Kindergarten Program

The SCVN Kindergarten Program operates Tuesday through Thursday during the school year at the Cactus Picnic Area. The two hour program introduces the children to some of the wonders of Sabino Canyon.

The introduction to Sabino Canyon begins with a brief puppet show with various animals and birds, introducing the terms such as habitat, herbivore, predator, and camouflage and as well as acquainting the children with some ground rules for the activities. The children are then divided into groups of 10 or less and assigned a naturalist, with whom they spend the rest of their visit.

The children participate in 4 activities. A short nature walk introduces the children to the wildlife in the area. With the help of a checklist they identify certain desert animals and birds which are life size models hidden strategically in their natural habitat. As each creature is discovered, the Naturalist discusses how they live and what they eat. On this nature walk the children also learn about cacti, scat, bird nests, egg cases or other things that might be of interest.

The children are introduced to geology, the rocks, sand and minerals in the area. They learn about mica, quartz, garnet and feldspar and search for magnetite with magnets. They also learn about erosion and how Sabino Canyon was formed.

A predator-prey ‘hide-and-seek’ game teaches the children the importance of camouflage, protective coloration in animal survival and the predator prey relationship.

A mystery box provides the children with an opportunity to look and touch various animal pelts such as coyote, javalina, desert cottontail, bobcat and skunk and learn more about protective coloration different types of skin, hair and fur. A variety of skulls including owl, coyote, bobcat and ground squirrel reveal to the children whether the animal was a predator or prey by examining the teeth, and eye location.

 Gil Payette's Coloring Book

Gil arrived and settled in Tucson, Arizona in 2001. He became involved with being an interpreter or docent for the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN), a storyteller with Tellers-of-Tales, a storyteller & naturalist & hiking guide & spirit provider with Canyon Ranch Resort, and a desert sketch artist.

The children's activity book was started with a list of rhymes about the desert. Rhymes that were being created on the hiking trail and in the Cactus Picnic area of Sabino Canyon where the Kindergarten Program of SCVN takes place. The results were then illustrated and organized into a format for coloring, drawing and rhyming. Enjoy! 

The author gives permission for SCVN to copy and post the manuscript on its web site and allows children for individual use to print and participate in the coloring, drawing and rhyming activities related to the book.

Click  here to enjoy the book (you will need a pdf file reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free download from Adobe's website).

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM    

The SCVN Elementary School Program operates from October to the end of April. The purpose of the program is to provide environmental education to children from school districts throughout the Tucson area and share with them the delights of Sabino Canyon. Many teachers bring their students back year after year and comment that this is their favorite field trip.

There are six different hands-on activities that teachers can choose from. The geology activity called Strike It Rich introduces students to how the Canyon was formed and the different minerals that make up the gneiss metamorphic granite in the area and allows them to pan for “sand rubies” in the Sabino Creek. The WEB of Life kit teaches how all forms of life are interconnected and the consequences when imbalance occurs. The students view different animal skulls to learn whether they are predator or prey and what kind of food they eat. The predator prey concept is stressed. The predatory - prey concept is also important to the kit entitled Now You See It that is taught to the younger children in 1st and 2nd grade. The main learning theme is the importance of camouflage and protective coloration to animal survival.

The Green Scene is an activity on plant biology focusing on desert plants and how they survive in this harsh climate. It teaches children the structure of plants, how they reproduce, difference between fruits and vegetables, and plant requirements for growth. Creek Critters introduces children to the insects that live in Sabino Creek. With nets and buckets they capture these critters and then identify them using magnifying glasses and pictures. Another popular kit chosen by the teachers is Back to The Past. Students learn about the life of the Hohokam who inhabited this area over 1000 years ago. The children make clay pots and use a pump drill to make shell jewelry. Both are activities the Hohokam participated in while living in the Tucson Basin.

As well as the hour-long learning experience that takes place at tables in Lower Sabino, the children are taken by their Volunteer Naturalist on a nature walk that includes the desert and the riparian areas. These nature walks continue with the theme of the chosen activity for the day but also allow for a broad environmental education of the plants and animals of Sabino. One never knows what insect, bird or animal might show himself that day to the children. As one boy wrote in his thank you letter to his Naturalist after the program, “I had a great time even thought I learned a lot.”