
Amazing Animal Adventures
Amazing Animal Adventures takes young explorers on a globe-trotting journey through Earth's most incredible ecosystems — from the Amazon rainforest to the ancient landscapes of Australia and New Zealand.
Starts Wed, Aug 12
8:30 PM UTC · 1h
4 sessions

Amalia
4.8
Outcomes, not lecture notes.
Classify reptiles and amphibians using real scientific criteria like scales, backbone structure, and reproductive traits
Identify iconic species from multiple continents, including bearded dragons, frilled lizards, sea turtles, and saltwater crocodiles
Explain what makes the tuatara a "living fossil" and why it's found only in New Zealand
Compare ecosystems across the Amazon rainforest, Central American rainforest, and Australian outback — and describe how each shapes the animals that live there
Distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes and describe key survival adaptations
Describe the ecological roles reptiles play in maintaining healthy ecosystems
Connect animal behavior and physical adaptations to real-world conservation challenges and threats like habitat loss and pollution
Meet Amalia.

Amalia
Amalia Fernand is an environmental educator and world explorer who makes classes come alive with stories from her real-life adventures, props from her science shelf, and live program animals. The founder of Nature Explorers International, she has developed dozens of nature camps and classroom programs to inspire students to explore the world around them, appreciate wildlife, and become stewards of the environment. During classes, she is regularly joined by her friends Scaly the corn snake, Slimy the tiger salamander, and Lizzie the leopard gecko.
Amazing Animal Adventures takes young explorers on a globe-trotting journey through Earth's most incredible ecosystems — from the Amazon rainforest to the ancient landscapes of Australia and New Zealand. Students will meet fascinating creatures like saltwater crocodiles, poison dart frogs, axolotls, and the tuatara (a reptile so ancient it's called a living fossil), learning how each animal is built for survival in its unique habitat. Along the way, they'll dive into real science — herpetology, animal classification, life cycles, and conservation — while building reptile crafts, coloring pages, and hands-on projects that make learning stick. This course is perfect for any young animal enthusiast who wants to go beyond the basics and discover the wild, weird, and wonderful world of reptiles and wildlife.
A Wild Ride Through the World's Most Incredible Ecosystems
Amazing Animal Adventures is an immersive, activity-packed course designed for curious young minds who want to explore the animal kingdom in depth. Students travel virtually to some of the planet's most biodiverse environments — the towering Amazon rainforest, the lush jungles of Central America, and the sun-scorched wilds of Australia and New Zealand — discovering the reptiles, amphibians, and wildlife that make each place extraordinary. Every session blends vivid visuals, interactive discussion, and hands-on creative projects to keep learning exciting and concrete.
What Students Will Explore
The course puts reptiles front and center. Students start by learning how scientists actually classify animals — what separates a reptile from an amphibian, and what features like scales, eggs, and backbones tell us about an animal's biology. From there, the journey expands outward:
- The Amazon Rainforest: Explore the world's largest rainforest and meet the snakes, turtles, and lizards that thrive in its dense canopy and winding rivers.
- Central America: Discover poison dart frogs and the remarkable axolotl — animals with adaptations so unusual they seem almost fictional.
- Australia and New Zealand: Get up close with saltwater crocodiles, bearded dragons, frilled lizards, and the tuatara — a reptile whose lineage stretches back 200 million years and which possesses a third "parietal eye" on top of its head.
- Sea Turtles: Trace the migratory routes and life cycles of sea turtles, and examine the threats — pollution, habitat destruction, climate change — that endanger them today.
Real Science, Taught Accessibly
Students are introduced to herpetology — the scientific study of reptiles and amphibians — and learn to think like field biologists. That means practicing observation skills, identifying species by physical traits, comparing habitats, and understanding how ecosystems depend on the animals within them. The course also covers venomous versus non-venomous snakes, salamander life cycles, and the ecological roles predators and prey play in keeping ecosystems balanced. Conservation is woven throughout: students learn about real-world protection efforts and how responsible citizen action can make a difference.
Hands-On Activities That Reinforce the Learning
Every concept is reinforced through creative projects designed to make the science memorable. Students build Amazon rainforest stick puppets, sculpt Play-Doh snakes, create reptile-themed coloring pages, and construct animal masks — activities that engage different learning styles and give students a tangible connection to what they're studying. These aren't just fun add-ons; they're built into the curriculum to help students process and retain what they've discovered.
What Students Walk Away With
By the end of Amazing Animal Adventures, students will be able to identify dozens of species by sight, explain their adaptations and ecological roles, and speak confidently about global biodiversity and why it matters. More than a collection of cool animal facts, this course builds genuine scientific curiosity — the kind that makes students look at a lizard sunning on a rock and start asking why.
Live Q&A
Cameras / mics optional
Recordings
Available within 1 hour, kept 90 days
Materials
No special materials required
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free with a Varsity Tutors membership
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Amazing Animal Adventures


