Education Kits
Enhance your environmental education and science units with a Birds Connect Seattle education kit. Originally developed for teacher use in Seattle Public Schools, these kits can also be used by Scout leaders, community centers, or any other group educating children about birds and nature.
All education kits are available for pick up and drop off at our downtown office location (616 Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98101) Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm.
Basic Kit Rental Information
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- All kits support Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
- Each kit comes packed with hands-on props, project and group activity materials, and kit-specific theme materials.
- Program guides are included in each kit and provide instructors with extensive, well-researched background information on a range of topics, as well as instructions to lead an array of fun, age-appropriate group activities and projects. No prior experience teaching environmental education necessary.
Cost: Varies. $45-$55 per week and $20-$25 for each additional week. A $100-$200 refundable damage deposit is required with each rental.
Group Size: Most kits have materials for 24-30 students.
Ages: Kit activities are appropriate for children in grades 1-8, and can be adapted for use with high school-aged students. Fledglings is appropriate for pre-K and kindergarten students.
Questions: contact the Kit Rental Coordinator by email at kits@birdsconnectsea.org.
Reservations: Complete the Request Form button below. Education kit rentals require minimum one week advance notice. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate last-minute rentals.
Fledglings Kit (Preschool)
This kit introduces our youngest learners to the magical world of birds. Through songs, puppets, real bird skins and activities, your group will learn what makes birds unique and interesting while stimulating their inquisitiveness about the natural world.
   
Wonder of Raptors (Elementary)
What have hooked beaks, sharp talons, and amazing eyesight? You guessed it, raptors! This kit gives participants an opportunity to learn to identify local raptors and become familiar with the amazing adaptations that make these birds so unique. Included in each kit are cotton-stuffed bird skins, bird wings, talons, and raptor skulls that will help bring these elusive, often nocturnal, avian predators right into your classroom!
Birds of Seattle (Elementary)
What birds share our city? How are they adapted to make the Seattle area their home? Bird skins, wings and skeletons, and fun, educational lessons and activities will give participants a different perspective on our avian neighbors!
Birds in Our Community (Elementary)
We live in an area that supports many different species of feathered residents. Get to know your fellow community members with this special kit designed for use outside the classroom! Where do birds live? What do they eat? Learn how to best coexist with birds as residents of your backyard or local park.
Symphony of the Birds (Elementary)
Imagine being able to identify an unseen bird simply by hearing its call! Through hands-on, audiovisual materials, this kit gives participants an opportunity to learn to identify a total of sixteen birds local to the Pacific Northwest by sight and sound, just like trained, expert ornithologists do.
Wetland Wonders (Elementary/Middle)
The Pacific Northwest is home to a wide variety of water bodies that are crucial to the well-being of humans, salmon, birds, and much more. Learn how to determine the health of a local body of water by monitoring scientific variables like Ph, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate levels, while also taking samples to collect data on various macroinvertebrates as indicator species of ecosystem health. Other activities include basics on water fowl identification, games to get to know other wetland creatures, and the lessons that teach about salmon and their fascinating life cycles.
Feathers, Fossils, Flight (Elementary/Middle)
Try to solve one of ornithology’s greatest mysteries: could the first birds fly? In the process of answering this question, participants will examine feathers, wings, properties of flight physics, bird skeletons, and a reproduction of the first fossil bird, Archaeopteryx. Exploring the many adaptations that allow birds to be such incredible flyers will also help unlock this avian mystery. This kit serves as a great introduction to the evolutionary process.
Endangered Birds and Old Growth Forests (All ages)
Why are old growth forests so important? What makes them important habitats for Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet? What can any person do to help protect them? Learn about how old growth forests are unique ecosystems that are important forhumans, plants, and animals. Bring the old growth forest into your classroom through hands-on activities, real tree and bird specimens, books, puppets, and more!
Birds in the Field (All ages)
]This kit contains 6 high-quality binoculars and a spotting scope, along with simple activities to make your bird walk engaging for all ages. No need to be a professional birder; the kit also comes with an easy-to follow script for educators to lead an 1.5 hour birding lesson that starts with bird ID an binocular practice outdoors, then a short bird walk and scavenger hunt outside. Whether you’re watching crows on the playground, taking a neighborhood walk, or checking out a Pacific Wren in the forest, this kit allows participants to get out and enjoy the birds all around us.
Custom Bird Specimen Kit (All ages)
Take advantage of Birds Connect Seattle’s vast specimen collection with a custom kit made up of up to 20 specimens of your choice! We have over 600 specimens of many of Washington’s native bird species, as well as wings, feet, nests, and more. Please submit your species requests with your request form, and we’ll do our best to accommodate with what is available.
Bird-Skin Specimens, photo courtesy of Sharon Wada