In Tucson, most kids are doing online classes right now which puts a damper on the Museum’s outreach programs and field trips. Like others, the Museum has had to adjust to the way things currently are so museum educators have started offering virtual live animal encounters that teachers can add to their curriculum.
The live animal encounters are 30 minutes long and include an interactive meet and greet with three of the museum’s live animals. Students may meet a box turtle, Russian tortoise, ball python, desert kingsnake, hedgehog or bearded dragon. They may even get to meet everyone’s favorite, Wilbur the Museum Bunny! (You can follow him on his own Facebook page too – @WilburtheMuseumBunny)
Not only does this get the kids excited about seeing live animals, it gets them learning too! During each live animal encounter, they learn about the animal’s adaptations, habitat, predator-prey relationship and conservation issues.
Live animal encounters only cost $25 for the whole class, but many schools still struggle with the cost. Thanks to a donation from a museum member, many of these classes are being offered on a scholarship that covers the cost of the class for the school. If you would like to donate a class or more, just visit https://thewildlifemuseum.org/ and click on the Donate button. In the Notes section, you can write that you are donating to cover a Live Animal Encounter. And since everything is virtual, live animal encounters can be done anywhere in the U.S.! We thank you for your support!
