School Programs

New Canaan Nature Center School Programs teach children to explore the natural world. With 30 different programs to choose from, the New Canaan Nature Center offers an extensive variety of topics and teaching formats. In addition, our qualified and flexible teaching staff will work with you to modify any program so that it more closely aligns with your individual curriculum.

Our teaching staff is composed of professional educators dedicated to providing quality, hands-on instruction about the natural world in a comfortable learning atmosphere. Our educators come from diverse backgrounds; many hold Master’s degrees and all have extensive experience in environmental education utilizing interactive, engaging and inquiry based teaching methods.

From watery habitats to wildlife in our backyard, students can explore a range of topics relevant to the New England environment. We design these programs with the Connecticut State Curriculum Frameworks as a starting point, so you know that they will enhance your classroom lessons.

School programs
Curriculum standards
Planning your school program
Reservations and payment

Environmental Educational Programs

Animals in Winter
Pre-K only
Join us as we read “Animals in Winter” by Henrietta Bancroft and Richard VanGelder. Together we’ll discover what happens as the days get shorter and the wind blows colder. We’ll engage in role-playing and multisensory activities and even meet some live animals.

Plants For Sprouts
Pre-K only
During this 35-40 minute program, preschoolers will learn how seeds travel, what seeds need to grow and how plants survive in a world of hungry bugs and animals. As we read “The Reason for a Flower” by Ruth Heller the students will role play spreading pollen, sipping nectar and handling real seeds. Each student will plant their own seed to take home with them.

Apple Cider Making
Grades Pre-K - 2
The making of cider from picking to pressing will be covered in this 35-40 minute program. Students will first help us pick an apple from our apple tree, then we’ll put apples into our old-fashioned cider press and squeeze out the final product. Students have the opportunity to taste pasteurized apple cider. Available from September 20 - October 27.

Maple Syrup Making
Grades Pre-K - 2
As we move from maple tree to sugar shed, your class will discover how trees make their own food, how we extract this food (sap) and what we do with the sap to transform it into maple syrup. We’ll even sample the finished product. Available from February 15 through March 23.

Meet the Animals
Grades Pre-K - 3
By meeting live animals, children learn how each is adapted to live in its environment: what it eats, where it lives and what covers its body. We’ll learn about some common misconceptions as we learn about the species and emphasize respect for animals. We can tailor Meet the Animals to complement your curriculum and include aquatic animals, nocturnal animals, reptiles, amphibians and others.

Invertebrate Investigations
Grades Pre-K - 3
Students will survey the Nature Center’s various habitats as they explore forests, fields or ponds and look for the critters that don’t normally attract our attention. Your class will learn the body parts of an insect by singing the “Insect Song”. This is an outdoor program, so come dressed for the hunt. Program is available in September, late April and May.

Discovery Walk
Grades Pre-K - 6
Join us for a guided walk on our trails where we’ll explore the Nature Center’s various habitats as we travel through forests and fields and around ponds and marshes. We’ll combine other sensory activities and games to discover nature’s wonders. We can tailor our discovery walks to complement most curriculums.

Birds of a Feather
Grades K - 2
Join the Nature Center for this hands-on demonstration of what makes a bird unlike any other animal. See and touch real bird bones, feathers and other artifacts. We’ll even test out our skills using “beaks” to do different jobs. We will also meet some of the Nature Center’s live birds.

Getting Ready for Winter
Grades K - 2
How do animals know winter is on its way? We’ll use museum specimens, participatory activities and some role-playing to learn how animals have adaptations to help them survive. Migration, hibernation and brumation are only some of the ways animals survive the coldest season.

Plantastic
Grades K - 2
What do plants eat? How is a plant like a food factory? How do plants protect themselves? Learn the answers to these and other questions by seeing, touching, and smelling plants. This program is enhanced by the use of class participation, experimentation and even a little drama.

Pond Study
Grades K - 6
Your students will learn about metamorphosis, animal adaptations, ecology and much more as they scoop and study some aquatic invertebrates. After a brief introduction we’ll head out to a pond for hands-on study of the pond fauna. A ratio of one chaperone per six children is required. This program is available in September and May.

