Classroom Outreach Programs

Reading with Raptors
Grade levels available: TK-3rd

Watch your students be ENRAPTURED as a storybook comes to life with a special “Guest Star” Raptor!  This program involves a story read out loud by our presenter, while the ‘star’ of the story sits nearby.  Let your class experience a tale of a falcon, hawk or owl  (your pick of one) with one of our raptors!
Key Concepts: Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food web

Time: 30 minute program presented in your classroom

Nocturnal Hunters
Grade levels available: 4-12

Whooo is that?  An air of mystery has always surrounded owls, probably because most are nocturnal and not easily spotted in the wild. Through an interactive presentation your students will be briefly introduced to these amazing birds before they meet one up close!
Key Concepts: Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food webs, classification

Time: 60 minute presentation in the classroom

Nature’s Purifiers: Vultures
Grade levels available: 4-12

Death is a part of the life cycle, and nature has a remarkable system of cleaning up after itself.  Vultures are the planet’s most efficient purifier.  Learn to love nature’s feathered garbage crew with a visit from our vulture. We’ll discover the important role of scavengers in our everyday lives.
Key Concepts: Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food webs, classification, scavengers, recycling, decomposition

Time: 60 minute presentation in the classroom

Back from the Brink: The Peregrine Falcon
Grade levels available: 4-12

What do the classifications “threatened” and “endangered” really mean and how does it happen? What happened to the Peregrine falcon and how was it saved from the brink of extinction? Through a brief and engaging presentation as well as a live bird demonstration, participants discover how species become in danger of extinction. We’ll focus on what individuals can do to prevent loss of species, learn about laws currently in effect to protect them, and discuss how our world benefits from the variety of raptors inhabiting the Earth.
Key Concepts: Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food webs, classification

Time: 75 minute program presented in your classroom

Art on the Wing
Grade levels available: 5-12

Science and art frequently draw inspiration from nature.  Many of the great images in bird books around the world are from biologists who drew the animals they were studying. Combining knowledge with creative talent will allow your students to fully immerse themselves in our wonderful birds.  We will bring 2 birds of prey into your art classroom to serve as models for your students.  Our staff will present a brief natural history program to introduce students to the birds before they begin to draw or paint.  The birds are extremely tolerant and will remain perched in your classroom.  Students will be close enough to see them clearly.  The best work, as chosen by the teacher, may be displayed on our Website with your permission!

Key Concepts: Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food web

Time: 90 minute program presented in your classroom/studio.

Note: West Cost Falconry does not supply any art materials for this presentation.

Ancient Falconry in the Modern World
Grade levels available: 5-12
Falconry is the sport of hunting with a trained bird of prey for game in its natural habitat. Often referred to as ‘the sport of kings’, falconry is the oldest living sport on the planet.  This program will reveal how the ancient sport of falconry still thrives and how it is engrained in human history.  From Genghis Khan to the peregrine falcon restoration program, see how falconry has touched all of our lives.  Meet the birds used in the sport through history and in modern falconry today.
Key Concepts: history, Habitats, adaptations, life cycles, conservation, food webs, and classification

Time: 75 minute program presented in your classroom

Don’t see a program description that fits your lesson?  Let us know!  Our raptor specialists can come up with a special program to fit your lesson!  Just email us for inquiry.