Green Mountain
Audubon Center
Huntington, VT
Friends of the Forest Birds Program
The Friends of Forest Birds Program is a collaborative effort between the Green Mountain Audubon Center
and partner classroom teachers and schools. The program is offered over a five month period, January to May and uses
birds as a high-interest topic to focus interdisciplinary, standards-based units in science,
math, reading, and writing for local 3rd grade students. Visits to the schools by Audubon
teacher-naturalists are designed to provide students with an intensive 2-hour series of hands-on
lessons both indoors and outside on a different forest bird related topic each month. Classes
also visit the Center for a field trip at the end of the program in May. Resource kits full of
Audubon plush birds, books, games, student friendly field guides and binoculars are loaned to
participating schools for the 5 month period. Between Audubon visits, classroom teachers are
encouraged to use these resources and are given support to integrate study of Vermont birds
into their teaching in the way that best suites their interests and needs. Examples include
taking students outside weekly for bird walks, conducting inquiry-based experiments on bird
adaptations, making observations and collecting data in journals, and using a PowerPoint
presentation on Vermont bird species to practice technology and speaking skills. To best meet
student needs, classroom teachers and Audubon Vermont staff stay in close contact throughout the
Program.
Friends of Forest Birds, now in its fourth year, has introduced students, teachers and parents
to Vermont's forest birds, their habitats, and their conservation needs. It has inspired teachers
and students to take an active role to help birds in their community and in their schoolyards.
Many classes even participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count each year! We have helped to increase
student and teacher comfort levels with learning outdoors and have developed enduring partnerships
between the Center and local Vermont Schools. We are hoping to double the number of schools served
through this program in the coming years.Learn more »
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Constitution Marsh
Audubon Center & Sanctuary
Cold Spring, NY
Eagles on the Hudson Program
During the heart of winter, Constitution Marsh Audubon Center & Sanctuary has taken advantage of a steadily increasing population of Bald Eagles to provide fourth, fifth, and sixth graders with a powerful learning experience. Several weeks before students visit the center, Audubon educators conduct a classroom visit to teach eagle basics and conservation issues. This prepares students and chaperones for the field trip. When the groups arrive at the sanctuary, they learn to use binoculars and spotting scopes, then bundle up and hike out to a bluff overlooking Constitution Marsh and the adjacent Hudson River. From there, everyone is able to observe bald eagles in the wild, see their striking beauty and learn about them through first-hand experiences. The program attempts to provide a glimpse into the wild side of the Hudson Valley, and a sense of place through direct observation of wildlife. Similar field trips are offered to the general public as well.
Learn more »
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