Science isn’t everyone’s favorite subject in school, but some educators are trying to make it more interesting by bringing pet and other animal literature into the classroom.
The National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which houses more than 600 birds, provides an online web curriculum (www.aviary.org/curric) for teachers, homeschoolers and the casual web visitor. The topics covered are based on four frequently asked questions from visitors of the aviary: What do they eat? How do they fly? How do they have babies? Are they related to dinosaurs?
Under each of these categories there is information, online and off-line activities, debate topics and a teacher’s guide that includes suggestions of how to introduce a chapter to the class, additional background information and a rubric for assessment. “It’s fun, it’s playful, but it’s also quite serious,” said Curator of Education, Amy Padolf. The aviary’s curriculum won the 2002 Significant Achievement Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and it meets the U.S. Department of Education Content Standards and Benchmarks in science, environmental education and math. The curriculum is aimed at upper elementary to middle school children.

Gipper and I went to schools before. The kids just love it! Of course I will say I had a teacher once that couldn't find Africa on a globe. Gipper and I both we speechless after that one! ha! How does one miss Africa???