Welcome to the NEW Junior Wildlife Scientist Program!
The Alabama Wildlife Federation created the Junior Wildlife Scientist Program to:
Teachers will guide their students through a collection of inquiry-based, hands-on activities designed to be used in conjunction with local habitat to help teach the Alabama Department of Education’s Course of Study Standards while integrating STEAM with English-Language Arts.
Students will earn two new merit badges and a new Junior Wildlife Scientist certificate each school year as they complete the Junior Wildlife Scientist activities in conjunction with their schoolyard habitats and habitat learning labs.
Click on the links below for more details:
Who Can Participate | Grade Levels | Student Nature Notebook Activities & Merit Badges | Teacher’s Guides | Classroom Kits | Ordering Details & Deadlines
JWS Nature Notebook Activities
Each student participating in the Junior Wildlife Scientist program receives a nature notebook full of fun, hands-on, inquiry-based activities that help teach him/her the Alabama Course of Study Standards for his/her grade level.
CLICK HERE for more details about the types of activities found in the nature notebooks.
JWS Merit Badges & Certificate
Each school year, students have the opportunity to earn two new merit badges and receive a new level of certification in the JWS program by completing JWS nature notebook activities.
For each badge, the student must complete at least three of the JWS nature notebook activities (total of six activities) for their specific grade. The *REQUIRED and *Suggested activities for each badge are marked in the Table of Contents in both the nature notebooks and teacher guides.
Click on the grade levels below to learn more about the nature notebook activities, merit badges and certificates for each grade level.
The JWS Teacher’s Guides give teachers an overview of the Junior Wildlife Scientist program and include details about how the activities help teach the Alabama Department of Education’s Course of Study standards for science, math and English-language arts.
The guides provide background information, educational resources, lesson plans, and activity answers for ALL of the activities in the students’ nature notebooks.
CLICK HERE for more details about the types of educational resources that are included in the teacher guides for each grade level.
“These lessons are laid out in such a way that a new teacher could feel confident teaching this with little background knowledge. There’s enough info packed into the lessons.” – JWS Pilot Program School Teacher
JWS On-site Training: We can schedule in-person/on-site training for schools’ teachers and/or science/STEM teacher(s) to help provide tips for using JWS in conjunction with your schoolyard habitat and outdoor classroom. Training can be customized, and it can be as short as 30 minutes or up to 3 hours including a tour of your outdoor classroom for your faculty.
Each Junior Wildlife Scientist Classroom Kit includes:
Cost = $5 per student (includes Shipping & Handling) See School Discounts below.
(for example: Classroom Kit for 20 students costs $100)
Homeschools can purchase individual Student Kits for $10 each, which also includes a Nature Notebook, 2 Merit Badges and a Certificate of Achievement for the student along with a Teacher’s Guide and example Activity Schedule.
Junior Wildlife Scientist Classroom Kits for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade are available to order for the 2026-27 School Year!
Junior Wildlife Scientist Sudent Kits for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades are available now for Homeschools! Fourth grade will be available by the end of July.
