‘Feathers and Fur’
HSU museum offers nature program for kids
“The smartest and largest animals to ever live are mammals — the blue whale is bigger than any dinosaur. Mammals have keen senses and a wide variety of adaptations that make them fun to learn about. Bats can fly, some seals can hold their breath for up to two hours and polar bears can smell 20 miles away.” — Melinda Bailey, HSU Natural History Museum assistant manager
The Humboldt State University Natural History Museum is accepting enrollment in its weekly afterschool science enrichment program, “Feathers and Fur.”
This hybrid, independent program — which explores the world of birds and mammals and includes tips for identification, activities, games and Kahoots quizzes — is designed for children ages 7 to 11.
The program will be offered virtually from March 9 to April 1 through Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The first two weeks will focus on birds and the following two weeks on mammals.
“Most kids like animals from an early age. Birds are fun to learn about because they are living dinosaurs and they are visible,” said Melinda Bailey, assistant manager of the HSU Natural History Museum.
“Every yard or park will have visiting birds, and locally we have a lot of places to discover birds such as our nearby marshes and forests,” she said. “It is fun to share some of the unusual things about birds, such as their wide range of beaks that match their diet, the fact they have hollow bones and that many migrate long distances — often at night — in order to take advantage of food resources.
Bailey added: “Mammals are probably the group of animals most of us know the best, partly because many of us have cats and dogs that share our homes, but wild animals can be difficult to see so you need to look for the signs they leave behind. The smartest and largest animals to ever live are mammals — the blue whale is bigger than any dinosaur. Mammals have keen senses and a wide variety of adaptations that make them fun to learn about. Bats can fly, some seals can hold their breath for up to two hours and polar bears can smell 20 miles away.
“Both birds and mammals are amazing and we hope to inspire awe about our natural world by introducing some of the wondrous things about these animals,” she said.
The cost is $40 for the entire “Feathers and Fur” program or $25 for just one of the programs. A packet of materials will be delivered to participants’ homes full of information, coloring sheets, puzzles and a variety of hands-on activities. Discounts apply for museum members.
“Our programs are designed to be interactive, fun and informative,” Bailey said. “It is our goal for participants to learn new things about birds and mammals while having fun doing so, and most importantly increasing their appreciation for and wonder of the natural world. … During the Zoom sessions, we will have interactive slide shows, presentations of some of the museum’s collection (and) … we will be showing a few short videos of animals including some from backyard wildlife cameras to show what sorts of animals share the land with us.”
For both the after-school enrichment programs and virtual visits to elementary and middle school classrooms, Humboldt State University science and education students work with museum staff to develop and learn programs and try their hand at teaching natural history and science to children of different ages. HSU interns are mentored by Bailey and Julie Van Sickle, museum director — both are credentialed teachers.
During each Zoom session, there will be two to three instructors, including at least one credentialed teacher. In addition, there will be a couple of guest instructors, including professional tracker Phil Johnston, to present during the mammals program.
Like many other venues, the HSU Natural History Museum has been closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But,” Bailey said, “we have stayed busy behind the scene working from our homes. We continue to employee HSU students on a part-time basis and work with many HSU student interns. Online classes have been a lot of work to put together, but have an advantage because we can reach a wider audience, although we definitely miss having groups visiting us. Now, instead of teachers bringing their classes to us during a field trip, we can come to them virtually — it isn’t the same as having the kids seeing all the great stuff we have to offer, but it is still rewarding. Besides offering after-school programs, the museum is still offering modified educational programs … using a virtual format.”
To enroll in “Feathers and Fur” or for more information about the HSU Natural History Museum, go to https://natmus.humboldt.edu.