Tucson Audubon Society

Tucson Audubon offers a variety of resource kits for teachers and other education professionals to check out for their education programs, free of charge. Most of these resources are geared for kids in 1st through 6th grades, but they may be adapted for other ages. Kits are reserved on a first come, first served basis and may be checked out for up to 2 weeks at a time. Each kit can be checked out from Tucson Audubon Society's library at the Main Offices/ Nature Shop, southeast corner of University Blvd. and 5th Ave. Educators are responsible for repairing/replacing lost or damaged materials.

Urban Birding Education Program

The goal of this program is to provide educators with information and curriculum tools for teaching biological and ecological concepts through the study of wildlife that share our urban neighborhoods and schoolyards.

We have two elementary level science curricula available for free download that highlight the living-science subjects in our own neighborhoods.

1. Desert Birding in Arizona with a Focus on Urban Birds - by Doris Evans. Birds abound in our neighborhoods, schoolyards, and parks. This curriculum guide incorporates science, social studies, language skills, mathematics, and the arts. Kits containing the materials for activities in Lessons One, Two, Three, and Ten may be checked out at Tucson Audubon Society.

2. Arthropodantics: Living science in the classroom and schoolyard - by Janet Bardwell, Doris Evans and Robin Roche. Learn about the fascinating lives of desert arthropods and the important role they play in our world. This curriculum guides teachers through lessons and hands-on activities designed to take students exploring on their school grounds and in their neighborhoods to learn about these fascinating organisms that live in our midst.

Educator Materials Kits

Below is a brief inventory of the materials kits; these kits do not contain curriculum.

Binoculars - Consists of 17 pairs of binocs of various size and make, plus field guides and binocular usage procedure.

Skulls - Includes 9 mammal skulls, 4 bird skulls, and 3 retile skulls; all local animals.

Bird Nests - The kit includes nests of hummingbirds, orioles, woodpeckers, goldfinch, grackles, and pewee.

Bird Specimens - Contains 31 species of birds plus the wings of 2 duck species and red-tailed hawk, and owl feet.

Educator Resource Kits

The following is a list and brief explanation of each kit available; these kits contain curriculum.

Arthropod Adventures - Students are introduced to the world of arthropods, through puppets, hands on activities with models and a walk in the desert. Emphasis on desert species.

Bats - This kit serves as a resource for teachers and includes background information, a curriculum guide and ideas for many bat study activities.

Botany Basics - Introductory lessons in basic botany; plant structure, photosynthesis, flower anatomy. Students make field observations.

Desert Adaptations - Students search for and sketch examples of desert plant adaptations and signs of animal life.

Desert Birding in Arizona with a Focus on Urban Birds - Included are an introduction to bird ID, which introduces the concepts of field marks, calls and habitat that aid us in bird identification; a bird tool kit and a migration exercise, among others.

Herps - Laminated posters illustrating common herps, snake anatomy, snake myths and herps in art; specimens include a rattlesnake skull, skin and rattle. Observation cards and a set of "50 Common Reptiles and Amphibians" are for use in the field.

Ironwood: Trees of Life - Students walk trails where ironwoods live and note the interrelationships between ironwoods and other life.

Plant ID: Learning to Use a Key - A simple plant key is used to identify common desert plants found at the Mason Center and similar areas.

Saguaro Story - Velcro board story showing the interrelationships between saguaros and other desert life, an activity involving observations in the field and a variety of specimens.

Skull Session - Students examine a number of mammal skulls and by noting teeth, eye placement, shape and size of skull they determine the species. Six skulls are currently in the kit.

A Sonoran Sense of Place - Activities introducing children to various ways to observe and experience nature.

Tracks and Scats - A set of mammal foot and scat replicas are included along with lessons incorporating these materials.

Classroom Presentations - Suspended until further notice

In-class presentations, in a wide array of topics, can be arranged. Presentations are $25/hour. Topics include, but are not limited to: Arthropods (with live tarantula and scorpion), Reptiles (with live snake), Introduction to Bird Identification, Saguaro Story (Interrelationships), Skull Lesson (Mammal Skulls), Desert Adaptations, Birding In and Around Your Schoolyard. (We provide binoculars; we have 33 pair).

To reserve resources or activity kits please contact our This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 520 629-0510.