Virtual Learning
September 2, 2020
In the fall, Turpentine Creek’s education department is usually busy scheduling lots of field trips and special offsite presentations. As everyone knows this year has not gone as planned and adjustments have had to be made to continue educating the next generation of animal advocates and adults.
Due to many COVID restrictions and changes in school field trip regulations, Turpentine Creek has decided to not conduct onsite field trips or go to offsite presentations for the rest of the year. But that doesn’t mean that we have put a halt to educating! As a true sanctuary, it is extremely important to promote our mission everywhere that we can and that is why we have decided to conduct virtual tours and field trips.
At the beginning of 2020, our education department began utilizing Skype in the Classroom to reach people all over the world! Because of this, when the refuge closed in March, our team was able to conduct virtual lessons to classrooms while working at home. When it became time to make a decision to allow onsite field trips, we wanted to make sure that everyone was able to stay as safe as possible.
We currently have two options for virtual learning opportunities.
- Free to classrooms: Predators, Not Pets. This virtual lesson gets your classroom acquainted with what a true sanctuary is and why Turpentine Creek exists. We also explore the adaptations that make big cats and bears predators and not pets or props. This is interactive, meaning students can ask questions about the animals and Turpentine Creek. These lessons tend to be anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour long.
- $30: Virtual Tour around the Refuge. Experience a tour around the refuge right from your computer! Our content producer and editor created a video of our animals for your group to see the cats in action. We decided to create a pre-recorded video instead of a live tour for a couple of reasons. We didn’t want our wifi to go out in the middle of your tour and you wouldn’t be able to see the animals. This video ensures you will see the animals. During this virtual tour, our education team will talk about where the animals were rescued from, their personalities, enrichment activities our animals enjoy, and many other things! Just like Predators, Not Pets, your group will have the opportunity to ask questions.
These virtual learning experiences are not only for school groups but also adult groups. We change the tour based on the age of the group! We are happy to talk to all groups both students and adults. These virtual opportunities are currently hosted Monday- Friday for two times each day. If you are interested in scheduling a tour with us, please contact our education department at education@tcwr.org or via phone at 479-253-5841 EXT 3. You can learn more about all of our educational opportunities on our new education website at www.tcwredu.org.