Texas Project WILD is more than just a book.

You’ve probably seen it –the Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide with the deer on the front.  You’ve seen it on the bookshelves of teachers, zoo educators, camp directors, or education professors.  What you probably don’t know is that Texas Project WILD isn’t just a book.  It isn’t just a book of field-tested activities, correlated to readiness and supporting TEKS.  It doesn’t just offer ways to use experiential learning to teach content and process skills.  Sure it is easy to use with its conceptual framework and multiple cross referenced indexes.  It’s a great book, used and loved in Texas for 30 years.  But it isn’t just a book.

Texas Project WILD isn’t just a set of books.  Sure there are 4 members of the Texas Project WILD Suite; Project WILD, Aquatic WILD, Science & Civics, and Growing Up WILD.  The original Project WILD guide is most recognizable with tried and true activities like Oh Deer! and Good Buddies.  Aquatic WILD has been recently expanded to include more careers, STEM connections, student-driven investigations, and online resources.  Science & Civics leads secondary students to explore issues and take action. Growing Up WILD, developed by early childhood educators, lays the foundation with interdisciplinary, multisensory learning.  It is a great suite of books for educators from pre-k to university.  But it isn’t just a set of books.

Texas Project WILD really is professional development.  When you attend a Texas Project WILD workshop you are immersed in a learning experience conducted by a certified WILD Facilitator.  WILD Facilitators are locals who know the issues in your area – both educationally and environmentally.  Your facilitator tailors the workshop to your needs and brings a wealth of knowledge, resources, and connections to you.  A facilitator (not an instructor) delivers the content through interactive activities giving time for reflection, planning and sharing.  You share your hard-earned wisdom and gain from the collective knowledge of the whole cohort.  You leave a WILD workshop with a book (yes, they really are great books), but just as importantly you leave a WILD Teacher.

Check the Tx Parks & Wildlife website calendar for opportunities to become a WILD Teacher or if you are already a WILD Teacher to become a certified WILD Facilitator.  If there isn’t a workshop near you, contact Kiki Corry, Project WILD Coordinator about organizing one.