Wings of Wonder^SM

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Wings of Wonder When Learning Takes Flight^SM

Wings of Wonder is a site-based environmental education program developed by and for Corporate Lands for Learning sites. This unique inquiry-based education program explores migratory wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, and can be customized to any WHC member site that provides habitat for birds, monarch butterflies or other migratory wildlife. By studying their local environment, students can connect their local habitat to the global ecosystem and communicate with young scientists at other CLL sites. To participate in the Wings of Wonder program, contact WHC’s Education & Outreach Program Manager.

By using corporate wildlife habitats as outdoor learning laboratories, students take part in standards-based activities that make classroom curricula come alive, participating in the real science and conservation efforts happening in their own neighborhoods. This program is an excellent way to integrate an education program into your site’s establishment of bird habitat, wildflower meadows or pollinator gardens. Adopt the Pollinator Friendly Practices Guidelines at your site – download the Guidelines now! 

Backyard Conservation provides excellent resources to undertake community-based ecological restoration at homes, schools, businesses and parks. With the emphasis on community, Backyard Conservation provides a vehicle for helping teachers and students of all ages meet and integrate curriculum requirements in areas such as science, math, social studies and language. For information on planting your own meadow, visit the State Resources where you will find native plants, nurseries plus more.

Teacher guides are also available online in the Backyard Lesson Plans section. Team Flight field journals are designed to inspire a sense of stewardship and respect for migratory birds and to empower students to take personal action to conserve their local habitats. The Team Monarch field journals may be used to introduce students to the concepts of butterflies, other pollinators and their meadow habitat.

Objectives of Wings of Wonder

• Create educational partnerships between corporate habitat teams and schools; 
• Demonstrate to the community the importance of "backyard" as well as international conservation; 
• Enhancement of habitat for monarchs and pollinators at PPG and migratory birds at Bayer, as well as other corporate sites;and  
• Educate teachers on effective use of outdoor classrooms.

The love of learning through reading is universal and crosses typical borders of language and culture. Annette Morris, a first grade teacher at Moss Side Elementary School in Pennsylvania, demonstrates this through the bi-lingual reading program, South of the Border Buddies, which she established with American and Mexican students. The program was inspired by Ms. Morris' experience as a lead teacher in the PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) Monroeville Chemicals Center's CLL program, a Wings of Wonder site, and its partner site PPG's San Juan del Rio in Mexico.

Each of the responses created by the student teams are sent to students in the CLL program at San Juan del Rio, where Morris visited during a teacher professional development experience sponsored through WHC. The students at Querrenda Academy in nearby Tequisciapan, and Santiago School in downtown San Juan del Rio, have now received dozens of the bi-lingual books along with carefully crafted student reviews.

Ms. Morris noted that this project not only helped her students to build their Spanish vocabulary, but also to see that the love of reading is universal and that they have much in common with the youngsters from Mexico, many of whom are striving to learn English as their second language. Both the first grade students and their fourth grade mentors provide much positive feedback about the program. The students exhibited pride in their reading skills and involvement with an academic project that crosses international boundaries and further ignited their drive to learn and explore. The project also created a sense of community between the two schools. Morris and her students anxiously await feedback from the Mexican students, who will be exploring the Scholastic-published titles for themselves, including Buenos Noches, Luna (Good Night, Moon), Si le das un Panqueque a una Cerdita (If you Give a Pig a Pancake) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

If your corporate habitat features monarch butterflies or migratory bird species, you may wish to establish a Wings of Wonder program as part of your own CLL. To learn more about the ways communication with students in other states, provinces or countries can help "Learning Take Flight" at your CLL, contact the Education and Outreach Department.