Information for teachers and parents
Students and their teachers are invited to participate in the Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) program. This conservation education program is designed to stimulate awareness of and personal involvement in waterfowl and wetland conservation for students in grades K-12 through a student art project.
The JDS program, "Connecting Youth to Nature through Science and Art," has a redesigned arts and science curriculum to spark youth interest in habitat conservation through science, art, math and technology. Aimed at students in grades 5-8, with suggested adaptations for younger and older audiences, the curriculum encourages students to engage with their natural world and develop a deeper appreciation for natural resources. Students have an opportunity to increase their knowledge of waterfowl anatomy, adaptations, climate change, migration, habitats, field journaling, waterfowl painting techniques, and science and art process skills (observation, data gathering and interpretation, creative and critical thinking, problem solving, and artistic expression). You may download the free curriculum from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website.
The culmination of the duck stamp unit should be students expressing what they have learned artistically through an entry to the statewide competition. In early March, five professional artists with expertise in art, natural science, waterfowl, and habitat conservation will judge the entries in four categories: grades K-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-9 and grades 10-12. Every official entrant receives a certificate of participation and the top 25 artists in each age category are recognized at an awards ceremony.
A combination of the top 100 winning drawings will go on tour for a year to various venues across Massachusetts. The piece selected as Best of Show represents the Commonwealth in a national competition and will then tour nationally with the Best of Show exhibit.