‘Tis the season to celebrate our favorite fabulous felines! That’s right: Next weekend is Big Cat Weekend here at National Geographic! Big cats include lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, and snow leopards. These extraordinary creatures, which play an incredibly important role in their ecosystems, cannot be replaced. If they are not at the top of the food chain, the delicate balance of trophic relationships will be … Continue reading Welcome the Week with Big Cats
ENVIRONMENT A recent study finds that the often-feared big cats actually help keep crops and domesticated animals safe from other threats. (Scientific American) Zoom in on the dwindling range of the biggest of the big cats with today’s MapMaker Interactive map. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas New research investigates “ecosystem services” offered by tigers … Continue reading How Tigers Benefit Farmers
This week is Explorers Week, when National Geographic brings together some of the most interesting scientists and explorers making a difference in the world today. In honor of the occasion, the Education team challenged a group of local teachers to design an end-of-year project focusing on one of National Geographic’s 2016 Emerging Explorers. We’ll be sharing their class’ stories all week on the Education Blog. Educator: … Continue reading Student podcasters take on big cat conservation
Happy Big Cat Week! This year, instead of telling your students why big cats are important, why not let them tell you? Several years ago, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, renowned wildlife filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, started a program called “Letters to Lions” asking children to write letters explaining what lions mean to them. The letters were delivered to African leaders in charge of policy decisions about … Continue reading Weekly Warm-Up: Five Reasons to Save Big Cats—According to Kids
Guest bloggers Dr. Alex Oberle and Mollie Ullestad represent the Geographic Alliance of Iowa (GAI), a National Geographic-supported organization that works to advance geography education in Iowa. Alex is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Northern Iowa and the Coordinator for the GAI. Mollie is a Geography Education student at the University of Northern Iowa and the Undergraduate Research Assistant for the … Continue reading Big Cats, Zoos, and Kid Explorers
