SCHOOL AND GROUP PROGRAMS ENGAGE LEARNING

School and Group programs are designed for domestic pets and wildlife education for pre-k through college aged students. We can come to you or you can come to our Valparaiso Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center. Since our education program inception in 2016, we have conducted hundreds of programs and reached hundreds of thousands community members. We welcome you to find out why!

We offer a range of domestic pet programs from “How to Greet a Strange Pet” to “Animal Careers”. Our range of wildlife programs include the popular “Wildlife in My Backyard” and “How Rehabilitation Impacts the Big Picture.” Programs can be customized to meet your class curriculum. School programs start at $150/hour, and additional fees may apply.

Organizations, Scouts, and Homeschooler group topics are the same as we offer to schools. They can be customized to address specific needs for badge requirements. Program donation fees are $10/student and $5/additional family member over the age of four.

All donations benefit the rehabilitation of orphaned and injured wildlife, as well as the permanent residents, at The Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

Click here to download our Education Outreach Curriculum Guide.

Field Trips to The Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center

Located just 3 miles off Rt 49, in unincorporated Valparaiso, you’ll find unique opportunities for students and teachers to learn about wildlife native to Indiana and the threats they face.

  • Tour our education center
  • Learn about our education ambassador animals while you tour their enclosures
  • Meet several education ambassador animals up close!
  • Tours inside the Rehabilitation Center (Seasonal)
  • Meet at outside picnic tables for lunch or class projects

The Education Center Offers:

  • Touchable materials such as nests, wings, skulls and talons
  • Interactive displays
  • Live-feed camera viewing inside the 100ft flight cage
  • A replica of a Bald Eagle nest

Education Ambassador Enclosures:

  • Visit the education ambassadors at their own homes and learn how staff care for and train them
  • Find out what brought them to the center and why they can't be released

We’ll Come to Your School for In-Class Wildlife Education

Working with teachers to supplement lessons taught in schools, our team brings live animals directly into the classroom! Education programming:

  • Education programming supports Indiana Dept of Edu. standards. Humane Indiana School Programs and Indiana State Standards
  • Supplements STEAM lessons
  • Introduces students to native wildlife
  • Instills compassion for wild spaces
  • Meets teacher needs with flexible programming
  • Raises awareness to environmental threats

Programs Include: :

  • 1-4 live animals
  • 30-minute to 1-hour presentation
  • Wildlife activity book for each student
  • Education program fees vary

Rent a Themed Education Trunk Full of Fun Learning Items

Have you heard about our Education Trunk Rentals? Humane Indiana offers Education Trunks to schools and organizations as a great supplemental support to your in-classroom programs and to your current classroom curriculum. These serve as helpful resources for teachers, librarians, homeschool cohorts and scout groups. Each Education Trunk can be rented for two weeks at a time and contains a curriculum consistent with the trunk theme. Trunks include animal skull replicas, animal furs, x-rays, books, dioramas, games, activities, and much more, to further engage students and educators alike.

Northwest Indiana educators can rent one of five (5) Education Trunks that Humane Indiana Wildlife maintains. Our Education Trunk topics include:

  • Mammals of Indiana
  • Birds of Indiana
  • Endangered Species
  • Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystems
  • Wildlife Rehabilitation

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION TRUNK

Humane Indiana Education Trunk

Upon receipt of your Education Trunk you will notice an Inventory Checklist, which is a list of all items we have included in your trunk. Prior to delivery of the trunk to your facility, Humane Indiana Wildlife staff have taken inventory and initialed each item that is present within the trunk. We ask that you do the same prior to returning the trunk to Humane Indiana Wildlife staff.

* Please be aware of special recommendations for certain items such as curriculum or activity books. We ask that copies be made of pages so that they remain available for future educators to use as well. Should an item be lost or broken, the entity borrowing the trunk is responsible for replacement of said item(s). We encourage students to touch and handle all replica items as well as feathers and wings!

Inventory Checklist

Education Trunk Rental Fees

Questions regarding Education Trunk contents, rental fees, or securing a trunk for your facility please email education@humaneindiana.org.

Our Education Program Reaches Northern Indiana

Our education programs have been successful in several school districts and counties throughout Indiana. Many schools and organizations request our programs year after year to offer students information and education about domestic and wildlife animals. So far, Humane Indiana has presented programs in the following counties:

  • Porter County
  • Lake County
  • LaPorte County
  • Starke County
  • Elkhart County
  • St. Joseph County
  • Newton County
  • Jasper County
  • White County
  • Pulaski County
  • Marion County

School and Group Programs offer a window into the wild. Request a program today.

Learning about Wildlife

Learn about wildlife native to Indiana and the threats they face.