Schoolyard Habitat Foundation

A non-profit foundation

Our Mission

Our goal is to put a wildlife habitat in every educational facility in the Valley of the Sun!

Company Profile

The Schoolyard Habitat Foundation was founded in 2005 as a fundraising organization to build wildlife habitats in education facilities in the Greater Phoenix (Maricopa County) area. 

Why are habitats important to education?

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 habitat can be certified with the National Wildlife Federation, allowing the facility 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.

Contact Information

Telephone

623-572-5607

FAX

623-572-0483

Postal address

22767 N. 104th Ln.

          Peoria, AZ  85383

Electronic mail

habitatfoundation@cox.net

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Send mail to habitatfoundation@cox.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 04/29/09