INTRODUCTION

  Opened in June of 2001, RainForest Adventures is a unique educational facility featuring live animals from around the world.  Focusing primarily on the fragile eco-systems of the world’s rain forests our goal is to introduce students of all ages to the living jewels that are the earth’s natural spaces and motivate them to take action, to learn about, and ultimately help protect our living natural treasures.

"Caring results from understanding"

Pre-Exploration 

Like all good explorations into the unknown a good preparation will ensure a good outcome to the expedition, learning is no different!  One would never even consider climbing Mt. Everest without preparing the necessary items such as food, oxygen, water, tents etc. The same need for preparation applies to your educational-jungle-expedition into the sights and sounds of RainForest Adventures.  The educational staff of RainForest has prepared many interesting and exciting curriculum support materials for your trip. 

Why take this Field Trip?

Your students are naturally curious about plants, animals, and the natural world around them. Teaching them about what they already have an interest in produces great results!  Our exhibits were created with the student in mind; educational signage as well as natural habitats spurs the student’s minds to engage in the experience around them.   

What will the students be exposed to?

Your students will be exposed to biology, ecology, conservation as well as many other aspects of the natural sciences.  Our exhibits as well as animal collection expose your students to virtually every aspect of our planets eco-systems.

What is Before, During & After?

Before, During & After programs were developed to help you prepare your students before their visit with suggested vocabulary words, the during component contains suggested activities while at RainForest and the After aspect of the program will help review all of the materials learned while at the RainForest!

How easy to use are the programs?

All of our programs are developed by grade range to ensure ease of use and applicable material by age range.  You will find the programs extremely self-explanatory.  

How To Use This Program

o       Before, During &After….The Complete RainForest 

• All of the pre-visit activities were produced to assist educators in creating an inquisitive and exciting atmosphere in the classroom prior to your trip to the RainForest.
• K-3 Program will appear in Blue
• 4-8 Program will appear in Green  (Click Here to go to 4-8)
• On-site activities are centered on the many exhibits at the RainForest.  Your students are encouraged to “Scavenger Hunt” for information, record their findings and prepare themselves for future in-class discussions. 
• Suggestions are given to educators to enhance the visit to the RainForest by continuing the field trip in the classroom after you have returned.  Activities such as listing the number of species, drawing of the students favorite animal, etc. all extend the experience and encourage additional learning on the part of the student and the TEACHER!

Animal Chat!  

 Time for a change! Old World Chameleons can change color to blend in with their surroundings; often they will assume the color of the tropical foliage around them. Sometimes this helps with hiding from predators and sometimes this helps them sneak up on their prey items, which are usually bugs!

 Student Question: If you could change colors and not be noticed what would you want to look like and why would you not want to be seen?

Gone Fishing Did you know that several different animals actually go “fishing” to catch their meals!  The Alligator Snapping turtle that lives in the S. E. United States is one of those unique creatures.  The Snapper uses a small worm that is attached to the floor of its mouth to attract fish and other small creatures.  When the turtle wiggles it’s worm the fish come to see what it is…and…. WHAM the Snapper closes its mouth and the fish is a meal. 

Student Question: Have you ever gone fishing?  What type of bait did you use to catch your fish?  If you could catch any fish in the world what would you like to catch?  

We’re related?  The smallest snake in the world (Blind Snakes) is about the size of your pencil when it is full grown, the largest snake in the world (Reticulated Python) is almost as long as a school bus and weighs over 300 pounds when it is full grown.  Some snakes can grow over 8’ per year 

Student Question: If you were as small as a pencil what would you say to your cousin the giant python?  What do you think a snake as small as a pencil eats?  What do you think a snake as long as a school bus eats?  Hint: Its not school buses!  

That’s a big birthday party!  Most snakes lay eggs, but a few give birth to live babies, including our North American Rattlesnakes. Did you know that a snake from Africa, the Puff Adder can give birth to as many as 155 babies at a time?  This is the world record for live births to a single female snake at one time.   

Student Question: What would your birthday party be like if you had 154 brothers and sisters.  Would you like to have to change 155 diapers!  

Conservation or conserving?  The word conserve means to save or preserve.  We are losing much of the earth’s fragile habitats to over development or misuse.  There are many good organizations that are trying to preserve the spaces we have remaining for the plants and animals we share the earth with. 

Student Question: What can you do to help conserve something?  Have you ever been involved in preserving plants or animals?  If you could save one species of animals from extinction what would it be and why? 

Here kitty kitty The Ring-Tailed Lemur from Madagascar can actually meow like a cat and even bark like a dog.  This form of oral communication helps it to warn members of its troop of problems such as predators.  

Student Question: Can you mimic an animal?  Why do you think some animals want to sound like other animals?  

That’s Strong!  Ants are extremely strong for their size, but did you know that most biologists agree that the Goliath Beetle is the world’s strongest animal?  The Goliath Beetle can lift up to 875 times it’s own weight.  That would be the equivalent of an adult man lifting 47 Mini-Vans at once!  

Student Question: If you were strong enough to lift 47 cars what would you want to pick up and why?  

Polly want a cracker? Did you know that most species of parrots and macaws can talk?  They actually mimic the sounds that they hear.  Some species can say up to 80 words, even making sentences out of some of the words.    

Student Question: If you had a pet parrot what would you teach it to say and why? 

Home Sweet Home Did you know that a lion lives in a den?  A Gopher tortoise lives in a burrow and birds live in nest.  A rabbit actually lives in a Warren.  Different types of animals have different names for their homes.   

Student Question: If you could live in any of these types of homes which one would it be?  If you could have one of these animals live in your home which one would you choose to live with you? 

Your class will have many hours of enjoyable conversations “Animal Chatting”!!

Encourage your students to GO FISHING WITH THEIR MINDS!