Posted by Katie Remine, Youth & Adult Engagement Manager,
Woodland Park Zoo
with Ryan Driscoll, Lead Learning Facilitator, Woodland Park Zoo
and Amy Twito, Informal Learning Program Manager, The Seattle
Public Library
Cherry blossoms are blooming, spring is in the air, the perfect time to soak up nature! Photo via https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasphuston/ |
This summer, the library will be celebrating the 100th
anniversary of its Summer of Learning program aimed at reducing summer learning
loss through free hands-on programs, reading promotion, and book giveaways. The
2019 theme is “Explore Your World!” and will feature librarian-led Bug Safari
programs all over the city. Earlier this year, a team from Woodland Park Zoo
(WPZ) facilitated training for almost 50 Seattle Public Library (SPL) children’s
and teen librarians on informal activities offered through the Bug Safari module
of Science Action Club (SAC).
Group photo of Teen Services Librarians from The Seattle
Public Library at the Bug Safari training at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo credit:
Amy Twito
|
WPZ attended a SAC training course at the California Academyof Sciences in 2016, and over the next couple of years partnered with the
National Girls’ Collaborative Project to extend this SAC training to a wide
variety of afterschool education providers across the state. The SAC Bug Safari
curriculum prioritizes the same values as the zoo and library in several ways.
First, it’s dedicated to providing equitable and inclusive science learning
opportunities for children and youth from communities most impacted by
economic, racial, and other societal inequities. Each training devotes time for
reflecting on and discussing how the Bug Safari modules can be adapted to
support the needs of early learners, English language learners,
intergenerational groups, youth from diverse cultural backgrounds, and emerging
teen leaders.
Reading in nature, it doesn't get better! Photo via https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferronj/ |
Second, the Bug Safari module capitalizes on a shared value
of citizen science by engaging the general public in scientific research and providing
people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to add their own
observations to a growing body of scientific knowledge. Youth learn about the
insects that live in their neighborhoods and can upload local observations to
the free mobile app iNaturalist, an
online community of experts that helps validate species identifications.
Finally, Bug Safari fosters empathetic connections —both for
animals and for other people.
In SAC trainings at Woodland Park Zoo, participants met some
of our favorite, awe-inspiring animal ambassadors. Zoo learning facilitators
modeled and explained techniques for building empathy for all animals, even those
that may not be initial fan-favorites like Madagascar hissing cockroaches. By
the end of the session, even participants who had initially hesitated were enjoying
becoming acquainted with these charismatic insects.
SPL Children’s Librarian Miss Bea pets a Madagascar hissing cockroach during a recent Bug Safari training at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo credit: Amy Twito |
“This training helped expand the capacity of our youth
services librarians to facilitate fun, hands-on learning programs and gave us additional
tools for summer programming in our branches and through our partnerships with
community-based organizations,” says Amy Twito, Informal Learning Program
Manager at the Seattle Public Library.
“We are so glad to see this long-term partnership continue to
flourish,” says Alejandro Grajal, Woodland Park Zoo’s president and CEO. “Thank
you [to Seattle Public Library] for being our cherished partner, for your
interest and support in science education, and for being a strong community
anchor.”
Honey bee via https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarowen/ |
From Anchorage to Albany, over 18,000 youth in more than 200
communities participate in Science Action Club every year, according to Laura
Herszenhorn, Director of Expanded Learning and Youth Engagement at the
California Academy of Sciences. She adds, “Science Action Club strives to inspire
the next generation of critical thinkers and environmental stewards. We’re
thrilled to have the Seattle Public Library and Woodland Park Zoo as valued partners
in this important work.”
We hope to see you this summer at the Seattle Public Library
for a summer of learning focused on exploring your world, or at Woodland Park
Zoo for up-close experiences with animals! To get started, stop by your local Seattle
Public Library location, www.spl.org, or check out Woodland Park Zoo’s website at www.zoo.org/citizenscience for
information on the 2019 City Nature
Challenge. More than 150 cities across the globe are participating in this
friendly citizen science competition. You can help the Seattle-Tacoma area win and
discover nature in your backyard by logging observations of wildlife through
the iNaturalist platform from April 26 – 29!
Spend time in nature, snap a pic and upload to iNaturalist to take part in the City Nature Challenge! Photo of ferns via https://www.flickr.com/photos/marguerite-simone/ |
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