Each student participating in the Junior Wildlife Scientist program receives a nature notebook full of activities for her/his grade level.

The JWS nature notebook for each grade level provides:

• Fun, hands-on, inquiry-based activities that students can participate in outdoors, and
• Grade-level appropriate vocabulary reviewed by a collaborator team of certified teachers, and
• Activities that were tested and improved by a team of certified teachers who piloted the activities with their students.

The JWS activities:

• Are developed around specific Alabama Department of Education’s Course of Study life science standards,
• Provide opportunities to integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities with English-language arts, and
• Follow a progression of educational topics and skills that build on the grade before it.

In each JWS nature notebook, you will find the types of activities listed below. A calendar for completing all of the activities within the school year will also be provided for each grade level.

What Does a(n) “___-ologist” Do?
In each grade, the students will accomplish a new Certification Level in the Junior Wildlife Scientist Program. For instance, at the end of the school year, kindergarteners will complete Level 1 to become a Junior Wildlife Scientist: Biologist (see the certification levels below).

The “What Does a(n) “___-ologist” Do?” activities for each grade introduce the students to the JWS Program as they discuss what a biologist, zoologist, entomologist, etc. does for a living, including what types of living things s/he studies, using terms that the students can understand.

Junior Wildlife Scientist Pledge
After completing the “What Does an “___-ologist Do?” activity, the students then take the Junior Wildlife Scientist pledge for their grade. Each pledge includes a list of rules that the students promise to follow to become a Junior Wildlife Scientist Biologist for K, Zoologist for 1st, etc.
This activity provides the perfect opportunity to re-introduce the students to your schoolyard habitat each year and review your outdoor classroom rules before participating in more activities throughout the school year.

Sensory Observations
We recommend that students participate in the sensory / observations activity next after completing the Junior Wildlife Scientist to

• help the students feel comfortable in the outdoors,
• remind students to use all of their senses as they make observations, and
• help them learn how to record their observations.

Field Investigations
The Field Investigation activities are most often REQUIRED for students to earn specific badges.

These activities were created to meet specific Alabama Department of Education life science standards.

They provide hands-on learning opportunities that re-enforce educational topics the teachers are already teaching indoors as the students collect their observations and data in their schoolyard habitat and outdoor classroom.

STEAM Activities
The STEAM activities allow students to use science, technology, engineering, art, and math to design new wildlife species, models of life cycles, biological processes, and ecosystems.

Wonders of Wildlife
The Wonders of Wildlife activities allow students to learn about physical and behavioral adaptations of animals native to Alabama.

These activities highlight wildlife species that are most often misunderstood and feared by people. Students have the opportunity to describe and assess their feelings about the species before and after researching it.

Dig Into Plants
The Dig Into Plants activities highlight the flora native to Alabama. Students learn about the important role native plants play as they provide valuable habitat for native wildlife and as they provide a vital source of energy for all living things in our ecosystems.

Weather & Season Observations
The Weather & Season Observations help students learn how to record their weather observations, collect data from weather instruments, compile historical weather data, graph the weather data, and use the data to predict future weather patterns.

Scavenger Hunts
The Scavenger Hunts provide opportunities for students to explore the outdoors and practice their observation skills as they search for shapes in nature, plants, animals, or animal behavior.

Alabama Ecology
Alabama Ecology teaches students about Alabama’s natural biodiversity including its native plants and animals and about the geography of Alabama including its waterways and ecoregions.

Explore Outdoors
Explore Outdoors educates students about local places where they can explore Alabama’s outdoors on public city, county, state and federal lands.

“I think each year you expose kids to the outdoors with such fun activities, you are building the knowledge of why we should be taking care of all outdoor life.” – JWS Pilot Program School Teacher