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SCHOOL PROGRAM LIST

Bringing a Breath of Fresh Air to the Standards

The Nature Center offers a wide variety of educational programs.
Our programs are aligned with the CT Core Science Curriculum Framework
We have updated our programs to align with
the Next Generation Science Standards.

Programs can be tailored to fit your curriculum,
including urban-suburban partnership programs.
If there are specific programs that you would like us to offer,
please contact us.

For all school programs, call the Nature Center at 860.693.0263
between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday.
Because dates fill up quickly, reservations should be made
as early as possible in the school year. 

Reservations may not be made by email

For more information on scheduling programs at
Roaring Brook Nature Center, click here

ALL OF THE PROGRAMS LISTED BELOW
CAN BE PRESENTED AS VIRTUAL PROGRAMS

Please call the Nature Center so we may tailor the program
to meet the needs of your students and curriculum

 

 

Click here for the Educator's Program Guide for programs offered by
Roaring Brook Nature Center & The Children's Museum

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Programs at the Nature Center

 

Programs held at Roaring Brook Nature Center
explore the wide variety of habitats in the refuge.
Participants must come dressed to go outdoors

"This year's visit was wonderful.
The students all had fun learning about all the plants & animals.
Our guides were fantastic! The students were totally interested and involved."
- Kindergarten Teacher, Lake Garda School, Burlington, CT

PreKindergarten

Kindergarten to Grade 2

Grades 3 to 4

Grades 5 to 8

 

 

Programs at Your School

 

 

 

Nature Center staff members can provide
in-school programs adapted for
specific grade levels tailored
to fit your curriculum and teaching needs.

Most programs include the presentation
of at least one live animal.

Programs should be booked
as far in advance as possible.

Discounts are available for multiple bookings
of the same program on the same day.

"Many thanks for once again sharing your time and treasures with our Grade 4 students. They always look forward to your presentations,
and we so appreciate having Roaring Brook Nature Center
in our own back yards - a treasure for us all!"     
 - Principal, Canton Intermediate School, Canton, CT

 

Classroom programs

 

PreKindergarten

Kindergarten to Grade 2

Grades 3 to 4

Grades 5 to 8

 

Assembly Programs

 

 

Naturalist-in-Residence

A Nature Center naturalist will visit your school for an entire day
providing programs that may include powerpoint presentations, mounted and live animals, and hands-on activities. You can choose the program topics listed for assembly and classroom presentations. A combination of several programs types, with a maximum of four , may be held during the course of a day.
We can also assist teachers with curriculum development, enrichment programming, and in planning/taking a field trip to a natural area close to your school.
Reserve early to ensure availability.

 

Teacher Workshops

A Nature Center naturalist will visit your school to work with your staff to help develop/design grade-level appropriate science activities or to show teachers
how to utilize school grounds to complement your science curriculum.

Contact the Center at 860.693.0263 for additional information.

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PROGRAMS AT THE NATURE CENTER
by grade

 

At the Nature Center
PreKindergarten

Contact us for Special Pre-School Programs and Packages  

All in the Family     
We all belong to a family. So do snakes, frogs, foxes, robins, and roses. Let us show you how those families are similar and how they differ.

Little Sprouts - Changing Seasons   
How do plants and animals deal with the changing weather and climate? 
Sign up for individual programs or all three.

  • What's Up With Fall? - How do plants and animals prepare for Connecticut's harshest season?
  • Frozen - Who braves Connecticut's winters? Learn to read the clues left by our winter residents and see how animals and plants survive the long winter season.
  • Spring Fling! - Nature makes gradual but continuous changes from spring buds to ladybugs. Hands-on exploration brings these changes alive. 

It’s Alive    
Examine differences between living things and non-living things through hands-on discovery and observation of live plants and animals

From Seed to Seed
    
What is a stem, branch, root? What is a seed and what goes on inside it?

It’s Not Just Dirt   
What is soil and why is it so important to our survival?

Our Watery World
    
Water is amazing! Learn about water in all its fascinating forms.

Animals on the Move   
Living things move in many different ways. Find out about fins, wings, and animal movements!

