The five principles of an Audubon Education Experience will inform all of your decisions and planning. The syllabus provides a supportive environment in which students learn, gain confidence and have fun discovering nature in an exciting way. Activities relate to the surrounding community, leaving participants with skills they can use after the completion of the project. The program benefits a local conservation concern. The outcome includes an education component in which participants can share their project with others in the community.

The syllabus has two major segments. In the first half, students focus on skill development, observation and exploration. In the second half, students design and carry out a conservation project.

Phase I: Observation and exploration

• Nurture and develop the students' skills through hands-on activities in the outdoors.
• Teach club members how to collect data, keep a journal, use a field guide, take notes, and identify species.
• Introduce John James Audubon, the 19th century naturalist, and other well-known conservation leaders (e.g., Rachel Carson, John Muir, and Al Gore) and local conservation leaders from your community.
• Expose club members to environmental issues near and far.
• Keep the process creative and fun with stimulating games and activities.

Phase II: Conservation Outcomes

A good conservation outcome will be service-oriented and worthwhile for your club members, your center, and the community. It must also:

• Support Audubon's mission
• Benefit the local community
• Be scientifically-driven and involve critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Include hands-on activities in the outdoors
• Incorporate, if possible, Audubon volunteers and other community members
• Be evaluated by an end result

Examples of conservation outcomes

• A habitat restoration project
• Replacing invasive non-native plants with native plants
• Publishing a newsletter to share information about healthy habitats with the community
• Construct bird feeders from recycled materials
• Undertake a school solid waste audit and design a presentation about solutions for improvements.
• Arrange for the collection and proper disposal of unwanted computers, cell phones, batteries, etc.
• A neighborhood litter pick-up.

Strategies for creating a worthwhile project

• Help participants choose a manageable project. Generally, younger children need projects that are quick, tangible, and highly interactive, such as picking up trash at a local park. Older children, like middle school age, can handle longer-term projects that involve more planning and critical thinking skills, such as planting a garden or creating a compost program. These longer-term projects also offer opportunities for participants to get to know more about their community and the subject matter while engaging in decision-making and applying their new skills to real-life circumstances.
  
  
• Stick to the basics. Even with long-term projects, make sure to keep things simple. Be mindful of your goal and the time you have to complete the project. It would be disheartening for the group to undertake something they cannot finish. Make sure the group can walk away with a completed project they feel good about.
  
  
• Brainstorm. Brainstorming promotes creativity and draws input from every participant.
  
  
• Facilitate the process. Let your group take the lead in creating and implementing the project. Encourage participants to analyze available resources and assess the needs of the community and natural environment. Provide advice and counsel and keep club members on track, but allow them to direct the project. They will be more committed if they feel ownership of the project.
  
  
• Choose a project that is inclusive and utilizes the participants' skills. Each participant should feel that he/she is making a significant contribution to the project. Encourage each student to use his/her talents.
  
  
• Act local. Make sure the conservation project relates to the community. The more tangible and local the project, the more real it becomes to the participants. They will be able to see the difference they can make right in their own backyard.
  
  
• Engage students in the activities or initiatives already under way at your center or chapter. In this way, they become part of the solution. Here are some ideas:
  
  
  • Participate in citizen science projects such as the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count.
  • Utilize the Audubon At Home materials to demonstrate pesticide reduction at home.
  • Catalog the biodiversity at your center or sanctuary and develop a field guide.
  • Restore habitat, create a compost station, or plant a native bird and butterfly garden at your center or sanctuary.
  • Teach students to lead nature walks for center visitors.
  • Work on a local environmental issue.
  • Allow students to use Audubon Adventures activities to instruct younger children.
  • Conduct bird counts at local Important Bird Areas.
  
  
• Expect roadblocks and be flexible. Any chosen project is going to have its share of roadblocks; accept that this is part of the learning process for the students. Encourage club members to approach difficulties with a keen eye and to brainstorm to find creative, flexible ways around their problems.
  
  
• Create a timeline and assign jobs. Have the students design their own timeline and job descriptions. Planning can save time and teach students the steps necessary to complete a project successfully.
  
  
• Include a community education component in the conservation outcome. One of the most effective ways to learn is to teach. A community education element within the conservation outcome will allow students to gain even more knowledge through teaching the public, while bringing the project full circle. This also provides an opportunity for student-to-student mentoring, expanding your audience to new age groups and new communities.
  
  
• Let the students evaluate the project. Evaluation is also a part of the learning process. Give students time to reflect on their successes and failures, allowing club members to develop their critical thinking skills and to consider how they would do similar projects in the future.
  
  
• Keep nature journals. Have the students continually document their project. This gives club members a complete accounting of all ideas and the project's history, reminds them of what worked and what didn't work, and produces a record of information so that they can reproduce their work.
  
  
• Provide participants with continued opportunities for learning. Provide students with a way to continue participating in environmental activities so that the learning doesn't stop at the end of the program.
  
  
• Celebrate success. Emphasize the positive. These students are budding environmentalists and need encouragement. Water what you want to see grow!