In late October, students from Lister Elementary kicked off their first “Park Week” of the year with a visit to Swan Creek Park. The park is a living classroom where they discover nature, practice science skills, and learn how to foster empathy for wildlife in their community.

The students are part of Wildlife Champions, a long-term partnership between Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a facility of Parks Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Schools. Both Arlington and Lister Elementary participate in this hands-on program.

Wildlife Champions helps students connect with science, nature, and the environment while fostering empathy for wildlife and encouraging them to become stewards of their schools, neighborhoods, and local parks. The award-winning program was developed through a unique collaboration between Tacoma Public School teachers and the zoo’s environmental education experts, blending empathy with scientific principles to deepen students’ understanding of the natural world.

During their recent visit to Swan Creek Park, the fourth graders learned about one of nature’s most impressive feats: salmon using their powerful sense of smell to return to the exact river where they were born. To experience this firsthand, students pretended to be salmon. Each group received a bottle with a different scent and used their “salmon senses” to track down their matching smell, just like real salmon navigating their way back home.

The students also practiced another field science skill: using binoculars. As they walked the trail, they learned how to properly use binoculars to spot “prey” animals and identify the predators that might be nearby. Pictures of rabbits and birds were hidden along the route, turning the trail into an interactive search for signs of wildlife and predator–prey relationships.

See the photos below of October’s Park Week at Swan Creek Park.