Positives

• Students can get involved in their community while supporting scientific research.
• These challenges give students an authentic sense of purpose as they explore nature!

Additional Prerequisites

• There is a link to complete a form to volunteer as a community scientist.
• Click on each project to read more about it and find information about upcoming training sessions.
• Some projects may have age requirements. For example, the Terrapin Tracking Team requires volunteers to be 18 years old, but children can accompany a trained adult, and the City Nature Challenge is for  Fairfield and Westchester counties.

Differentiation

• Students can choose a volunteer project to participate in from this list and report back about their experience with the class.
• Many of the projects are best suited for older students. For younger students, the best options are the City Nature Challenge, where volunteers observe and document wildlife in their area, or the Great Backyard Bird Count, where participants observe and count birds.
• Students can research other volunteer opportunities similar to these in their community.