Engaging Youth

We provide free downloadable resources  for elementary grade teachers.  They are organized by grade level.

Teacher’s Loaner Kit for Grades 3-5

Elementary grade teachers and home school teachers within Orange County, CA can customize and deliver a program to their students by borrowing a free loaner kit.  The program is aligned with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards for grades 3-5 and is also beneficial for EL students.  Kits are loaned out for two weeks and can be reserved by contacting Marilyn Walter at coyotegita@cox.net.

Valued at over $2,000, this kit contains bird taxidermy, a powerpoint, bird skulls, reading books, posters, illustrative wood samples and a bounty of engaging student materials that include use of language arts, math and art, and a charming song for kids to learn. But that’s not all. Fun materials and resources for a field trip are included.

Earn an Embroidered Patch from Our Mascot, Mr. Edison

We proudly name him after the Southern California Edison Company which funded him. Any youngster who studies a dead tree can earn this delightful iron-on, embroidered patch by emailing  observations, sketches and/or photos to: gillian.martin@cavityconservation.com

To receive a patch, please be sure to include your full name and mailing address!

To purchase patches please go to our Nature Store.

Special Events

We participate in a number of community events throughout the year to engage youngsters in learning about the importance of dead trees to cavity-nesting birds. Our unique collection of games and interactive tools are fun for kids and make information memorable.  These events also provide teaching opportunities for “naturalists in training.”

Resources

Grades 3-5

Write A Diamante Poem About These Beetles (PDF, 310 KB)
Write A Last Will And Testament For A Dying Tree (53 KB)
Woodpecker Poem / Activity Sheet (Word DOCX, 1.8 MB)
Natural and Artificial Cavities Help Cavity-Nesting Birds (PDF, 610 KB)
Birds Help with Insect Management (PDF, 290 KB)
Create a Poster of the Hidden Life of a Dying Tree (PDF, 520 KB)
Tree Products/Activity Sheet For Children (Word DOCX, 500 KB)
Competition Compensation Consequences (PDF, 470 KB)

Grades 6-8

The Value of Fire to Healthy Ecosystems Activity (PDF, 330 KB)
Raising the Curtain on Wildfire
Why Do Birds Matter? Activity Sheet (PDF, 300 KB)
To Box or Not To Box (PDF, 280 KB)
Be a Nature Journalist (PDF, 460 KB)
Scientists Wonder Why (PDF, 170 KB)
What if? (PDF, 530 KB)
Fungi and Wildlife Relationships Illustration PDF, (710 KB)
Write a Diamante Poem about these Beetles (PDF, 310 KB)
How to Draw a Woodpecker (Word DOCX, 310 KB)
Competition Compensation Consequences (PDF, 470 KB)

Materials and Activities for Youth Related to Woodpeckers

Scientists Wonder Why (PDF, 170 KB)
Be a Nature Journalist (Word DOCX, 1.8 MB)
Design a Woodpecker Postage Stamp (Word DOCX, 15 KB)
Word Search Woodpeckers (PDF, 210 KB)
Woodpecker Poem / Activity Sheet for Children (Word DOCX, 1.8 MB)
How to Draw a Woodpecker (Word DOCX, 310 KB)
Woodpecker Paper Craft Toy (Word DOCX, 370 KB)

Field Trip Materials

Dead Trees and Downed Wood Observations (PDF, 190 KB)
Journalist for Park Field Trip (PDF, 90 KB)
Snag Inventory Spread Sheets for Student Field Study (Excel XLSX, 14 KB)

Books and Publications for Youth

A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer
Around One Log by Anthony D. Fredericks
A Grand Old Tree by Mary Newell Depalma
One Small Place In a Tree by Barbara Brenner
The Tree In The Ancient Forest by Carol Reed-Jones
Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Swallows In The Birdhouse by Stephen R. Swinburne
Woodpecker Wham by April Pulley Sayre