The Giant Panda goes to school!
Over the last little while, we’ve heard from a lot of teachers that they use our Wildlife Adoption Kits as teaching tools in the classroom. At Queen Elizabeth P.S. in Renfrew, ON, Nicole Moran and Miranda Ashick, two particularly innovative JK/SK teachers, used a Tiger Adoption Kit – a Christmas gift from a student – to help their students learn more about endangered species and the importance of giving back and helping to care for the planet.
Angie Charbonneau, a very pleased parent of a student in Mrs. Moran’s class, wrote to tell me all about what her son was learning care of the “creative, thoughtful planning on the part of his teachers.” The students also raised funds to donate to WWF and adopted four more animals for their classroom. Then, they worked in groups to build animal habitats and teachers started a book to chronicle the students’ great work.
Due to popular demand and all the positive feedback we’ve received from teachers, WWF’s Schools for a Living Planet program has created a classroom version of our Giant Panda Adoption Kit. Along with the cute plush toy and personalized adoption certificate, the Classroom Kit contains an educator’s guide with dozens of in-classroom activity ideas developed in partnership with the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (University of Toronto/OISE) and K-8 teachers across Canada, making it simple to incorporate environmental lessons into your daily classroom life.
Here’s some of the great feedback we’ve received from teachers from over 500 classrooms across the country who’ve tried out the Classroom Adoption Kit:
I love this idea of the classroom kit!! I hope there are enough teachers who agree with me so that you will provide more such teaching aids. Thank you.
– Grade 4 teacher, Alberta
…it’s been a great educational tool and has made this learning really hands on for the boys and girls!
– Grade 2 teacher, New Brunswick
A kit like this really gets students thinking about how they can save the planet and what we do to the environment.
– Grade 7/8 teacher, Alberta
I thought the ideas on the back of the poster were brilliant, and I’d like to put some into practice next year.
– Grade K-12 teacher, British Columbia
Teachers who have registered with Schools for a Living Planet can purchase the Classroom Kit, available in both English and French, at a discount. If you haven’t signed up for a free membership, please do so before making your order.
I’m looking forward to receiving more stories like Mrs. Moran’s as the Giant Panda makes its way to schools across Canada this year!
WWF’s Schools for a Living Planet connects educators and students of all ages to WWF’s conservation work. Join the S4LP community and learn how you can inspire your classrooms and classmates to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
