This [WildCare] program ties into environmental awareness that is part of classroom culture. Since many of our San Francisco students are from the city, they are "nature deprived". This gave the students a chance to see nature in its wild form.
- Robert Savant, Teacher
The presentation was so interactive and engaging for our kindergarten students! They learned SO much and had an incredible time. It was also great that they were able to touch the [taxidermy] animals at the end of the presentation.
- Katie Keating-Klamm, Teacher
The best part of the program is the overall love of and enthusiasm of the docents for sharing the wonders of redwoods with my 4th grade students. They were all excellent and I was amazed at how focused my group of wiggly students were. The content knowledge and 'citizen scientists' aspects interwoven made the content very accessible and applicable.
- Wendy Funk, Teacher
Nature Van
Wildlife Ambassadors
Center Tours
Nature Hikes
Distance Learning
Teacher Resources
Nature Van
Let us bring the wild to you with a visit from our Nature Van full of taxidermy, skeletons, bio-facts, and more!
Have you ever touched a skunk’s fur or felt a rattlesnake’s scales?
This interactive presentation provides students with the opportunity to be hands-on with animals they wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience up close, leaving them with a strengthened sense of responsibility toward preserving our planet.
Get Started!
We are accepting reservations for the 2022/2023 school year.
Use our online form to request your Nature Van program!
Length: 45-60 minutes
Ages: pre-K to adult
Group Limit: 30 person maximum per presentation (25 person limit for Pre-K and K)
A touch of feathers, fur and scales! Learn about the astounding animals that live right here in our own neighborhoods. This presentation provides an overview of our state’s wonderfully diverse wildlife.
Birds of a Feather
From zipping hummingbirds to soaring raptors, examine the amazing adaptations of our feathered friends. Students will leave thinking that perhaps having a bird brain isn’t such a bad thing!
Marvelous Mammals
Purrs, howls, hisses and growls! Investigate the surprising diversity of mammals, from marsupials and mustelids to felines and canines, and find out where humans fit into this furry cast of critters.
Redwood Giants
Who is hiding amongst the tallest trees in the world? Take a peek into life in a Coastal Redwood Forest. From banana slugs on the forest floor to owls in the canopy, investigate the interdependency of organisms hidden in each layer of this spectacular forest.
Ocean Adventures
Dive into the remarkable ways animals have adapted to living in each ocean habitat, from tidepools and sandy beaches to kelp forests and the open ocean.
Wild Wetlands
Creeks, ponds and wetlands! Wade into the unique lifecycles of the animals that pass through these watery worlds. Explore this vanishing habitat to learn exactly why it is worth preserving and how you can help.
Going Green
Let our local wildlife teach you simple ways to help preserve our planet. Investigate the issues affecting wildlife and learn simple ways that you can make a difference. It’s easy being green!
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel your program less than 8 weeks in advance, 50% of your program fee will be due or retained.
If you cancel your program less than 2 weeks in advance, 100% of your program fee will be retained.
Wildlife Ambassadors
There is nothing more memorable for your students than having live wild animals visit your classroom!
Your group will have the opportunity to meet three of WildCare’s rescued non-releasable wild animals during this unforgettable presentation.
By sharing their rescue stories, these animals act as ambassadors for their species in order to increase awareness of their plight in the wild.
Due to the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in our region, we are currently only able to offer reptile and opossum adaptations programs. Classroom visitors can include a Virginia Opossum, Desert Tortoise, California Kingsnake, Rosy Boa, or a Western Pond Turtle.
We do not know how long HPAI will last, but we look forward to resuming our regular programing as soon as this threat to our birds has passed.
If you cancel your program less than 8 weeks in advance, 50% of your program fee will be due or retained.
If you cancel your program less than 2 weeks in advance, 100% of your program fee will be retained.
Center Tours
Unfortunately, due to HPAI (avian influenza) and its risks to WildCare's Wildlife Ambassador birds and our avian Wildlife Hospital patients, we are not offering Center Tours until further notice.
Meet our non-releasable educational animals, our Wildlife Ambassadors, in an engaging guided tour.
Learn about WildCare’s mission, along with success stories of wildlife we have rescued and released back into the wild. Visitors will meet the non-releasable birds, reptiles and mammals housed in WildCare’s outdoor courtyard. Explore the natural behavior of each species, why each animal ambassador needed rescuing and how you can help to protect their species in the wild.
If you cancel your program less than 8 weeks in advance, 50% of your program fee will be due or retained.
If you cancel your program less than 2 weeks in advance, 100% of your program fee will be retained.
Nature Hikes
Discovering Nature!
Immerse your students in nature with our exciting discovery hikes led by WildCare’s Terwilliger Nature Guides. Students will use their senses to examine animal tracks, investigate scat, and spot wildlife, all while expanding their knowledge and appreciation of local flora and fauna.
The only dates still available for the 2022/2023 school year are:
Wednesday, June 7th at Muir Woods
Thursday, June 8th at Miwok Meadows
Please use the online form to reserve today, or click the link to be added to the waitlist. We will begin accepting reservations for the 2023/2024 school year in May 2023.