 

At the Nature Center
Kindergarten to Grade 2

 

It’s Alive     
Learn how to distinguish living creatures from the non-living components of their environment. What do living things need in order to survive?
Key concepts: Life cycles, reproduction, growth, energy, properties of living and non-living things, response to stimuli, growth, observing similarities and differences
LS1.A; LS1.B; LS1.C

All in the Family   
We all belong to a family. So do snakes, frogs, foxes, robins, and roses. Let us show you how those families are similar and how they differ.
Key concepts: life cycles, metamorphosis, body structure, describing/sorting/classifying organisms
LS3.A; LS3.B

From Seed to Seed (Fall and Spring Only)     
Explore how flowering plants change throughout their life cycles in order to survive.
Key concepts: plant structures, life cycles of flowering plants, seed production and distribution
LS1.A; LS1.C; LS2.A

It’s Not Just Dirt     
What is soil? What color is it? How does it sound? feel? smell? Does soil change from place to place? Why is it important to us?
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity, erosion,
ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D

Home Sweet Home: Habitats   
All living things, including people, need water, air, food and a place to live. Find out how our local wildlife use natural resources to meet their survival needs.
Key concepts: habitats, adaptation, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, resources, food web
ESS3.A; LS2.A; LS2.B

Our Watery World: Ice, Water, Vapor (Winter Program)     
Earth is a watery planet and water is the only substance on Earth that is present in all three states of matter – as a solid, liquid or gas and each state has different observable properties. Learn why water is so important and what it can do to shape the Earth and all life on our planet.
Key concepts: states of matter; temperature; solid, liquid, gas; seasonal changes; observation of physical phenomena.
ESS2.C; PS1.A ; PS1.B

Insects and their Relatives  (May to October Only)     
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.
Key concepts: insect body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Animals on the Move     
All living things move but they all move in different ways. Find out about fins, wings and animal movements!
Key Concepts: Organism, adaptations, energy, structures, motion
PS3.A ; LS1.A; LS2.A

Changing Seasons     
How do plants and animals deal with the changing weather and climate?

What's Up With Fall? - How do plants and animals prepare for Connecticut's harshest season?

Frozen - Who braves Connecticut's winters? Learn to read the clues left by our winter residents and see how animals and plants survive the long winter season.

Spring Fling! - Nature makes gradual but continuous changes from spring buds to ladybugs. Hands-on exploration brings these changes alive.

Key concepts: making observations, weather, seasons, animal and plant observations.
ESS2.D; PS3.B

Who’s For Dinner?  
Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs. Learn how energy cycles through Connecticut's ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis, stability of system
PS2.C; PS3.D; LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Nature’s Engineers   
What is an engineer? Meet animal engineers and see how the structures they build are designed to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some of these animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains
ESS2.E; LS2.A

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Living With Nature     
Bears, bobcats, beavers, and bats are our neighbors. Learn how we can share our backyards with these and other animals and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: human impacts, habitat, adaptions, life cycles, interaction, plant and animal observation, observing similarities and differences, biodiversity, natural resources
ESS3.A; ESS3.C; LS4.D

Animal Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that capture and convey information needed for their growth and survival. How do animals perceive the world? Discover animals’ super senses and their odd ones, too!
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, senses, information processing, responses to stimuli, structures of body parts, observations, adaptation, electromagnetic spectrum
LS1.A; LS1.D; PS4.B

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands    
Discover how Native Americans relied on their natural environment for all their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies
LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!     
Every rock tells a story. Some of these stories are exciting and happen very quickly while others happen over a very long period of time. Knowing about Connecticut’s rocks and their stories helps us to understand how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.
ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Click here to return to top of page

 

At the Nature Center
Grades 3 to 4

 

Who’s For Dinner?  
Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs. Learn how energy cycles through Connecticut's ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis, stability of system
PS2.C; PS3.D; LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Nature’s Engineers   
What is an engineer? Meet animal engineers and see how the structures they build are designed to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some of these animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains
ESS2.E; LS2.A

