates environmental education into the early childhood curriculum.

The layout of the guide is very appealing, with colorful graphics and well-organized information. References to NAEYC Accreditation, Head Start domains and developmentally appropriate practices provide an important link for professionals in quality early childhood programs.

The activity guide Growing Up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children is an award winning publication, recognized for its contribution in the effort to connect young children to nature. Growing Up WILD’s network has grown to include 39 state sponsors and 23 training partners who are collectively reaching out to early childhood educators representing private child care organizations, Head Start, preschools, Montessori schools, home childcare providers, after-school leaders, and non-formal environmental education centers. http://www.projectwild.org/growingupwild

Growing Up WILD demonstrates through its materials and training programs how early childhood learning objectives can be reached through use of the outdoors and nature-themed activities combined with art, music, and play. It also builds the confidence of early childhood educators to lead outdoor explorations by providing ready-made activities, easily digestible background information, and high quality personal training programs.

Flying WILD

Flying WILD's focus on migratory birds is designed to inspire young people to discover more about the natural world. It encourages higher elementary and middle school students to get involved in activities that promote environmental learning and stewardship.

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, helping 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.

A Flying WILD School Bird Festival allows young people to come together with conservation experts, local businesses, and community organizations to learn and teach about birds. Students lead hands-on activities, create educational exhibits, host art displays, and stage performances-learning activities designed to run smoothly in a festival setting.
http://www.flyingwild.org/index.htm

Flying WILD Bird Trunk

Flying WILD, a program of the Council for Environmental Education, introduces students to bird conservation through standards-based classroom activities and environmental stewardship projects. Flying WILD encourages schools to work closely with conservation organizations, community groups, and businesses involved with birds to implement school bird festivals and bird conservation projects.

WILD School Sites

What can we do for wildlife?

What can we do to improve our environment?

How can we create a place for learning where our actions benefit wildlife?

Guide your students to take responsible action and improve their communities for people and wildlife, beginning on the school grounds.
Inventory your site for plants and wildlife.
Review your mapping skills.
Create detailed maps of the different components of your school site.
Plan successful wildlife habitat enhancement projects that complement integrated learning for all grade levels.

A wildlife tracking plot, a tree plantation, a groundwater monitoring station, a butterfly garden, a weather center, an archeological plot, a plant nursery or arboretum, nesting boxes and more!

Project WILD is outstanding teacher workshops. 99% of participants report that Basic, Aquatic and School Site workshops are either excellent or good.

WILD LINKS: Activity correlations to Maine Learning Results in math, science, language arts, social studies and visual/performing arts are available. Visit the web site for the links to over 140 Project WILD activities.

WILD LINKS was developed by Maine classroom teacher consultants in partnership with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and funded by an Outdoor Heritage Grant. Look for TREE LINKS (Project Learning Tree) and WET LINKS (Project WET) in book form.

The Project WILD activity guides are available only when you participate in a Project Wild Workshop. Realizing that a workshop may not be available at a time or date that you can participate, all of the current activity guides have been placed in the Maine State Library, and are available to borrow via their system. If you wish to borrow a guide to use as a reference, please contact the Maine State Library directly at: http://www.maine.gov/msl/ or 287-5600.

http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163030~S14 Project WILD: K-12 curriculum & activity guide
http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163029~S14 Project WILD Aquatic: K-12 curriculum & activity guide
http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163028~S14 Growing up WILD: exploring nature with young children, ages 3-7
http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163031~S14 Flying Wild: an educator's guide to celebrating birds
http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163033~S14 Taking Action: an educator's guide to involving students in environmental action projects
http://ursus.maine.edu/record=b5163032~S14 Wild School Sites: a guide to preparing for habitat improvement projects on school grounds

Project WILD

Please Note: Project WILD Basic, Aquatic, Wild School Sites, Growing Up WILD, and Flying WILD Teacher Workshop fees are $25 per person.

include background information about Maine's wildlife and natural resources,
provide hands-on WILD experience with activities that address every subject and skill area, and
assist participants with integration of WILD activities into their curriculums.

