Wild Watch
Grandfather Mountain’s department of interpretation and education partners with local school systems to provide educational enrichment opportunities for students through its Wild Watch program. The program engages first, third and fifth-grade students in the region and supports the instructional efforts of the teachers in their classrooms via in-school visits and a field trip to the mountain.
Wild Watch provides hands-on, experiential learning in line with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study curriculum for students. Wild Watch programs are tailored to the science standards for each grade and for grade level appropriateness. Whether students are being introduced to key concepts in biology and science for the first time or are participating in high-stakes testing on the subject, the Wild Watch program offers educational enrichment and student-led learning experiences.
Michelle Malalang, education specialist with Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation oversees Wild Watch. Malalang has a master’s degree in Montessori Education and two bachelor’s degrees in English and international relations, as well as additional certifications/endorsements in reading intervention and gifted. Throughout her 15 years in education she has taught upper elementary students, children with special needs and gifted students. She believes every child deserves a quality education that excites them to learn, ask questions and wonder.
What is Wild Watch?
The program includes six in-depth interactions with Grandfather Mountain’s educational staff with the goal of increasing student’s understanding of five key areas: basic ecological concepts, the joys of exploration, interconnectedness to nature, the impact of humans on their environment and the benefits of working together.
Each visit teaches students how to think like a scientist and make observations like one. A portion of the interactions for older students includes focuses on weather and weather patterns, data-collection instruments and how weather patterns affect the students and the world around them.
The itinerary throughout the rest of the school year sees children learning about what plants need in order to survive, using tools to learn about geography and mapmaking, recognizing the needs of animals, learning about different types of soils, units on weather and weather patterns and education about data-collection instruments. Each program will vary depending on the grade level and grade appropriateness.
The Wild Watch Program culminates in a field trip to Grandfather Mountain to see the mountain’s plants and animals up close and to learn about the different ways people work to protect and improve their environments. Fifth-grade students will visit the mountain twice during the program to learn more about weather and data-collection instruments.
Additionally, each classroom “adopts” an animal from Grandfather Mountain, who they learn about during the school year and get a chance to visit when they come to the mountain.
Interested in your class or school joining Wild Watch?
The Wild Watch program has met its capacity for the 2025-2026 school year, but welcomes inquiries for the 2026-2027 school year. Please contact Michelle Malalang at michelle@grandfather.com to learn how you can bring Wild Watch to your classroom.
