For more information about the following programs or to register please contact Patty Rickard, Naturalist, 330-823-7487 or rickarpa@muc.edu

PRE-SCHOOL

Making "Sense" of Your World

Five Senses

Using sight, hearing, touch, smell, and to a limited extent, taste, students will have an opportunity to explore the natural world around them. Sensory awareness and an appreciation for the outdoor environment are highlighted in this field experience. (1 hour)

Aligned with Goals - 1, 2, 3, 5 EECO Best Practices in Environmental Education for PreK

Spying on Spring/Seeking Summer

Seasonal Discovery

While walking through the nature center, students will have a chance to experience and appreciate the current season, and will compare and contrast it with the other seasons. (1 hour)

Aligned with Goals - 1, 2, 3, 5 EECO Best Practices in Environmental Education for PreK

Grade K-2

Home Sweet Home

Habitat

During this walk, students will be encouraged to discover animal homes in at least two different habitats and to decide what provides the food, water, shelter and space (the components of all habitats) in each. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: A, B Indicators: Kindergarten - 6 Grade One - 1,4 Grade Two - 1,2,3,5,7

Spying on Spring/Seeking Summer

Seasonal Discovery

While walking through the nature center, students will choose an organism to compare and contrast its behavior in the current season with that in the other seasons. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: B Earth ScienceContent Standard Benchmark:C Indicator Kindergarten - ES 5 Grade One - 1 Grade Two - 8,9

The Right Tool for the Job is …

Adaptations

While on a Discovery Walk, students will choose an organism and decide what adaptations equip their organism to survive in it’s habitat. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: A, B, C Indicators: Kindergarten – 3,4,5 Grade One - 3 Grade Two – 4,6

GRADE 3-5

It Takes All Sorts?

Classification

Students will observe and examine items discovered while in the field. They will discuss similarities and differences and practices different techniques for grouping these items. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science ContentStandards Benchmark: B Indicators: Grade Three - 3, Grade Four - 4, Grade Five – none

Eco-Interactions or “Everything is Connected to Everything Else”

Energy flow, ecosystem changes

Each student will choose an organism to examine. Students will discuss interactions among their organisms and the rest of the ecosystem. They will infer the effects that various changes would have on the system. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: A,B,C Indicators: Grade Three - 2,6 Grade Four - 2,5, Grade Five - 1,2,3,4,5,6

Take a Ride on the Life Cycle

Life Cycles

Students will examine organisms found along the trail to determine its life cycle stage. Different development patterns will be stressed and how interactions change with different stages will be noted. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: A Indicators: Grade Three - 1 Grade Four - 1 Grade Five - none

NEW – Hands-on Gardening Program

Preparing the Soil for Winter (late fall)

Soil & Nutrient Cycling Lesson. Students will observe and describe the composition of soil, discuss the importance of soil resources, especially topsoil, to food production and discover practices in the garden to conserve and enhance topsoil. While preparing the garden beds for winter, the students will apply soil conservation practices. (2 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: A,B,C Indicators: Grade Three – 5,6 Grade Four - 1 Grade Five - 1,2,3 Earth and Space Standards Benchmark C Indicators: Grade Three - 4, Science Inquiry Standards Benchmark: B,C Indicators: Grade Three – 6 Grade Four – 2 Grade Five – 4,6

GRADE 6-8

Where do we go from here?

Environmental Change

Students will visit different successional stages at the nature center. They will collect and compare data from each site to try to determine the effects of progressive changes over time. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark:D Indicators: Grade Six - none Grade Seven - 5 Grade Eight - none

A Day in the Life of a Pond

Pond Study

Students will observe the pond ecosystem and collect data on biotic and abiotic factors. Some organisms will be sampled for closer observation in the wet classroom. Students will compare and contrast zoo-and phytoplankton. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark:A Indicators: Grade Six - 1,2,3 Grade Seven - 1,8 Grade Eight - none

“You can’t have one without the other”

Symbiosis

Students will discover several examples of symbiotic relationships between organisms at the nature center. They will be asked to decide what benefit, if any, each organism derives from the other. (1.5 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: C Indicators: Grade Six - 8 Grade Seven - 2 Grade Eight - none

GRADE 9-12

"Keying in" on "keying out"

Classification

Students will learn the basics of creating dichotomous keys and will be given a particular key to use to identify organisms while in the field at the nature center. ( 2 hour)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: E(9-10) Indicators: Grade Ten - 12

Nothing Succeeds Like Succession

Succession

Students will visit successional stages of a forest. While at each they will make observations and collect data on the biotic and abiotic factors present at each site. Students will compare diversity of species at each site and make inferences about any differences found. (3 hrs)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: F(9-10), B,E(11-12) Indicators: Grade Ten - 15,16,17,18 Grade 11 - 5 Grade 12 - 8

What goes on in the forest?

Forest Ecology

Students will have the opportunity to study a forest system in several modular units, going into more depth on a particular subject with each unit The units as a whole will provide a comprehensive view of the forest studied. 4 sessions (4 hr/session)

Life Science Content Standards Benchmark: D,F(9-10), B,D,E(11-12) Indicators: Grade Ten - 9,10,11,15,16,17,18 Grade 11 - 5,6,7,8,9,12 Grade 12 - 7,8,9