Wildlife Youth Education
As America becomes less rural, children grow up with fewer chances to experience the wonders of the natural world. The MSU Extension Service offers a variety of experiences, workshops, camps, 4-H projects, and curricula designed to introduce young people to wildlife, conservation, environmental science, outdoor recreation, and scientific inquiry.
Along with partners from several state and federal agencies, Extension hosts: annual summer camps to allow young people to explore and learn more about wildlife and natural science; teacher workshops; homeschool science events; Scout badge workshops; in-school programming like Youth Environmental Science, wildlife classroom enrichment guest presentations, and Eko-Kids curriculum; BioBlitz discovery events; and 4-H projects about wildlife and wildlife habitat.
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - Mammals (PDF)
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - Trees (PDF)
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - Invertebrates (PDF)
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - Reptiles & Amphibians (PDF)
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - Birds (PDF)
EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides - combined (PDF)
Publications
News
Safety is a key aspect of having a successful and enjoyable hunt this season and for many more to come.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Chickasaw County has piloted the 4-H sport fishing program in Mississippi for two years, but other counties will soon be offering the curriculum.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Winter weather makes life more difficult for wildlife, even in the South. Animals must have shelter to survive the potentially deadly effects of ice, snow and freezing rain.
Food can be hard to find in winter. Animals that eat plants or insects have few choices once their food dies with the cold weather or is covered by wintry precipitation. Even predators face food shortages since winter conditions can cause their prey to spend more time in hiding.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – What do Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, the U.S. Forest Service, Tootsie Pops and Xyzal have in common? All prominently feature owls in their stories and marketing campaigns.
Some owls help sell products such as lollipops and allergy medications. Others sell ideas, like the Forest Service's Woodsy Owl -- "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute." Harry had a pet owl named Hedwig, and Winnie had a friend named Owl.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Those of us with a strong connection to the natural world know that attachment was born and strengthened through personal experiences we had outdoors as children, generally when family members took us outside to spend time, relax or have fun.
A new nationwide program began in 2015 with hopes of increasing access to federal public lands for fourth-grade students, along with the goal of establishing connections to the outdoors. Every Kid in a Park begins its third year on Sept. 1, 2017. Every fourth-grader has easy access to a free pass for admission to public land from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2018.
