Explore Backyard Wildlife

You can always visit one of Pennsylvania's state game lands or parks to enjoy wildlife, but birds and mammals are also our neighbors. Check out the lessons below for ways to explore wildlife right in your backyard. Wildlife on WiFi resources support Pennsylvania State Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology.

Activities and Lessons

• Common Pennsylvania Mammal Tracks for grades 3–12 (PDF)
  
• Bird and Mammal Adaptations and Notes for grades 1–3 (PDF)
  
• Decomposition Inquisition Lesson Curriculum for grades 5–10 (PDF)
  
• Living and Non-living Backyard Lesson Plan for grades K–3 (PDF)
• Wildlife Nature Hunt for grades K–3 (PDF)
• Wildlife Bingo for grades K–3 (PDF)
• Backyard Wildlife Nature Journal for grades K–6 (PDF)
• Wildlife Word Search for grades K–6 (PDF)
• Bird Feeder Bingo for grades K–6 (PDF)
  
• Eat or Be Eaten; for grades 4–8 (PDF) learning about energy transfer and connections between plants and animals.
  

Positive Pollinators activities:
Courtesy of Pollinator Partnership in conjunction with the Game Commission's Howard Nursery Teacher Resource Guide 

• Storytime: Monarch Butterflies by Gail Gibbons for grades K–3
• Butterfly Box Plan for grades K–6  (PDF)
• Bee Box Plan for grades K–6 (PDF)
• Pollinator Lesson Plans for grades 3–8 (PDF)*

Videos and Watchable Wildlife

• Wildlife Storytime: Raccoon at Clear Creek Road by Carolyn Otto for grades K–3 (7:40 video)
• Wildlife Story Time: The Best Nest for grades K–3 (7:29 video)
• Bear Dens in Your Backyard. Oh My! for grades K–6 (8:42 video)
• How to Make Your Own Animal Track Cast for grades K–6 (4:03 video)
• Creating a Backyard Animal Track Trap with Household Items for grades 3–6 (5:36 video)
• Build a Backyard Brush Pile for grades 3–6 (4:35 video)

Wildlife on WiFi

Our vision is to connect Pennsylvania residents to their state’s wildlife from anywhere. To achieve this, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s award-winning Wildlife on WiFi program provides innovative online learning opportunities, virtual lessons and educational resources about wildlife and its conservation.