Native American Culture and Customs
Grades 1 - 4
Using the Nature Center’s live animals, Native American artifacts, games and stories students will enjoy a trip back in time. We’ll discover how Native Americans sharpened their hunting skills and passed down their culture and stories. We’ll touch artifacts relating to Native American life and play a Native American game.
This program can be held at the New Canaan Nature Center or Devil’s Den Preserve in Weston, CT.

Owls on the Prowl
Grades 1- 6
Your class will observe a live owl and learn about the adaptations that make it such an efficient, powerful and stealthy predator. We’ll look at and handle skulls, skeletons, feathers and other owl artifacts. Each student will also dissect a sterilized owl pellet to find, examine, identify and classify the bones of the owl’s prey.

Biomes
Grades 2 - 4
Using live plants and animals, the Nature Center will bring a “traveling lab” to your classroom. The students will make observations in small groups to determine in which biome they think each live plant or animal is adapted to live. We’ll wrap up by meeting the specimens up close and learning more about their adaptations.
Also available as an extended 80 minute program.

Desert Ecology
Grades 2 - 4
Using a simple lab set up, our desert plants and animals will visit your classroom. Your students will observe the many adaptations of species that are designed to live in harsh, dry conditions. By using a simple answer sheet, the students will determine what characteristics help organisms survive. We’ll wrap up by meeting the specimens up close and learning more about their adaptations. Also available as an extended 80 minute program.

Talkin’ Trash
Grades 2 - 6
This 80 minute program is designed to teach your class about pollution and the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Students will make recycled paper and play a recycling match up game. They will also clean up their own piece of Long Island Sound with a hands-on activity that demonstrates why keeping water sources clean is easier than cleaning them up once they are polluted.

Animal Classification
Grades 2 - 6
By utilizing observation and deduction skills, your students will discover how vertebrate animals are classified into five basic groups: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish. They’ll then meet animals from several of these groups to help them in their study.

Rainforest Ecology
Grades 2 - 6
This “traveling lab” program is designed to help students learn about animals that depend on the rainforest. We’ll observe several plant and animal species that reside in rainforests around the world. Students will record characteristics that help each species survive in its environment. We will conclude our program with an up-close study of the animals.

Rocks and Minerals
Grades 2 - 6
If you take all rocks for granite, this program is for you. Your class will learn how rocks are formed and how to identify various rock types, including fossils. Students will have opportunities for close-up observation and testing of various rock specimens. We’ll become geologists for the day as we test specimens for hardness, density, and other characteristics to discover their secret identities.

Birds of Prey
Grades 2 - 10
Observe several raptor species up close, while learning about their adaptations, behavior, ecological importance and their natural history. Demonstrations, games, and museum specimens will help illuminate the fascinating lives of these animals. Flight demonstrations are available.

Animals Adaptations
Grades 3 - 6
We’ll discuss form and function as we observe the adaptations of several Nature Center animals. Several students will role play the adaptations of a water mammal to facilitate discussions among students regarding how the form of each animal helps it survive in its habitat.

Edible Insects
Grades 3 - 6
Chocolate Chip Chirpie Cookies and Mealworm Banana Bread? Discover the traditional uses of insects as food sources as we learn about basic insect ecology! We’ll travel from the U.S. to Mexico to Australia and back as we explore the reasons behind eating insects. Live invertebrates, props, a game show and real edible insect snacks will round out the program.

Wildlife CSI
Grades 4 - 6
Using problem solving skills and simple tools, students will observe evidence left at the scene of a natural “crime.” Students will be guided along a trail to discover clues about who was involved in the mystery. By taking notes and measurements, and using information stations, students will work to determine who are the players of the “crime”. This is a 90 minute program.

Propagation
Grades 4 - 8
We will utilize our solar greenhouse to teach about the processes plants use to reproduce or clone themselves. This class will focus on the advantages of reproducing themselves by means other than seeds. For further study each student will take home samples of propagated plants to observe in the classroom.

Topsoil Tour
Grades 4 - 6
In this 80-minute program, we’ll go digging into the world of the top most layer of soil. Using the samples we take at the Nature Center, we’ll discover what makes plants grow in the different soils. We’ll test the texture, pH, nitrogen and other soil characteristics using laboratory techniques. Availability subject to weather and soil conditions.

