The Science of Animals

An educational program, targeted for learners between the ages of 8 and 13, that consists of hands-on activities to explore some of the inspiring animals of our world.

This project was built to support an after-school science program for our friends at The Outlet in Springfield IL.

The Outlet strives every day to help young males ages 8-22 develop the capacity and skill sets to make responsible life decisions, acquire and maintain meaningful spiritual and ethical values, explore their gifts, talents, and recognize their dreams and aspirations.
— The Outlet's Mission Statement

We are happy to be partnering with the Outlet to provide this educational opportunity for their learners!

Please feel free to contact us if your organization is looking for a STEM program that focuses on active learning about exciting topics such as jaguars, bees, wildlife conservation, and farming!.

Jaguars!

Week 1: Jaguar Biology

Hosted by: Professor Dave Cox, Co-Founder of Inspire EdVentures

This week, Professor Dave Cox will give you an introduction to why we work with jaguars, and a look at the biology of these amazing animals! Be sure to have your notebooks and water bottles handy because you are going outside to learn how to track animals!

Week 2: Jaguars as Predators

Hosted by: Professor Dave Cox, Co-Founder of Inspire EdVentures

After learning all about jaguar biology, we will now take a look at how jaguars fit into their ecosystem. As Professor Cox will explain, rainforests, or what we commonly call jungles, are rich in biodiversity, and jaguars play an important role in that ecosystem. So grab your notebook and get ready to learn all about what jaguars eat, and their importance to rain forest ecology.

Week 3: A Jaguar’s Spots

Hosted by: Kayla Windelspecht; Ecologist and Program Director at IE

Did you know that a jaguar’s spots are like your fingerprints? That’s because they are unique to the animal. In this session, we introduce you to Kayla, an ecologist at IE who will tell you how to identify jags by their spots, and also what that means to us as scientists!

Week 4: Conserving Jaguars and their Habitats

Hosted by: Dr. Michael Windelspecht; Biologist and Co-founder of IE

In this session, Dr. Michael will talk to you about the importance of jaguar conservation efforts in Belize, and how you can learn more and participate in the important missions of organization such as the Belize Zoo

Instructors - please see your course introduction materials for the password to these resources

Bees!

Week 1: An Introduction to Bees!

Hosted by Professor David Cox - Co-Founder of IE

This week we are going to change animals to another one of our favorites - bees! Professor Cox will be your guide this week. He not only teaches about bees, but also owns his own apiary! This week he will introduce you to bee basics.

Instructors - please see your course introduction materials for the password to these resources