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Education
The programs below may be offered at your school or other
convenient natural area, depending on the grounds and existing
communities on site.
For all off-site programs, except those at Saalbach Farm and
where indicated, an additional fee of $1.50/participant will be
charged to cover preparation, travel time and staff training.
Please call 610-793-1090 for details.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS
All About Owls
Standards:
3.3.4/3.3.7/4.7.4/4.7.7
Grades 3-6; 1 hour;
$5.25/participant OR 2 hours; $8.50/participant with owl pellet
dissection (one pellet per student included)
What makes an
owl a great nocturnal predator? Can an owl really turn its head
all the way around its body? Learn about the fascinating lives
of owls through an exploration of their amazing adaptations.
Get a close look at taxidermy mounts of at least two different
species of owls that live in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Amazing Adaptations
Standards:
3.3.4/3.3.7/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 3-5; 2 hrs; $6.25/participant or 1.5 hrs;
$5.50/participant
Observe a variety
of structural and behavioral adaptations of plants and animals
at the Myrick Center or other location of your choice. Students
will play games and go on a hike to see examples of how plants
and animals have adapted in order to survive.
At Home in Your Habitat
Standards:
4.3.4/4.4.4/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades K-3; 1.25
hours; $5.25/participant
Search for signs of
wildlife while learning the four basic components of a habitat.
Students discover a variety of animal homes while understanding
how specific habitats provide food, water, shelter and space.
Bug Basics
Standards:
3.2.4/3.3.4/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 2-5; 1.5
hours; $6.25/participant
Learn the basic body
parts of an insect and which surprising parts are used to smell
and taste. Study the stages of an insect's life and examine
preserved insects. Perform a simple experiment to determine how
different types of insect mouthparts enable insects to feed on
different foods. Read clues on a pollination path to figure out
the mystery pollinator and get a closer look at insects using a
video microscope.
Common Sense
Standards: 4.7.4
Grades K-4; 1.25
hours; $5.25/participant
Test your sense of
touch, smell, sight and hearing in the outdoors during an
exploratory walk. Students will learn to use their “tools” to
become more aware of the world around them.
Communities at Work
Standards:
3.1.4/3.1.7/3.3.4/3.3.7/4.1.4/4.2.4/4.3.4/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 4-5; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Explore a
pond, stream or field/forest community while discovering how its
inhabitants interact and adapt. During each community study,
students collect organisms and examine their interdependency
through the transfer of energy. Small groups may request which
community they would like to explore. Due to property
limitations, large groups will need to be divided so that each
student explores only one community.
Digging Dirt
Standards:
4.4.4/4.6.4
Grades 2-4; 1.5
hours; $5.50/participant
Do all soils feel
the same? Smell the same? Look the same? Students will use
their senses to distinguish different types of soil. Learn what
ingredients make up soil and what animals use it through
hands-on exploration.
Findings of Fall
Standards:
4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades K-2; 1.25
hours; $4.50/participant
Available Sept.3-Nov.16
Discover how
plants and animals change in the fall to prepare for the
upcoming winter. Observe the beautiful variety of autumn
colors; learn how different animals plan ahead, migrate, and
hibernate and investigate the adaptations of special seeds.
Lenape Sense
Standards: 4.7.4
Grades 2-3; 1.5
hours; $5.25/participant
This lesson is
designed as an introduction to the 4th grade Lenape Lore
program. Students travel back in time and imagine the life of
the Lenape. Students use their five senses to sharpen their
observational skills and gain a better understanding of how
animals and people use their senses to survive. Various games
and hands-on activities are used to connect students with the
ways of the Lenape. The lesson emphasizes how indigenous peoples
lived in harmony with nature and why this is important for us
today.
Pebbles, Sand and Silt
Standards: 4.6.4
Grades 1-3; 1.25
hours; $5.50/participant
Based on the FOSS®
kit of the same name, this program brings the inquiry based
approach outside. Students will observe rocks and other earth
materials interacting with water in a stream, learn about some
of our local rocks and sort a river rock mixture by particle
size. Students will also learn what soil is comprised of by
dissecting it using soil sorter charts. Use this program as an
introduction to the kit or as a general overview of earth
materials!
Pond Sense
Standards:
4.1.4/4.7.4/4.8.4
Grades K-2; 1 hour;
$5.00/participant
Complete a sensory
journey around the pond. Discover how a frog is adapted to
survive in a pond and learn the different stages of its life.
Collect and look at other animals and plants that live in
ponds. Compare animals and plants that live in the pond to
those that live around the pond.
Signs of Spring
Standards:
4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades K-2; 1.25 hours; $4.50/participant
Available
Mar.24-June 20
Watch spring unfold
as buds and wildflowers pop up, hibernators emerge from their
winter shelters and activity picks up again as the days grow
longer and warmer. Students will learn how and why plants and
animals change with the season.