Devil’s Den Discovery Walk
Grades K - 8
Join us at Devil’s Den for a guided walk of the Nature Preserve’s trails. We’ll discover what lives in, on and around the 1756-acre preserve by visiting some of its forests and ponds. We can tailor our discovery walks to complement most curriculums.

Devil’s Den DENdrology
Grades 2 - 5
This 90 minute walk at Devil’s Den is designed to give students a comprehensive first time look at the study of trees (dendrology). We will learn the basic ways to identify trees, using bark, leaves, shape and fruit. We will also discover the major uses of different types of wood and some of the folklore which surrounds trees.

History Walk at Devil’s Den
Grades 2 - 8
Journey back in time at Devil’s Den. Travel the trails with a guide and meet people from our past. Learn about life in the 1800’s from staff and volunteers dressed as charcoal makers, saw mill operators, archeologists and more.

Curriculum Standards

The New Canaan Nature Center strives to offer a variety of multidisciplinary programs which meet Connecticut content standards. The programs below may meet curriculum standards outside the recommended grade levels. Please contact the Director of School Programs for more information or to inquire about tailoring programs to meet your class curriculum needs.

Click here to download our curriculum standards chart.

Planning Your School Program

When to Visit
Field trip programs are available year-round at the New Canaan Nature Center. Whether it is winter, spring, summer or fall, each season offers its own unique experiences during our programs.

Camp programs and summer classes are welcome during the summer months.

During Your Visit
You’ll want to include plenty of time for exploring our indoor exhibit and the outdoor nature trails and wildlife exhibits. Be sure to visit our teaching solar greenhouse before you board your bus!

• Experience life around a pond on the Wetlands Walking Trail.
• Explore the changing geology of New England in our interactive Discovery Room exhibit.
• Discover how meadows create animal habitats and healthy waterways.
• Walk the Birds of Prey exhibit and pass a red tail hawk, bald eagle and other birds of prey.
• Explore our two miles of nature trails through hardwood forests, a cattail marsh and an apple orchard.
• Excite your curiosity when you stroll through our herb garden, naturalists, and wildflower gardens.

Ask for one of New Canaan Nature Center’s “quests” when you reserve your visit. These are age-appropriate guides to exploring the nature trails.

About Your Visit
Length of programs for grades K-6 is approximately 50 minutes, unless otherwise noted. Preschool programs are approximately 35 minutes.

Maximize class size for any program (excluding Birds of Prey) is 25 students.

Picnics are allowed, however all trash must be disposed of
properly. We respectfully request that visiting groups do not bring peanut products onto campus.

Reservations and Payment

In order to hold a reservation, we require 100% payment within four weeks of the date you make the reservation. Once payment is received, we will provide a link to our web site with pre - and post - visit activities to help connect your field trip with classroom curriculum.

We accept cash, check or credit card as payment for programs. Call (203) 966-9577 to reserve your program, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. A limited amount of financial aid is available. To view program fees, click here to download our information sheet.

Please have all of the following information ready when you call:

• Name of teacher or group leader coming on the day of your group’s visit.
• Name, address & two phone numbers of your school or organization.
• The grade level(s) of the group.
• The numbers of students, chaperones and extra adults coming.
  (Maximum class size is 25 students)
• Your first and second choices for the date of your visit.
• Times you expect to arrive and depart.
• The program(s) you want to attend and the time(s) you prefer.
• E-mail address & evening phone number.
• Method of payment. Please have a credit card number handy.

Cancellations and Refund Policy
*Please note that our cancellation and refund policy has been updated.

Please notify the New Canaan Nature Center at least four weeks in advance of your scheduled visit or your payment will be forfeited.The New Canaan Nature Center will charge a 25% administrative fee and the remaining 75% reservation fee will be refunded only for cancellations made at least four weeks prior to the originally scheduled visit. Payments are transferable if you reschedule a program within 60 days of the cancellation.

Inclement Weather
If you must cancel your visit because of the weather, please call as soon as possible – (203) 966-9577, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Please leave a phone number so we can follow up.)

Refunds are issued only if the Nature Center is closed or has a delayed opening because of bad weather.

Call (203) 966-9577 to register or for more information about any of the programs listed here.