Kick off the new year right by teaching your class about the biodiversity and culture of the rainforest! Your students will learn valuable conservation lessons that will give them a new respect for their environment and a deeper understanding of Latin American cultures.

December 2003
The Year in Review
"Clara y El Armadillo" -- A Rainforest Alliance kindergarten story in Spanish.

Since the launch of the Rainforest Alliance Learning Site in September, 2003, visits to the site have continued to increase, with more than 11,000 hits to date. Each month, we have added new resources to keep teachers coming back for exciting curriculum supplements. In November, as an addition to our first grade curriculum, we added a species profile of the ocellated turkey.

In October, the original stories that augment each unit became available in three languages - English, Spanish and Portuguese - allowing teachers to reach out to students of various backgrounds as well as to incorporate broader language skills into the classroom.
A Look Ahead
As 2004 kicks off, we're working to incorporate the Rainforest Alliance curriculum into more schools throughout the US. Not only are we spreading the word about our classroom resources, but devoting more time to outreach, focusing on schools whose administration already has a strong interest in bringing conservation education into their classrooms, as well as those with high Hispanic student populations. You can help! Do you know a school or classroom that could benefit from the Rainforest Alliance curriculum? Write to us at education@ra.org with your suggestions. .
Eighth-graders at Ann Street School created rainforest books like this one to read to the younger students.
Tell Us What You Think
Alexandra Wright performs for a concert to benefit rainforest conservation.

Have you been using the Rainforest Alliance curriculum in your classroom? Please take a moment to participate in our Learning Site survey. Your feedback will help us to keep the Learning Site and its resources vital and valuable.


Warm Up with a Virtual Visit to the Tropics
This January, warm up by touring the tropics with our online slideshows. See the jaguars and capuchin monkeys of the Amazon rainforest and get to know the families of Boa Vista do Ramos in the second grade unit's Brazil slideshow. Or, learn about life in El Salvador's El Imposible National Park with your fifth and sixth graders.

Celebrate the End of School in Costa Rica
Alexandra Wright performs for a concert to benefit rainforest conservation.

A small group of Rainforest Alliance members will take an unforgettable journey this summer to the lush and beautiful rainforests of Costa Rica! On this first ever Rainforest Alliance Member-ecotrip, we will visit a number of our conservation projects, lush rainforest reserves and magical Caribbean beaches. The eight-day tour, guided by local experts and Rainforest Alliance staff, will take you to certified coffee, banana and flower farms; sustainable forestry operations and on an aerial tram ride through the rainforest canopy. We will stay in ecolodges and hotels certified to meet high standards for the environment and workers, and we will experience the colorful local culture.

The price for this eight-day, once-in-a-lifetime Rainforest Alliance member event is only $2,100 -- airfare included! See a full itinerary and further details about the trip.

This is a unique opportunity to experience the natural world at its finest, to learn about some of Earth's most amazing ecosystems and to see, in action, the progressive work of the Rainforest Alliance. Space is limited, so please make your reservation no later than January 31, 2004 by contacting Jonathan Labozzetta at (646) 452-1955 or via email at jlabozzetta@ra.org.

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