This club will be a fun way to explore the rainforests of the world together! We will discuss some of the most interesting creatures on earth, from the spider monkeys of Costa Rica, the pink river dolphins of the Amazon, to the forest elephants of Africa, the orangutans of Asia and so much more in between. This is an ongoing class and each class will be an independent lesson. A learner may join in at any week without any previous knowledge required. 

While sharing her adventures from rainforests around the world, Ms. Amalia will guide learners to become familiar with rainforest ecology, food webs, and the biodiversity of earth's oldest living ecosystems. Students will consistently be introduced to naturalist terms that describe animal behavior (eg: carnivore, nocturnal, arboreal, etc), as well as animal classification terms (eg: invertebrate, amphibian, etc). She will share many of her own photos from traveling to rainforests on five continents, and facilitate games, crafts, and discussions.

The beginning of each class will be an opportunity for introductions, sharing, and guided discussion. Students may bring items to class to share related to environmental science such as natural items, feathers, bones, insects, nature journal entries, books, animal toys or stuffed animals, pictures, artwork, etc. 

Each class will be different from, and independent of every other class. During ongoing classes, learners can attend either one or all of the classes, and can join in at any time. 
 
Students will also have the opportunity to listen to animal vocalizations, identify both natural and cultural artifacts, and interact with the Nature Explorers International classroom program animals, including: 
Scaly: the Corn Snake
Slimy: the Tiger Salamander
Jumpy: the Cuban Tree Frog
Lizzie: The Leopard Gecko

Topics may touch on the elements of habitat, rainforest characteristics, endangered animals, deforestation, primatology, herpetology, biology, ethnobotany, entomology, birding, wildlife biology, scientific field work, or volunteer travel, depending on the week. 

Classes may run up to five minutes over the scheduled time depending on learner discussion and questions. 

Learners may start or stop a subscription to an ongoing class at anytime, and each lesson is independent. 

Weekly themes for 2024:

THE CENTRAL AMERICAN RAINFOREST
September 18: New World Monkeys
September 25: Sloths, Tapirs, and Anteaters
October 2: Poison Dart Frogs and Venomous Snakes

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST
October 9: Pink River Dolphins and Piranhas
October 16: Colorful Amazon Birds
October 23: Amazon Wild Cats

THE CENTRAL AFRICAN RAINFOREST
October 30: Old World Monkeys and Great Apes
November 6: Elephants, Hippos, and Okapis

MADAGASCAR
November 13: Lemurs and Fossa 
November 21: Chameleons and Geckos

THE BORNEO RAINFOREST
November 27: Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, and Tarsiers
December 4: Clouded Leopards, Sun Bears, and Pygmy Elephants

THE DAINTREE RAINFOREST
December 11: Marsupials and Monotremes
December 18: Reptiles and Giant Birds