Over 1100 groups of area children and scouts learn about the natural world with the Tenafly Nature Center each year. Invite one of our professional educators to bring classroom concepts to life and lead your students in hands-on learning with live animals and/or artifacts from our 380-acre living museum. Programs are designed to help educators meet many of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards and have been developed for students ages 3 and up.
These programs are designed to be taught at your location.
. If you are interested in coming to the nature center for a program,
Pre-school and Kindergarten Programs
(45 minutes to 1 hour)
We can design programs to reinforce your curriculum. If a subject of interest to you does not appear below, please contact the Education Director for more information.
Apple Cidering: 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. This program is only available if your organization has wheelchair accessible transportation available for our cider press.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A, B, C, D), 5.2 (A,B), 5.3 (A,B,C,D, E), 5.4 (E,G)
Bird is the Word: Students learn what makes a bird unlike any other animal. Through activities, hands-on artifacts, and games, classes will learn what attributes birds share with other animals and which adaptations set them apart from the various avian species. The program concludes with an up-close visit with a live bird. Extended programs include an in-depth look at various species adaptations.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.2 (A,E), 5.3 (A,B,C,D,E), 5.4 (B, E)
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.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C), 5.3 (A,B,C)
Incredible Invertebrates: Students meet several live specimens as they learn what makes an insect different from other invertebrates By observing life stages and adaptations, students will learn how unique each creature is and why they are important to the environment and people alike.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1(A,D), 5.3 (A,B,C,D,E), 5.4 (G)
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.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.3(A,B,C,D,E), 5.4(G)
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.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.3 (A,C), 5.4 (C)
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.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C), 5.3 (A,B,C) 5.4 (E,F)
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 use the different parts of a tree, and who here at the Nature Center calls a tree home.
NJCCCS-Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.2 (B), 5.3 (A,B,C,D), 5.4 (E, F)
1st– 12th Grade Programs
(1-1.5 hours)
We can design programs to reinforce your curriculum. If a subject of interest to you does not appear below, please contact the Education Director for more information.
Animal Adaptations: 1st-5th grade
How do animals thrive in such varied environments as deep oceans, harsh deserts, dense rain forests, and the frigid polar caps? Through skull examinations and a visit with TNC education animals, students will discover the adaptations animals depend on for their survival and success.
Apple Cider Making: 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. This program is only available if your school/organization has wheelchair accessible transportation available for our cider press.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A, B, C, D), 5.2 (A,B), 5.3 (A,B,C,D, E), 5.4 (E,G)
Creatures of the Night: Do you know if you are nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular? Join educators from the Tenafly Nature Center and find out! Through live animal demonstrations, learn about local species that inhabit the dark. From owls to opossums, learn about the amazing adaptations creatures posses to roam the nighttime landscape.
Endangered NJ: 3rd-12th grade
Learn about the major factors that threaten animals with endangerment and extinction worldwide. Through use of artifacts and live animals, participants will learn the status of select native New Jersey fauna. Activities are designed to raise awareness of New Jersey’s over 60 endangered species, and inspire participants to practice how they can help prevent threats to local wildlife.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (D), 5.3 (C, D,E), 5.4 (B,G)
Group Challenges: 3rd-12th grade
Through problem-solving challenges and group work, this program will help your class recognize their strengths and practice their listening skills. Using their physical and mental abilities, students will learn how to communicate effectively with each other and cultivate cooperative skills.
Have to Have a Habitat: 1st-6th grade
Students discover what animals, plants, and people need to survive and what makes a habitat a “home”. Your class will investigate wildlife homes and diets, and learn to identify signs of various species and how an assortment of factors control wildlife populations. This program requires sufficient outdoor space at your facility.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.3 (A,B,C,D,E), 5.4 (E,G)
Heavenly Herps: “Herps” (reptiles and amphibians) are among the most under-appreciated and misunderstood species of the animal world. This program will introduce students to live snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles and highlight the characteristics which distinguish between reptiles and amphibians.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.3 (A,B,C,D,E), 5.4 (B,G)
Incredible Invertebrates: Students meet several live specimens as they learn what makes an insect different from other invertebrates. By observing life stages and adaptations, students will learn how unique each creature is and why they are important to the environment and people alike. If outdoor space is available, participants will be taught where to find insects outside and how to identify them. Extended programs includes more on such topics as how our attempts to control insect populations affect the environment.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1(A,D), 5.3 (A,B,C,D,E), 5.4 (G)
Oogling Owls: Students learn how these nocturnal raptors have adapted to night flight, as they observe our live resident owl. Your class will learn about NJ’s owls’ status by discussing the pros and cons of human interactions with these powerful and efficient predators.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.3(A,B,C,D,E), 5.4(G)
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.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.3(A,B,C,D,E), 5.4(G)
Weather or Not: 1st-3rd grade
Students learn how sun, air, land, and water each play a role in determining our weather, and how these elements can be used to predict weather patterns. Through demonstrations and experiments, your class will learn how to use several basic instruments to measure and hypothesize future weather patterns. Students will measure differences in air pressure, prove that air has weight, and investigate how and why weather changes.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.1 (A,B,C,D), 5.2 (C), 5.4 (A,E,F,G)
Web of Life: 2nd-6th grade
Students will discover how energy flows from the sun through the food web. They will search for living examples of producers, consumers and decomposers in a variety of habitats. Your class will discuss the concept of food chains, population dynamics, adaptation and change. Activities include games to highlight predator and prey relationships and an interpretive hike. Extended programs can include comparison of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores by examining different skulls and sets of teeth.
NJCCCS- Science: 5.2 (D), 5.3 (A,B,C,E). 5.4 (E,G)
Assembly Programs
Creatures of the Night: Do you know if you are nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular? Join educators from the Tenafly Nature Center and find out! Through live animal demonstrations, participants will learn about local species that inhabit the dark. From owls to opossums, learn about the amazing adaptations creatures posses to roam the nighttime landscape.
Endangered NJ: Learn about the many factors that threaten animals with endangerment or extinction worldwide. Students will use artifacts and LIVE animals to learn how to distinguish between these classifications. Activities are designed to help students understand a little more about NJ’s over 60 endangered species, and learn how they can help prevent the threats to local wildlife.
Oogling Owls: Students learn how these nocturnal raptors have adapted to night flight, as they observe our live resident owl. Your class will learn about NJ’s owls’ status by discussing the pros and cons of human interactions with these powerful and efficient predators.
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.
