Get Up Close and Personal
With Some of Nature's Best Teachers
Why Creatures
as Teachers?
A group of students engaged in lively conversation and antics travels through the Wolf Ridge forest. Suddenly conversation ceases and the group freezes, still as can be. “Look,” someone whispers. We watch a white-tailed deer feeding until it wanders out of sight. The group eagerly begins asking questions. I smile and answer questions, knowing they will continue thinking about this deer encounter, and the ideas discussed, long after we move on.
Behold the power of a live animal!
Research shows that educational animals strengthen both cognitive (head) and affective (heart) messages about the need to conserve habitat and wildlife. In addition to the forests, lakes and streams full of wild mammals, insects, birds, and fish, Wolf Ridge currently has six educational animals. They were previously injured or abandoned and are now rehabilitated but no longer able to survive in the wild. These animals teach a variety of lessons…and they are awesome teachers!
Many of our classes touch on the concept of adaptation. In the raptor program, students meet our raptors – a great horned and a saw-whet owl. They observe adaptations of birds first hand. Wings, feathers, talons, hooked beak, and forward facing eyes are characteristics of raptors in contrast to the flat feet, blunt beak and side facing eyes the see when they meet our education chickens. That’s right, our chickens teach, too.
We incorporate impacts of humans
on wild animals when students meet rehabilitated raptors. Windows or cars are responsible for most of our captive animals’ injuries. Industry impacts wild animals, too. Students learn about the effect of DDT and other chemicals on bald eagles and peregrine falcons.
The current chemical pollutant focus is carbon dioxide – one of the major chemicals involved in global warming. Many wild animals, including porcupines, are changing home ranges because of changes in the climate. Porcupines, for example, are becoming common in northern Minnesota.
Observe secretive animals & dispel myths
When meeting our porcupine, students see us holding it, and we can talk about the myth that they can shoot their quills (they can’t.) We can also observe previously unseen behaviors up close and personal. During the raptor program students watch our merlin fly just over their heads. They watch it bobbing his head to focus on objects – a characteristic of falcons.
Develop a “search image”
How often have you seen porcupines or raptors in the wild? Driving between the Twin Cities and Duluth, you might see several - if you know what to look for. By exposing people to a live animal they become more familiar with it and can more easily recognize and “see” it in natural settings.
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Live animals are among our best teachers. They capture student imaginations and increase motivation to learn. The educational impact of a live animal is hard to duplicate. Whether in the wild or in captivity, animals increase cognitive and affective learning. |