WILD workshops are conducted on a statewide basis by trained volunteer facilitators. Workshops are scheduled year round at a variety of locations.

A workshop can be scheduled for an entire school district, an individual school, as a part of college methods courses, at conferences; on in-service days, professional days, early-release days, weekends or during vacations.

WILD workshops are designed so teachers become familiar with the activities and their multidisciplinary use in the classroom.

Teachers actively participate in a wide array of WILD activities
learn of other Maine conservation education resources
receive current wildlife information and teaching updates
learn how Project WILD is linked to the Maine State Learning Results

For more information, contact: Lisa Kane, Project WILD Coordinator Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 284 State St. 41 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 (207) 557-0118 or email Lisa Kane. For more information on a National level please visit www.projectwild.org.

Teachers say that Project WILD is:

Easy to use.
Adaptable to various time frames, activity sites, and subject areas,
Fun and exciting.
Easily integrated with other subjects.
Full of activities that can be done in class, the schoolyard, nearby parks, or on field trips.
Highly adaptable to different grade levels, student populations and learning styles.
Active learning for all students.
A catalyst for other initiatives and extension activities.
Responsible action.
Students start to see that care and responsibility have meaning.
Wildlife information is presented in layman's language, and is not overwhelming.
Untrained science teachers immediately receive usable information, skills, and activities.
Teachers enjoy using Project WILD, finding the wildlife and conservation information stimulating to them as adults and enthusiastically received by their students.
Teachers give high praise to Project WILD's 'learning by doing' orientation to workshops and report reaching all students at all ability levels with Project WILD.

Spring 2013 Project WILD workshops

Growing Up Wild
Leader: Linda Woodard
When: Tuesday March 12
Time: 3:30pm - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maine Audubon in Falmouth
Fee: $25
To Register: contact Linda Woodard at 207-781-2330 ex 213 or lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
Deadline to register: Tuesday March 5
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop
Participants will receive the Growing Up Wild and Resource Guide: Exploring Nature with Young Children Ages 3-7, correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains, as well as wildlife posters, handouts and door prizes! Growing Up Wild is a program of the Council for Environmental Education (CEE)

Growing Up Wild & Winter Ecology
Leader: Linda Woodard, Maine Audubon
When: Friday March 15
Time: 8:30am - 3:30.p.m.
Where: Maine Audubon in Falmouth
Fee: $35
To Register: Linda Woodard at 207-781-2330 ex 213 or lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
Deadline to register: Tuesday March 5
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop
The Winter Ecology session provides an opportunity to explore how plants and animals adapt to the changing seasons. Through outdoor exploration we will locate animal tracks and signs, listen for bird calls, learn about the different properties of snow and look for the awakening of spring. After exploring outside, participants will come indoors where we will discuss Maine’s wildlife and how they adapt to winter. Classroom activities and resource materials will be provided.

Participants will receive the Growing Up Wild and Resource Guide: Exploring Nature with Young Children Ages 3-7, correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains, as well as wildlife posters, handouts and door prizes! Growing Up Wild is a program of the Council for Environmental Education (CEE)

Growing Up Wild
Leader: Linda Woodard
When: Saturday April 6
Time: 9a.m -1.p.m.
Where: Maine Audubon in Falmouth
Fee: $25
To Register: contact Linda Woodard at 207-781-2330 ex 213 or lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
Deadline: Friday March 29
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop
Participants will receive the Growing Up Wild and Resource Guide: Exploring Nature with Young Children Ages 3-7, correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains, as well as wildlife posters, handouts and door prizes! Growing Up Wild is a program of the Council for Environmental Education (CEE)

Project WILD Aquatic
Leader: Linda Woodard
When: Saturday April 13
Time: 9a.m -1.p.m.
Where: Maine Audubon in Falmouth
Fee: $25
To Register: contact Linda Woodard at 207-781-2330 ex 213 or lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
Deadline to register: Friday April 5
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop
Project WILD Aquatic focuses on aquatic habitats and wildlife. Forty hands-on activities for grades K-12 take a closer look at whales, wetlands, turtles, salmon, invertebrates, marine/freshwater environments and more! Participants receive the Aquatic activity guide as well as posters, prizes and supplemental info about aquatic Maine wildlife.

