In-School Nature Programs

Nature educators will come to your classroom for a 30–45-minute program on your chosen topic. Fall 2023 in-school programs are listed below under each topic area: Birds, Mammals, Trees, Haudenosaunee and Nature, Dirty Water, and Animals Up-Close. Educators are happy to visit several classrooms in the same school if multiple teachers are interested in an in-school program. 

In-school bird programs:

• Prime Parts: A demonstration of bird parts and their functions focusing on the various adaptations different groups of birds have which help them survive in their environment. (Grades 2 and up, 30-45 minutes)
• Let’s build a Bird: Teaches students how adaptations of birds relate to their lifestyle by matching different types of bird heads, feet, and wings to create an all-new type of bird. Students will be able to explain how their new bird lives based on its adaptations. (Grades 2 and under, 30-45 minutes)

In-school mammal programs:

• Mystery Tracks: Students print animal tracks, and with the help of props and clues, identify the animal behind the track. (Grades 2 and up, 30-45 minutes)
• Keeping Track of Baby: Using their noses, students learn how mammal mothers and babies keep track of each other. (Grades 1 and up, 30-45 minutes)

In-school tree programs:

• Keying out Trees: Identify several common Broome County trees through the use of a simple key/identification scheme. (Grades 3 and up, 30-45 minutes)
• From Paper to Plastic: Discover some of the things people get from trees through this creative thinking activity (Grades 3 and up, 30 minutes).
• Leaf Rubbings: Students create their very own field guide using the leaf rubbing technique. (All Grades)

In-school Haudenosaunee programs:

• Natural tools: Learn how the Haudenosaunee used natural resources such as fur, feathers, antlers, and more in this thinking activity. (Grades 3 and up)
• Haudenosaunee legends: Learn the importance of oral tradition with legends that feature animals and other natural themes to explain various aspects of the natural world and our role in it. (All grades)

Dirty Water (in-school program only):

“Dirty Water” focuses on issues concerning water use, pollution, management, and sanitation. During this visual demonstration, students will follow the journey of clean water as it gets dirtied by organic, inorganic, soluble, and insoluble contaminants, the processes by which it gets filtered and sanitized, and how it re-enters our waterways once cleaned. (All grades, 30-45 minutes)

Animals Up-Close (Pre-K and K classes, in-school programs only):

Our “Animals Up-Close" programs are geared towards our youngest learners and provide interactive experiences for students from Pre-K ages through kindergarten. Topics include birds, mammals, insects, animals in winter, and animal coverings. During these programs, young learners will learn about the various adaptations of animals within the chosen topic area that make them uniquely able to survive in their environments. Our up-close programs feature many components and activities geared towards young learners to make learning about these topics as interactive and fun as possible. Students will even be able to get hands-on experiences with some of our program materials such as taxidermy, pelts, and bones towards the end of the program.

Interested in a topic not listed above? Nature educators are happy to accommodate other topics or ideas, please contact us for more information! 

Last updated April 12, 2024