Saguaro National Park - Plan A Classroom Visit (U.S. National Park Service)

Park volunteer shows kids about uses of native plants for all sorts of items

Katy Hooper

Invite a ranger to your classroom! We bring the material and do the program.

Teachers looking for a presentation to augment an existing science or desert unit may request one of our Traveling Trunk Programs. These 45-minute presentations are designed to enhance your in-class teachings. These programs meet State Science and/or Social Studies Standards.

Group size: 1 – 2 classes (up to 60 kids)

Travel Trunk Descriptions:

BATS:

Through games, stories, crafts and audience participation, students will discover what’s fact and what’s fiction about bats and why people need them.

SAGUARO CACTUS:

Explore the life of the Saguaro Cactus, the icon of the American Southwest. Discover the many ways it is utilized on the desert by other plants, animals and people.

DESERT MAMMALS:

Learn how to enjoy mammals while hiking in the desert without ever seeing one. Children will discover through observation and touch how mammals are alike and different.

REPTILES:

Learn about the fascinating world of snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, and turtles. The more we learn about reptiles and amphibians, the closer we can come to understanding and enjoying them.

BIRDS:

Students use observation and listening skills to learn to identify some of the common desert birds by sight and sound. Find out what makes a bird a bird, and learn fascinating facts with special emphasis on the desert architects, the woodpeckers.

INVERTEBRATES:

Students are introduced to the fascinating world of arthropods. They will learn a variety of fascinating facts about the largest group of animals on the face of the planet.

ETHNOBOTANY:

Learn how desert people used plants for food, medicine, shelter, clothes, and fiber. This is a hands-on fun time. Good also for learning about the Hohokam who lived here in Tucson over a thousand years ago.

For more information or to schedule a traveling trunk program, contact one of the following park rangers.

Chip Littlefield
Tucson Mountain District (west)
2700 North Kinney Road
Tucson, Arizona 85743
e-mail us
(520) 733-5157
(520) 733-5158 (visitor center desk)

Environmental Education Staff
Rincon Mountain District (east)
3693 South Old Spanish Trail
Tucson, Arizona 85730
(520) 733-5152
(520) 733-5153 (visitor center desk)