Environmental Education at Deer Flat
Useful
links for educators
Educational
Programs
Planning
a field trip to the refuge? Inviting refuge
staff to present an environmental education program in your classroom?
Choose from one of the
following prepared programs, or ask if we can develop a program
tailored to fit your needs. Download
an Educational Programs or Traveling
Trunks flyer or browse through available programs below. All
programs are correlated with Idaho Achievement
Standards in Science.
Programs are also available
for Girl and
Boy Scouts.
After selecting a program,
contact us at 467-9278 to
schedule your program. We recommend that you make arrangements
as early as possible to insure that your visit will
fit in the schedule.
Available
programs
Refuge
Orientation (30 minutes)
A brief orientation to Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge and the
National Wildlife
Refuge System. Includes an 11 minute video. Can be modified
for use in grades K-12.
Guided
Habitat Walk (45-60 minutes)
Discover wildlife and wildlife habitat during a guided walk along
the Nature Trail. The half-mile trail winds through a sagebrush
grassland and along a riparian forest and the lake's edge. A trail
brochure is also available for groups to guide themselves on the
trail. Can be modified for use in grades K-12.
All
About Owls (Grades 2-8; 45-90 minutes)
Idaho is famous for its birds of prey. Explore the unique adaptations
of nocturnal birds of prey and dissect owl pellets to learn what
they eat. This trunk includes a mounted barn owl, displays to explain
owl wings and eyes, a great-horned owl skull, books and a video
about owls, as well as pellets for students to dissect. Also available
to check out as a Traveling Trunk!
Animal
Camouflage (Grades 2-10; 30-45 minutes)
From arctic hares to sand spiders to leafy sea dragons, learn how
animals hide and hunt by blending into their surroundings. Lesson
is adaptable for a variety of grades. Programs for older groups
discuss the more technical aspects of camouflage (e.g., chemical
camouflage).
Animal
Olympics (Grades 1-6; 45-60 minutes)
Animals can perform amazing feats of Olympic proportions! Can you
jump as high as a mule deer, hold your breath as long as a sperm
whale, or flap your “wings” as fast as a hummingbird? Kids compare
their skills to those of animals through this physically-active
lesson.
Bird
Beaks (Grades 3-9; 45-60 minutes)
Birds use their beaks as tools for many tasks. Conduct hands-on
experiments to explore why birds have different kinds of beaks.
Includes eight experimental beak kits, a variety of bird skulls,
and a book about birds and their beaks. Also available to check
out as a Traveling Trunk!
Discover Wildlife
Journeys Field Trip (Grades 4-6)--Bus
Scholarships Are Available!
Starting in Fall
2010, the Refuge is offering a new field trip called Discover
Wildlife Journeys. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are
invited to participate in this new field trip to discover the Lake
Lowell ecosystem at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. You and
your students will learn outside with trained naturalists through
hands-on, inquiry-based experiences...and have fun splashing around
in Lake Lowell!
Schedule a field trip and you will receive Student
Workbooks (PDF file larger than 500 kb) with pre- and post-visit
activities correlated with 4th, 5th,
and 6th grade Idaho Standards for science, math, and language
arts. This field trip will be offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays in fall 2010 and spring 2011. To register, 208-467-9278
or deerflat@fws.gov.
Friends of Deer Flat Wildlife
Refuge offers a Teacher Support Scholarship to help defray the
cost of bussing students to the refuge. Download information
about the bus scholarship and an application.
Ecosystems
Alive! (Grades 2-7; 60 minutes)
If you had a magic wand, would you get rid of mosquitoes? How about
snakes? Students learn about habitats, food webs, and ecosystems
as they come to understand why all wildlife – small and large, liked
and disliked – are important for a healthy ecosystem.
Fish! (Grades
K-3; 20-30 minutes)
Introductory lesson to the world of fish. What makes a fish a fish?
What is the difference between a fish and a mammal? Learn how fish
survive, where they prefer to live, what they eat, and how they
catch their food. Also find out about some native and exotic fish
that live in 
southwest
Idaho. Also available to check out as a Traveling
Trunk!
Highways
in the Sky (Grades 1-8; 45-60
minutes)
What bird migrates 30,000 miles each year? How many McDonald’s hamburgers
would a person have to eat to store as much fat as a migrating shorebird?
Learn fascinating facts about wildlife migrations and the Pacific
Flyway – a highway in the sky for migrating birds over Southwest
Idaho.
Jaws
& Levers (Grades 4-9; 30 minutes)
Simple machines
are everywhere, even in nature! Explore the physics of mammal jaws
and the functions of different classes of levers, as well as the
biology of wolves and coyotes. Includes different types of levers
and tools, a coyote skull, display panels and a book about wolves.
Also available to check out as a Traveling
Trunk!
Lessons
from the Lorax (Grades 1-5; 45-60 minutes)
Learn about conservation through literature. Discover the importance
of trees to people and wildlife through Dr Seuss’ “The Lorax.” Students
explore how human choices impact wildlife and how they can be good
land stewards by making responsible choices to help wildlife.
National
Wildlife Refuge System (Grades 2-12, 45-60 minutes)
Explore the National Wildlife Refuge System with this interactive
program. Students learn about the largest system of public lands
designated for wildlife and take a closer look at critters from
Maine to Hawaii and every region in between.
Scat
and Tracks (Grades 3-9; 30-50 minutes)
Budding biologists learn about animal sign while practicing critical
thinking, comparing, memorizing, and observing skills. This lesson
challenges students to use knowledge of an animal’s lifestyle and
size to identify its scat and tracks. Includes artificial scat and
tracks to use in the activities, as well as books about scat and
tracks. Also available to check out as a Traveling
Trunk!
Suitcase for
Survival (Grades 3-12)
Take a closer look at species you wouldn’t normally think about.
From elephant ivory to giant python skins, this trunk examines endangered
species, biodiversity, and the reasons why these species are in
peril. Includes confiscated animal items from all over the world,
as well as books and videos on these vulnerable species and the
niches they inhabit. Available to check out as a Traveling
Trunk!
Touch
Trunk (Grades K-12; 30-60 minutes)
This hands-on investigatory activity is designed to introduce students
to nature and get them thinking about wildlife in their local environment.
The trunk includes animal pelts, skulls, snake skins, feathers,
and more. The trunk can be scheduled alone or in addition to another
program.
Urban Wildlife
(Grades 2-4, 45-60 minutes)
This program was designed especially for 3rd graders as a companion
to the City Wildlife reading unit. Discover the difference between
wild and domesticated animals. Learn which animals live in the city
and how they have adapted to urban life.
Waterfowl
Conservation and the Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest (Grades
K-12)
We visit your classroom with a 30-45 minute introduction to waterfowl
and wetland conservation. What a great way to begin a larger unit
on waterfowl conservation based on the Federal
Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program (curriculum
available online). This program uses art to engage students
in learning about waterfowl, culminating in a state-wide Jr. Duck
Stamp Art Contest! Every entrant receives a certificate.
Wetlands' Wonders
(Grades 2-4; 45-60 minutes)
How is a wetland like a pillow? Like a bar of soap? Like a zoo?
Students identify metaphors for wetland functions and learn about
the ecology of local wetlands wildlife.