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Living With Nature     
Bears, bobcats, beavers, and bats are our neighbors. Learn how we can share our backyards with these and other animals and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: human impacts, habitat, adaptions, life cycles, interaction, plant and animal observation, observing similarities and differences, biodiversity, natural resources
ESS3.A; ESS3.C; LS4.D

Animal Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that capture and convey information needed for their growth and survival. How do animals perceive the world? Discover animals’ super senses and their odd ones, too!
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, senses, information processing, responses to stimuli, structures of body parts, observations, adaptation, electromagnetic spectrum
LS1.A; LS1.D; PS4.B

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands    
Discover how Native Americans relied on their natural environment for all their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies
LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!     
Every rock tells a story. Some of these stories are exciting and happen very quickly while others happen over a very long period of time. Knowing about Connecticut’s rocks and their stories helps us to understand how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.
ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Family Matters     
Genetics, natural selection, and environment influence plant and animal survival. Selective breeding also can change species traits.
Key concepts: inheritance of traits, variation in traits, natural selection
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B; LS4.B

The Amazing Soil Food Web     
Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs to understand how energy cycles through soils and, in turn, through other ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, interdependent relationships in ecosystems
PS3.D ; LS1. C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Soil: Earth’s Thinnest Crust     
Soil is the connection between the Earth’s geology and its biology. More than sediment, soil is an ecosystem as complex as a forest, savanna, or jungle. Learn how soil is formed and why it is so important to our own survival.
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity
ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D; LS1.C

Changing Land, Changing Wildlife     
As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, the state's wildlife has also changed. Observe, first-hand, how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations. Tour our Changing Land, Changing Wildlife Exhibits.
Key concepts: Ecosystems, how natural and human activity changes habitats and inhabitants, adaptations, extinction, resources needed by organisms, conservation of resources, biogeology
ESS2.E; ESS3.C; LS2.C; LS4.D

Bedrock to Stone Walls (2 hour program - Spring and Fall only)     
Geology, ecology, and human history have combined to create the landscape we see today. This program combines aspects of “Connecticut Rocks” and "Changing Land, Changing Wildlife.”
Key concepts: Ecosystems, properties and classification of earth materials, rocks and minerals, conservation of resources, effects of human activities on habitats
ESS2.A; ESS2.C; ESS2.E

Water Life: Big and Small    (Available as a 2 hour program) 
Use a variety of tools, including microscopes and hand lenses to discover micro and macro organisms found in local streams and ponds. Discover their adaptations and what makes CT’s aquatic habitats special.
Key concepts: Adaptation, ecosystems, food chain, erosion, aquatic environment, stream formation
LS1. A; LS4.C

Keeping Water Clean   
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on our water resources. Today, individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. This program uses Enviroscape models demonstrate how to prevent pollution.
Key concepts: why water is essential for life, point and non-point water pollutants, watersheds, how substances dissolve in ground water, natural resources, conservation of resources
ESS3.C

Our Watery World: Earth’s Water Cycle   
Examine the hydrologic cycle and learn how water shapes our land, modifies climate, and affects ecosystems.
Key concepts: water cycle, properties of liquids, surface and ground water, erosion, physical and chemical properties of water, river formation
PS1.A; PS1.B; ESS2.A; ESS2.C

Click here to return to top of page

 

At the Nature Center
Grades 5 to 8

 

Who’s For Dinner?  
Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs. Learn how energy cycles through Connecticut's ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis, stability of system
PS2.C; PS3.D; LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Nature’s Engineers   
What is an engineer? Meet animal engineers and see how the structures they build are designed to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some of these animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains
ESS2.E; LS2.A

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Living With Nature     
Bears, bobcats, beavers, and bats are our neighbors. Learn how we can share our backyards with these and other animals and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: human impacts, habitat, adaptions, life cycles, interaction, plant and animal observation, observing similarities and differences, biodiversity, natural resources
ESS3.A; ESS3.C; LS4.D