Group Limit: One classroom per hike per day
Teacher Requirements: bring a minimum of 1 adult for every 5 children to ensure a safe and hands-on experience
Experience the oak woodland ecosystem and its amazing biodiversity, including grasslands, marshes and forests. Common sightings include wild turkey, deer, egrets and woodrat stick nests. Wheelchair accessible.
Grades: K-6
Dates & Times: Thursdays 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Ring Mountain (Corte Madera)
Learn about the unique geology and botany of this grassland, rich in serpentine soils. Students will learn about the cultural history of the Coast Miwok, while enjoying the panoramic views of San Francisco and Mt. Tamalpais.
Grades: 2-6
Dates & Times: Tuesdays 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Muir Woods (Mill Valley)
Explore the fascinating ecology of a Coast Redwood Forest. Growing as tall as skyscrapers and living up to 2,000 years, Coast Redwoods provide a unique ecosystem found nowhere else on the planet. Keep an eye out for banana slugs, chipmunks and salmon. Wheelchair accessible.
Grades: K-6
Dates & Times: Wednesdays 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel your program less than 8 weeks in advance, 50% of your program fee will be due or retained.
If you cancel your program less than 2 weeks in advance, 100% of your program fee will be retained.
Distance Learning
Bring WildCare directly to your students through distance learning today!
Distance Learning Programs
To learn more and request a WildCare Distance Learning Program, please email Kate Lynch at kate@discoverwildcare.org or call 415-453-1000 x19.
Bring WildCare directly to your students through distance learning! Our educators will lead students through scientific observations and active movements as they learn about some of our Wildlife Ambassadors. With a mixture of behind-the-scenes videos and live interactive sessions with one of our wildlife educators, this engaging program will delight and inspire students to take action to help wildlife in their neighborhoods.
Scholarships are available and are based on your school’s FRPM statistics. Visit our scholarship page for more information. You may request a scholarship in the Program Request Form by clicking on any of the program links below.
Visit our Teacher Resources web page for activities that prepare students for their upcoming Distance Learning Program by engaging them in the study of the natural world.
Programs Available
Habitats and Biodiversity
The Vertebrates
Eco-Heroes
California Wetlands
Wonders of Oak Woodlands
Habitats and Biodiversity
Learn about the astounding animals that live right here in our own neighborhoods. This presentation provides an overview of our state’s wonderfully diverse wildlife. From the redwood forest to the desert, investigate the amazing adaptations that help animals survive in their habitats. This interactive presentation provides students with the opportunity to observe taxidermy and animals’ features they wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience up close, leaving them with a strengthened sense of responsibility toward preserving our planet. NGSS Alignment
Learn More!
Habitats and Biodiversity
Grade levels: K-2nd grade
Program length: 45 minutes
Cost: $100 – 30 student maximum
The Vertebrates
What do fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals all have in common? How can you know what a mammal eats just by looking at its teeth? What makes birds so unique from other animals? Find out the answers to these questions and much more by attending a special presentation featuring videos of our Wildlife Ambassadors. In this presentation you will learn about a bird of prey, a marvelous mammal, and a remarkable reptile! This program will reveal these animals’ habitats, diets, adaptations, and the threats they face in the wild.
Learn about our rescued non-releasable Wildlife Ambassadors during this interactive presentation. By sharing their rescue stories, these animals act as representatives for their species in order to increase awareness of their plight in the wild. Investigate the issues affecting wildlife, interdependence in ecosystems, and how we can make choices in our everyday lives to have a positive impact on our environment.
Wade into the unique lives of the animals that pass through these watery worlds. Explore this vanishing habitat to learn exactly why it is worth preserving and how you can help. Students will examine the benefits of wetlands and find out why animals rely on them for survival. Students will gain an understanding of how restoring and protecting California’s wetlands has a big positive impact on our local wildlife.
How do squirrels plant trees? Who lives inside of a tree trunk? Find out what other wonders await by transporting your classroom to the oak woodland! Listen for the drumming of the acorn woodpecker, catch a glimpse of the fluffy tail of the grey fox, and watch raptors soar in the sky above. Hear the stories of our Wildlife Ambassadors and Wildlife Hospital patients to understand how their species are connected in the food web. Learn how oak trees sustain life for wildlife and humans alike in this important ecosystem. NGSS Alignment
Learn More!
Wonders of Oak Woodlands
Grade levels: K-6th grade
Program length: 45 minutes
Cost: $100 – 30 student maximum
Scholarships available!
If your school participates in the Free or Reduced Price Meal program (FRPM), your class is eligible for a scholarship.
Bring WildCare to your students with our fun, free Teacher Resources!
Pre-visit activities prepare your students for their upcoming Distance Learning Program by engaging them in the study of the natural world.
Post-visit activities expand upon students’ new knowledge and offer ways they can keep learning how to live well with wildlife in their own neighborhood.
Each grade-appropriate activity is presented as a web page with printable PDFs that can be shared with students remotely or in the classroom.
