Schoolyard Habitat Foundation Home Page

A non-profit foundation

22767 N. 104th Ln. • Peoria, AZ 85383 • 623-572-5607 • 623-572-0483 Fax

Our goal is to put a wildlife habitat on every school campus in the Valley of the Sun!

Our annual fundraiser POND TOUR:

Parade of Ponds

Experience the Magick!

For more information, click HERE.

The Schoolyard Habitat Foundation was founded in 2005 as a fundraising organization to build wildlife habitats on school campuses in the Greater Phoenix (Maricopa County) area. To achieve this goal, the Foundation presents an annual Parade of Ponds tour to raise the money and sponsorship necessary to create these habitats.

Each year, the Foundation holds a contest, open to all Valley schools, to win a FREE wildlife habitat. The professionally designed and installed habitat consists of an organic water feature, native plants, boulders and decomposed granite, and an automatic irrigation system. Teachers, parents, and the children and heartily encouraged to participate in all phases of the design and installation, as well as tutored in the usage, maintenance, and expansion possibilities of the habitat. Once the habitat is installed, it is an invaluable teaching tool as an outdoor environmental classroom for all academic subjects.

Why are habitats important to schools?

A wildlife habitat can be very rewarding and educational. Kids learn about stewardship of the earth, and almost every academic subject can be related to a wildlife habitat in one way or another, giving the teachers a phenomenal teaching tool.

If you're concerned about upkeep, a habitat does require some maintenance, as does any living thing. The first year, you can expect to spend 10-15 minutes per week on maintenance of the habitat. The second and third years, it will take about 15-20 minutes per week. After the third year, maintenance will take about 30-40 minutes per week. This can be done through the school's maintenance staff, but a better idea would be to form a club and have the kids take care of it. Not only does it give them more of a chance to interact with the habitat, but if they feel like it belongs to them, vandalism seems to be greatly reduced.

The school’s habitat can be certified with the National Wildlife Federation, allowing the school to reap a multitude of rewards. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), a leader in environmental education for 65 years, offers an exciting array of resources and programs perfect for formal and non-formal educators - whether you are teaching in a traditional classroom, nature center, day care center, or youth service organization. Easy to integrate across your curriculum or into your program, NWF's award-winning resources and habitat certification program are designed to bring the natural world to kids and kids out into nature! For more information, visit www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat.

Students who have the environment as an integrated context for learning have shown:

Higher scores on standardized measures of academic achievement in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies;

Reduced discipline and classroom management problems;

Increased student engagement and enthusiasm for learning; and

Greater pride and ownership in students' accomplishments.

Source: Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (Lieberman and Hoody, 1998).

For ideas on how you might use an outdoor environmental classroom at your school, click HERE.