Animal Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that capture and convey information needed for their growth and survival. How do animals perceive the world? Discover animals’ super senses and their odd ones, too!
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, senses, information processing, responses to stimuli, structures of body parts, observations, adaptation, electromagnetic spectrum
LS1.A; LS1.D; PS4.B

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands    
Discover how Native Americans relied on their natural environment for all their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies
LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!     
Every rock tells a story. Some of these stories are exciting and happen very quickly while others happen over a very long period of time. Knowing about Connecticut’s rocks and their stories helps us to understand how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.
ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Family Matters     
Genetics, natural selection, and environment influence plant and animal survival. Selective breeding also can change species traits.
Key concepts: inheritance of traits, variation in traits, natural selection
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B; LS4.B

The Amazing Soil Food Web     
Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs to understand how energy cycles through soils and, in turn, through other ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, interdependent relationships in ecosystems
PS3.D ; LS1. C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Soil: Earth’s Thinnest Crust     
Soil is the connection between the Earth’s geology and its biology. More than sediment, soil is an ecosystem as complex as a forest, savanna, or jungle. Learn how soil is formed and why it is so important to our own survival.
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity
ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D; LS1.C

Changing Land, Changing Wildlife     
As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, the state's wildlife has also changed. Observe, first-hand, how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations. Tour our Changing Land, Changing Wildlife Exhibits.
Key concepts: Ecosystems, how natural and human activity changes habitats and inhabitants, adaptations, extinction, resources needed by organisms, conservation of resources, biogeology
ESS2.E; ESS3.C; LS2.C; LS4.D

Bedrock to Stone Walls (2 hour program - Spring and Fall only)     
Geology, ecology, and human history have combined to create the landscape we see today. This program combines aspects of “Connecticut Rocks” and "Changing Land, Changing Wildlife.”
Key concepts: Ecosystems, properties and classification of earth materials, rocks and minerals, conservation of resources, effects of human activities on habitats
ESS2.A; ESS2.C; ESS2.E

Water Life: Big and Small    (Available as a 2 hour program) 
Use a variety of tools, including microscopes and hand lenses to discover micro and macro organisms found in local streams and ponds. Discover their adaptations and what makes CT’s aquatic habitats special.
Key concepts: Adaptation, ecosystems, food chain, erosion, aquatic environment, stream formation
LS1. A; LS4.C

Keeping Water Clean   
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on our water resources. Today, individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. This program uses Enviroscape models demonstrate how to prevent pollution.
Key concepts: why water is essential for life, point and non-point water pollutants, watersheds, how substances dissolve in ground water, natural resources, conservation of resources
ESS3.C

Our Watery World: Earth’s Water Cycle   
Examine the hydrologic cycle and learn how water shapes our land, modifies climate, and affects ecosystems.
Key concepts: water cycle, properties of liquids, surface and ground water, erosion, physical and chemical properties of water, river formation
PS1.A; PS1.B; ESS2.A; ESS2.C

Gravity, Electromagnetism and Nature   
Learn how plants and animals use light, magnetic fields, and electricity to navigate their world and to survive.This program offers real life examples of physical sciences.
Key concepts: electromagnetic spectrum, gravity, wavelength, magnetic fields, energy

PS2.B; PS3.A; LS4.C

Survival Skills (2 hour program – Skills learned are based on season)  
Learn basic survival skills including reading a map and compass, fire building, shelter construction, appropriate clothing, and food. Dress for the weather!
Key concepts: Adaptation, conflict with nature, weather, natural hazards
ESS2.A; ESS2.D; ESS3.B; ESS3.C

Insect Chemists  
A class where chemistry, physical sciences and the world of insects collide! Get your students excited about ultraviolet colors, chemical reactions, and magnetic fields while exploring the insect world. E
Key Concepts: Light, sound, vibrations, thermal energy, magnetic fields, Structure and function, chemical ecology
PS3.A ; LS1.AP

All Day Ecology Program  
Dependent on Classes Selected

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PROGRAMS IN YOUR SCHOOL
by grade

 

Classroom Programs
PreKindergarten

All in the Family     
We all belong to a family. So do snakes, frogs, foxes, robins, and roses. Let us show you how those families are similar and how they differ.

Little Sprouts - Changing Seasons   
How do plants and animals deal with the changing weather and climate? 
Sign up for individual programs or all three.

  • What's Up With Fall? - How do plants and animals prepare for Connecticut's harshest season?
  • Frozen - Who braves Connecticut's winters? Learn to read the clues left by our winter residents and see how animals and plants survive the long winter season.
  • Spring Fling! - Nature makes gradual but continuous changes from spring buds to ladybugs. Hands-on exploration brings these changes alive. 

It’s Alive    
Examine differences between living things and non-living things through hands-on discovery and observation of live plants and animals

From Seed to Seed
    
What is a stem, branch, root? What is a seed and what goes on inside it?

It’s Not Just Dirt   
What is soil and why is it so important to our survival?

Our Watery World
    
Water is amazing! Learn about water in all its fascinating forms.

Animals on the Move   
Living things move in many different ways. Find out about fins, wings, and animal movements!

 

Classroom Programs
Kindergarten to Grade 2

 

It’s Not Just Dirt     
What is soil and why is it so important to our survival?
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity, erosion

ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D

Home Sweet Home: Habitats    
Find out how local wildlife uses natural resources to meet survival needs.
Key concepts: habitats, adaptation, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, resources, food web

ESS3.A; LS2.A; LS2.B

Animals on the Move     
All living things move but they all move in different ways. Find out about fins, wings and animal movements!
Key Concepts: Organism, adaptations, energy, structures, motion

PS3.A ; LS1.A; LS2.A

From Seed to Seed (Fall and Spring Only)     
Explore how flowering plants change throughout their life cycles in order to survive.
Key concepts: plant structures, life cycles of flowering plants, seed production and distribution

LS1.A; LS1.C; LS2.A

Survival: Plants & Animals     
How do plants and animals survive in various habitats?
Key concepts: Behavioral and structural adaptations, advantage, survival, camouflage, energy transfer

LS4.B; LS4.C

Frogs & Friends   
From egg to tadpole to frog. What can these amphibians tell us about the health of our environment?
Key concepts: life cycles, metamorphosis, adaptations, describing similarities and differences of adults and offspring

LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Nature’s Engineers   
Animal engineers build structures to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains, interdependent relationships

ESS2.E; LS2.A

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands     
Discover how Native Americans in the past relied on their natural environment for their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies

LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!   
Every rock tells a story. Connecticut’s rocks can tell us how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.

ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Food Chains and Webs     
Explore interrelationships of all living things.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis

LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Animals Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that are different from others. How do they capture and convey information needed for growth and survival?
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, sense, information processing

PS4.B ; LS1.A; LS1.D

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Classroom Programs
Grade 3 to 4

 

Survival: Plants & Animals     
How do plants and animals survive in various habitats?
Key concepts: Behavioral and structural adaptations, advantage, survival, camouflage, energy transfer

LS4.B; LS4.C

Frogs & Friends   
From egg to tadpole to frog. What can these amphibians tell us about the health of our environment?
Key concepts: life cycles, metamorphosis, adaptations, describing similarities and differences of adults and offspring

LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Nature’s Engineers   
Animal engineers build structures to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains, interdependent relationships

ESS2.E; LS2.A

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands     
Discover how Native Americans in the past relied on their natural environment for their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies

LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!   
Every rock tells a story. Connecticut’s rocks can tell us how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.

ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Food Chains and Webs     
Explore interrelationships of all living things.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis

LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Animals Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that are different from others. How do they capture and convey information needed for growth and survival?
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, sense, information processing

PS4.B ; LS1.A; LS1.D

The Amazing Soil Food Web     
Soil is the connection between the Earth’s geology and its biology. Learn how energy cycles through soils and, in turn, through ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, interdependent relationships in ecosystems
PS3.D ; LS1. C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Soil: Earth’s Thinnest Crust   
More than sediment, soil is an ecosystem as complex as forest, savanna or jungle. Learn how soil is formed and why it is so important to our own survival.
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity

ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D; LS1.C

Changing Land, Changing Wildlife     
As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, so has the state's wildlife. Learn how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations.
Key concepts: Ecosystems, how natural and human activity changes habitats and inhabitants, adaptations, extinction, resources needed by organisms, conservation of resources, biogeology

ESS2.E; ESS3.C; LS2.C; LS4.D

The Secret World of Plants  
Plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, in the battle for survival.
Key concepts: structure of living things, adaptations, life cycles of flowering plants, seed production and distribution

LS1.A; LS2.A

Keeping Water Clean     
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on our water resources. Today, individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. This program uses Enviroscape models demonstrate how to prevent pollution.
Key concepts: why water is essential for life, point and non-point water pollutants, watersheds, how substances dissolve in ground water, natural resources, conservation of resourcesKey

ESS3

Our Watery World: Earth’s Water Cycle     
Examine the hydrologic cycle and learn how water shapes our land, modifies climate, and affects ecosystems.
Key concepts: water cycle, properties of liquids, surface and ground water, erosion, physical and chemical properties of water, river formation

ESS2.A; ESS2.C; PS1.A; PS1.B

Invisible World     
Open your eyes to a world of life too small to be seen without the help of a microscope.
Key concepts: use of optical instruments to enhance vision, use of eye glasses/magnifiers /microscopes

LS1.A

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Classroom Programs
Grade 5 - 8

 

Survival: Plants & Animals     
How do plants and animals survive in various habitats?
Key concepts: Behavioral and structural adaptations, advantage, survival, camouflage, energy transfer

LS4.B; LS4.C

Frogs & Friends   
From egg to tadpole to frog. What can these amphibians tell us about the health of our environment?
Key concepts: life cycles, metamorphosis, adaptations, describing similarities and differences of adults and offspring

LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Nature’s Engineers   
Animal engineers build structures to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.
Key concepts: Habitat, structures and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains, interdependent relationships

ESS2.E; LS2.A

Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands     
Discover how Native Americans in the past relied on their natural environment for their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.
Key concepts: shelter, adaptations, crops, ways humans obtain water and other goods, social studies

LS4.D

Connecticut Rocks!   
Every rock tells a story. Connecticut’s rocks can tell us how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.
Key concepts: geology, earth materials, erosion, catastrophic and gradual change.

ESS1.C; ESS2.B; ESS2.C

Food Chains and Webs     
Explore interrelationships of all living things.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, photosynthesis

LS1.C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Adaptations (various programs)     
Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

Flowers, Poisons and Thorns: The Secret World of Plants
It's a jungle out there and plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, the battle for survival.

Predator and Prey
Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.

Claws, Paws & Jaws
Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.

Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions)
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?

Leader of the Pack
Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.

Alien Invaders!
Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

Insects and Their Relatives - May to October only
Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Birds and Butterflies
Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.

Reptiles & Amphibians
In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.

Marvelous Mammals
Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Animals Super Senses     
Animals have body parts that are different from others. How do they capture and convey information needed for growth and survival?
Key concepts: Adaptations, sensory organs, animal structures, sense, information processing

PS4.B ; LS1.A; LS1.D

The Amazing Soil Food Web     
Soil is the connection between the Earth’s geology and its biology. Learn how energy cycles through soils and, in turn, through ecosystems.
Key concepts: Food webs and chains, energy flow in ecosystems, recycling, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, producers, consumers, interdependent relationships in ecosystems
PS3.D ; LS1. C; LS2.A; LS2.B

Soil: Earth’s Thinnest Crust   
More than sediment, soil is an ecosystem as complex as forest, savanna or jungle. Learn how soil is formed and why it is so important to our own survival.
Key concepts: Soil quality, food chain, ecosystems, physical properties of soil, Earth materials, soil types, textures, biodiversity

ESS2.C; ESS3.A; PS3.D; LS1.C

Changing Land, Changing Wildlife     
As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, so has the state's wildlife. Learn how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations.
Key concepts: Ecosystems, how natural and human activity changes habitats and inhabitants, adaptations, extinction, resources needed by organisms, conservation of resources, biogeology

ESS2.E; ESS3.C; LS2.C; LS4.D

The Secret World of Plants  
Plants are not defenseless. Learn the clever strategies that plants use to win, or sometimes lose, in the battle for survival.
Key concepts: structure of living things, adaptations, life cycles of flowering plants, seed production and distribution

LS1.A; LS2.A

Keeping Water Clean     
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on our water resources. Today, individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. This program uses Enviroscape models demonstrate how to prevent pollution.
Key concepts: why water is essential for life, point and non-point water pollutants, watersheds, how substances dissolve in ground water, natural resources, conservation of resourcesKey

ESS3

Our Watery World: Earth’s Water Cycle     
Examine the hydrologic cycle and learn how water shapes our land, modifies climate, and affects ecosystems.
Key concepts: water cycle, properties of liquids, surface and ground water, erosion, physical and chemical properties of water, river formation

ESS2.A; ESS2.C; PS1.A; PS1.B

Invisible World     
Open your eyes to a world of life too small to be seen without the help of a microscope.
Key concepts: use of optical instruments to enhance vision, use of eye glasses/magnifiers /microscopes

LS1.A

Gravity, Electromagnetism and Nature     
Learn how plants and animals use light, magnetic fields, and electricity to navigate their world and to survive.This program offers real life examples of physical sciences.
Key concepts: electromagnetic spectrum, gravity, wavelength, magnetic fields, energy

PS2.B; PS3.A; LS4.C

Insect Chemists 
A class where chemistry, physical sciences and the world of insects collide! Get your students excited about ultraviolet colors, chemical reactions and magnetic fields through exploring the insect world.
Key Concepts: Light, sound, vibrations, thermal energy, magnetic fields, Structure and function

LS1.A; PS3.A

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ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS

Any topic can also be done as a classroom program

 

Animal & Plant Life Cycles (various programs)   Grades K - 8
Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Choose our general life cycle program or a more specific topic from the list below:

• Insects and Their Relatives
• Birds and Butterflies
• Reptiles & Amphibians
• Marvelous Mammals
• From Seed to Seed

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles
LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Adaptations  (various programs)   Grades K - 8
Choose our general Adaptations program or a more specific topic from the list below:

  • Flowers, Poisons and Thorns
  • Predator and Prey
  • Claws, Paws & Jaws
  • Going, Going, Gone
  • Leader of the Pack
  • Alien Invaders!
  • Species specific programs tailored to your students’ interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossil, camouflage, natural selection
LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Reptiles & Amphibians      Grades K - 8
Reptiles and amphibians have unique adaptations. Which species live in Connecticut? What environmental threats do these species face?
Key concepts: ecosystem adaptations, camouflage, hibernation, migration, structures of living things, extinction, interdependence, food chains

LS1.B; LS1.D; LS4.A

Snakes Alive!       Grades K – 8

Separate fact from fiction and learn to appreciate these fascinating creatures. This presentation includes live snakes.
Key concepts: ecosystem adaptations, camouflage, hibernation, migration, structures of living things, extinction, interdependence, food chains

LS1.B; LS1.D; LS4.A

Endangered Species        Grades 3 – 8
What is an endangered species? Do they live in Connecticut? Why are they endangered?
Key concepts: ecosystem adaptations, camouflage, hibernation, migration, structures of living things, extinction, interdependence, food chains

LS1.A; LS2.B; LS3.A; LS4.A; LS4.C

Changing Land, Changing Wildlife        Grades 3 – 8
As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, so have the state's wildlife. Learn how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations.
Key concepts: Ecosystems, how natural and human activity changes habitats and inhabitants, adaptations, extinction, resources needed by organisms, conservation of resources, biogeology

ESS2.E; ESS3.C; LS4.D

CT Wildlife Digest        Grades 3 – 8
Learn about the diversity of animals in our small state and how human activity impacts that diversity.
Key concepts: ecosystem adaptations, camouflage, hibernation, migration, structures of living things, extinction, interdependence, food chains

LS1.C, LS2.A; LS2.B; LS3.B; LS4.A; LS4.D

 

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