Elementary
Curiosity, empathy, and ecological literacy through creative, place-based learning that helps kids see themselves as members of multispecies communities.
Elementary
k-5th grade
Coming Soon!
Real-world care, conservation, and local partnerships.
Community Action & Stewardship
level 5
ex. Bird Architects
Seeing animals as creative problem-solvers with their own goals.
More-Than-Human Agency
level 4
ex. Beaver Neighbors
Connecting kids with the local species and ecosystems around them.
Multispecies Communities
level 3
ex. Bee Artists
Recognizing humans as animals embedded in ecological relationships.
Remembering
level 2
ex. Becoming Bats, Humpback Whales
Experiencing the world through another species' senses.
Embodied Perspectives
level 1
Elementary programming follows the five-level Multispecies Learning Series, moving from noticing another species' perspective to taking real action in the community.
A developmental path, level by level
the learning series
Beaver Neighbors
featured program
Level 3 ◊ Multispecies Community
Children discover how local beavers shape the ecosystems in their communities — building dams that create wetlands, filter water, and reduce wildfire risk.
Children build their own dams using natural materials and create thank-you postcards recognizing beavers as valued members of their community.
Learning becomes tangible, local, creative, and relational.
- How did it feel to imagine being a humpback whale?
- What would your whale song tell other whales?
- How do you think whales feel when boats are loud?
reflections
- Cardstock whale cut-outs & decorating supplies
- Sound cards (vowel sounds for "whale songs")
- Winter Whale by Joanne Ryder
materials
- Build perspective-taking by imagining life as a whale
- Understand that species communicate differently
- See how human activity, like noise pollution, affects wildlife
objectives
Children explore humpback whales through storytelling, discussion, art, and interactive play — imagining the world from a whale's perspective, discussing why scientists think whales sing, composing their own whale songs, and discovering how human activity can affect life in the ocean.
Humpback Whales
Sample Lesson Plan
a look inside the curriculum
