Apple
Cider Making
(if transportation is available)
Students investigate simple machines and the differences in plant
parts, as they use an old-fashioned screw press to make and sample fresh apple
cider. In the process, they learn about the history of the cider making from
colonial times to the present.
Creature Double Feature: Students use their senses to meet live animals. They will discover how they are different and similar to these creatures. Focusing on how each species adapts to survive in its environment (what it eats, what covers its body, etc.), helps children gain a respect for and decrease their fears of several animal species.
Leaf Shapes: Students get an up-close look at all the colors and patterns nature has to offer. We’ll review an assortment of leaf shapes and discover ways to identify some of NJ’s common trees, during a walk through the woods.
Maple
Sugaring (Only offered in late February
through early March)
Students learn about the history of maple sugaring in North America by observing
a TNC educator tap our Sugar Maple trees. (We encourage sap tasting, if enough
has been collected.) We demonstrate both Native American and colonial
syrup-making techniques outdoors. We challenge students to try to distinguish
between corn syrup and “real thing”, 100% maple syrup, by taste alone.
Rapp’n
with Raptors
Students will observe several
live
raptors
up close and learn about their behavior, physiology, adaptations, ecological
importance and natural history. Hands-on artifacts and demonstrations will
capture the imagination of young and old.
Seasonal Discovery
Students will explore the wonders each season brings to the forest.
On a walk along the trails, your class will learn to observe and record
temperature, weather, and wind speed. They will learn how each of these
measurements, as well as plants and animals, respond to seasonal changes!
Your students can bring this knowledge back to the classroom to make their
own observations!
Sensible Senses: The call of a bird, the scent of a tree, and the texture of bark are all ways to identify plants and animals. Students learn these and other techniques to improve their sensory observation skills and to use them to identify natural organisms. After learning how our fellow animals use their senses to survive, we’ll investigate how we can apply their sensual adaptations to enrich our own lives.
Sleep, Stay, Run Away: Students learn how animals know winter is on the way and how they prepare for it, Students will investigate winter strategies with hands-on activities, artifacts, and live animal observations. Discussions include adaptations, hibernation, migration and animal behavior. Extended programs include a look at animal tracking.
What is a Tree? Through role-playing, songs, games and a journey into our woods, your class will discover the inner workings of a tree and the physical characteristics that define some of the common species found here in NJ. Students learn how animals and humans alike use the different parts of a tree, and who here at the Nature Center calls a tree home.