Combined Project Wild Basic & Aquatic
Leader: Lisa Kane, MDIFW Wildlife Educator
When: Friday, April 26
Time: 8:30 am to 4:00pm
Where: Viles Arboretum, 153 Hospital Street, Augusta
Fee: $40 (normally a $50 value!)
To Register: contact Lisa Kane at Lisa.Kane@maine.gov or 557-0118
Deadline to register: Friday, April 19
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop
Please bring your lunch & beverage, (there will not be time to go out and get lunch) dress for the weather and be prepared to go outside.
Participants will receive both the Basic Project WILD activity guide with 100 hands on, multi-disciplinary, K-12 wildlife and conservation activities; as well as the Project WILD Aquatic activity guide, with 40 additional activities that focus on fresh and salt water wildlife and habitats. A variety of Maine-specific wildlife posters, handouts and supplemental materials will be supplied as well. This is a great value! A certificate of 7 contact hours will be provided.

FLYING WILD WORKSHOP
Leaders: Linda Woodard and Patrick Keenan of Biodiversity Research Institute.
When: May 10
Time: 7 a.m. -1 p.m.
Where: Maine Audubon & the Riverpoint Sanctuary (bird banding site just minutes from Maine Audubon)
Fee: $30
To Register: Contact: Linda Woodard at 207-781-2330 ex 213 or lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
Deadline to register: Friday, May 3
Need at least 15 people to run this workshop

The day will start at a bird banding station just minutes from Maine Audubon in Falmouth. Participants will learn about bird banding, migration and research performed by and through Biodiversity Research Institute, along with classroom connections and activities. Participants will receive the Flying WILD activity guide, along with a variety of Maine bird posters, handouts, and supplemental information.

WOODS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE
A model for teaching about Maine’s forests, water and wildlife.
INVITATION TO TEACHERS of GRADES 4-8

Maine’s State Coordinators of Project Learning Tree, Project WET and Project WILD have been awarded an EPA grant to develop a teaching model focused on Maine’s natural resources. Woods, Waters, and Wildlife is a selection of activities from these award-winning resources, offering teachers experiential, field based, interdisciplinary tools for effective lessons.

Pairs of teachers from ten different schools will be selected to pilot the delivery of the model in their classrooms.

Each teacher team will receive:

Instruction and practice in a 1-day workshop including a minimum of 5 PLT, WET and WILD activities each.

Information and coaching from experienced professional leaders in Maine’s natural resources education.

An outline of activity connections to Common Core standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Supplies, posters, books, publications and tools packaged in self-contained totes for easy school storage. Materials included have a value in excess of $800!

A $100 stipend.

Optional 1.5 CEUs. All teachers receive a 15 hour certificate of participation.

Each teacher will commit to:

Full participation in the initial 1-day professional development workshop to be held on Wednesday, June 26 from 9 to 4 at the Leed-built Lake Auburn Water Treatment facility.

Delivery of activities to their class(es) between September and November of 2013.

Full participation in a 3-hour after school wrap up/share session, exact date TBA by participants.

Provide feedback about the program by completing of a pre and post teacher survey.

Preparation of a pre and post student assessment (with assistance from a Maine Curriculum Coordinator).

Deadline for applications is June 3, 2013.

For further information, please contact Pat Maloney directly at 626-7990 or meplt@gwi.net Or fill out the attached registration form and return to:

Patricia Maloney
Maine PLT Coordinator
153 Hospital Street
Augusta, Maine 04330
207 626-7990
www.mainetreefoundation.org
www.plt.org
https://www.facebook.com/MainePLT

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION