Home School ProgramsThe Home School Nature Series is designed to help home schooled students further develop their knowledge of the environment as well as their personal dedication to it while having fun and interacting with other home schooled students. Spring 2010 Series: Session I: Physics and the Science of Movement Session II: Surviving in the Natural World Fee: $42/session Session Dates & Times: Birds & BirdingWeek 1 – Basics of Birding and Bird Study – Students will embark on an exploration of the Nature Center’s various habitats, studying birds, bird language, and bird identification. Bring your eagle eyes, your keen hearing and camera! (we have binoculars to use here at the nature center)Week 2 – Birds of Prey/Owl Pellets – Students will continue their growing knowledge of our feathered friends by meeting several of our birds of prey including owls, hawks, and falcons. After, we will dissect owl pellets to study these magnificent birds and their prey. Water, Water, Everywhere!Week 1 – Exploration of Water Habitats – Students will examine the Nature Center’s water niches such as ponds, swamps, and our important vernal pools, looking for and learning from the animal and plant life of these watery worlds.Week 2 – Watershed Impacts – Building on their prior knowledge, students will discuss and show human impacts on all watersheds. We will create and examine 3-d models and even clean up our own “Long Island Sound.” Physics and the Science of MovementWeek 1 – The Basics of Physics – students will be engaged in hands-on physics activities and will learn and test Newton’s Three Laws. Through examining flight laws and properties and the science of roller coasters, students will be able to see science in motion right in nature. We’ll even be using our birds of prey to show real up close examples of the science behind flight for some of the most specialized flying in nature.Week 2 – Use Your Resources Wisely – using their prior knowledge of physics and movement, students will undergo the testing of two different creations: towers and boats. We will discuss and analyze wind resistance, displacement, and aero/hydro dynamics with more hands-on activities and apply these lessons directly to the natural world and the animals in that world. Surviving in the Natural WorldWeek 1 – The Science of Staying Warm – activities will include shelter building and “creating the perfect fire.” We will discuss the importance of these factors in a survival situation and examine the science behind them and of wilderness survival.Week 2 – Drinking and Dining the Landscape – activities will be based off prior knowledge from some basic survival skills. We will discuss what is so unique and special about food and water and their importance to all life. We’ll engage in a fruit dissection, examine our maple trees, and possibly eat right from the landscape. Contact Colin Brown at (203) 966-9577 x41 with questions. To register call Marianne Dec at (203) 966-9577 x20. For additional information about this program email Keith Marshall
or call (203) 966-9577 x 15. |
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