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  Programs for School and Teachers

Networks to Nature

In our specially designed Networks to 
Nature program, students, Kindergarten through 4th grade, are offered an opportunity to experience nature up-close in a small group setting.

Upon arrival, the children are greeted in our Education Center. There a staff member gives a brief introduction and talks to the children about the curriculum they will be studying during their visit. The students are then divided into small groups and assigned a staff member or trained docent to lead them on their exploration. Depending on your choice of curriculum, students will visit several of the following learning stations on the arboretum grounds:

All programs include an exploration of our Greenhouse, where rare and exotic tropical plants thrive.  As a special treat,  students  plant seeds in a peat moss pot, a small memento to take home after their visit to the arboretum. In the spring of 2004, students planted Giant Russian Mammoth sunflower seeds and were invited to keep a journal and photograph their mature plant.  For more information, click here.

Program is held rain or shine.

K-1st grade  |  2nd - 4th grade |  Scheduling information

Additional information can be obtained from Michelle Weissner, Director of Children's Education, at 908.273.8787 Ext. 14.

PROGRAM OFFERINGS:  K - 1st grade

Plant Pals  Explore smell and touch in our herb garden, paint a picture with natural dyes on our woodland's edge and discover how animals depend on plants for survival in the wildlife habitat.

Sensing Nature  Role play as social insects following scent trails on our woodland's edge, use your sense of touch to compare and contrast in the woods, and "grow" animal ears to locate sounds in our wildlife habitat.

Rookie Rangers  (Spring only)  Take an "unnatural" walk through the woods and talk about reduce, recycle and reuse.  Hunt for colors and shapes at the perennial border and search for food and shelter clues in the wildlife habitat.

Nature Detectives (Fall only) Marvel at the changing color of our landscape under the sugar maple canopy as we talk about the red, yellows and oranges of fall leaves.  Search for signs of animals preparing for winter in the woods and visit the perennial border and explore how flowers have adapted to attract specific pollinators.

PROGRAM OFFERINGS:  2nd - 4th Grade

Happy Habitats Take a walk through the woods and hunt for life in the different layers of the forest, then search for signs of food, water and shelter in the wildlife habitat and meadow as you learn about the importance of diversity in the natural world. 

Arboretum Animals  Role play in a Who-Eats-Whom game about food chains and food webs in the wild.  Learn about the advantages of adaptation and camouflage in the wildlife habitat and search for signs of animal life in the woodlands.

Incredible Insects  (Spring only) Explore the amazing world of insects as we learn about the magic of metamorphosis and all the vital roles that insects play in the ecosystem.  Find out how to distinguish a bug from an insect and then search for them under rocks and logs in the woodland and along the perennial border.

Seeds to Sequoias (Fall only)  Explore in the wildlife habitat as you learn about germination, growth rings and seed dispersal, then tackle leaf ID and the different "jobs" of all the tree parts as we hike through the woodlands and lawn area to visit some of the arboretum's most prized specimens. 

SCHEDULING INFORMATION: 

Children's Education Programs
     -  Programs for School and Teachers
            Networks to Nature
            Professional Workshops
            Branching Out

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