Stream Sense
Standards:
4.1.4/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades K-3; 1.5
hours; $5.00/participant
Practice using your
senses as you explore a stream and its surroundings. Students
will discover what lives in and near a stream and how the plants
and animals that live near a stream are different from those
that live in a field.
Stream Study
Standards:
3.3.4/4.1.4/4.3.4/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 4-5; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Explore a stream
community while discovering how its inhabitants interact and
adapt. Students will collect and identify organisms and examine
their interdependency through the transfer of energy.
Weather Whys
Standards:
3.5.4/4.1.4/4.6.4
Grades 4-5; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Explore the Myrick
Center, or other natural area while learning about weather.
Learn how to identify clouds and take basic meteorological
measurements, such as temperature, wind speed, and relative
humidity. Discover microclimates as you go on a heat hunt.
Figure out how weather impacts plants, animals and rocks.
Wonderful Wetlands
Standards: 4.1.4
Grades 3-5; 2 hours;
$6.00/participant
Take a wetland walk
along a stream corridor and participate in hands on activities
to see how wetlands soak up water, act as filters and help to
slow runoff. Search for animals and their signs and discover the
unusual adaptations of wetland plants. Discover the biological
diversity of the wetland environment and why the protection of
wetlands is important.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Amazing Adaptations
Standards:
4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 5-6; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Observe a variety of
structural and behavioral adaptations of plants and animals at
the Myrick Center or other natural area. Students will learn
about the color of worms, play games to learn about adaptations
and go on a hike to see examples of how plants and animals adapt
to survive.
Brandywine Watershed Tour
Standards: 4.8.7
Grades 6-8; 4 hours
– by special arrangement
Outreach fee does not apply
Most residents of
the Brandywine Watershed know very little about where their
water comes from, what happens after they have used it, and
where their garbage goes. Students will tour a water treatment
plant, a sewage treatment plant and a landfill to understand
traditional resource management. They also view farms with
conservation practices, a spray irrigation site and a recycling
center. The tour is designed specifically for your students.
This is a great program for students in environmental problems,
conservation or community planning courses.
Maximum: 45
students per instructor.
Canoeing Water Quality Program
Standards:
4.1.7/4.3.7/4.6.7/4.7.7/4.8.7
Grades 7-8; 4 hours; $30.00/participant (transportation
included)
Outreach fee does not apply
Available Sept 3-Oct. 5, May 5-Oct 3
Search for aquatic
organisms in a stream and learn how to use them as indicators of
stream health and change. Students stop at water quality
testing sites along the Brandywine Creek. Canoeing experience
is not necessary. Basic instruction will be provided. An east
branch or west branch trip is available; please indicate which
trip at the time of registration. Organizing adult canoes for
free. Additional adults cost $15 each.
Communities at Work
Standards:
4.1.7/4.3.7/4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 5-8; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Explore a pond,
stream or field/forest community while discovering how its
inhabitants interact and adapt. During each community study,
students collect organisms and examine their interdependency
through the transfer of energy. Small groups may request which
community they would like to explore. Due to property
limitations, large groups will need to be divided so that each
student explores only one community.
Evil? Weevils?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in your backyard
Standards:
4.3.7/4.5.7/4.6.7
Grades 5-8; 2 hours;
$6.00/participant
Discuss when plants
and animals are pests while considering the different ways they
can be controlled. Explore the Myrick Conservation Center
property in search of IPM techniques used to control pests.
Play a game that demonstrates how quickly noninvasive plants
spread. You will even visit the organic vegetable garden to see
some nonchemical methods used to control garden pests and learn
about an innovative biological control which is being monitored
at the Center.
Human Impact on the Environment
Standards:
4.2.7/4.3.7/4.8.7/4.9.7
Grades 6-8; 2 hours;
$6.50/participant
Learn about natural
resources and play games about population change and carrying
capacity. Use aerial photographs to see how the local area has
changed over time. Compare American use of natural resources and
waste generation with other parts of the world.
Stream Study
Standards:
3.3.7/4.1.7/4.3.7/4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 6-8; 2 hours;
$6.25/participant
Explore a stream
while collecting, identifying and categorizing vertebrates and
invertebrates found in this community. Evaluate the physical
and chemical parameters of the stream and learn how scientists
determine water quality.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Brandywine Watershed Tour
Standards: 4.8.10
Grades 9-12; 4-5
hours – by special arrangement
Outreach fee does not apply
Most residents of
the Brandywine Watershed know very little about where their
water comes from, what happens after they have used it and where
their garbage goes. Students tour a water treatment plant, a
sewage treatment plant and a landfill to understand traditional
resource management. They also visit sites with soil
conservation practices. The tour is designed specifically for
your students. This is a great program for students in
environmental problems, conservation or community planning
courses. Bring lunch. Maximum: 45 students per instructor.
Canoeing Water Quality Program
Standards:
4.1.10/4.3.10/4.6.10/4.7.10/4.8.10
Grades 9-12; 4 hours; $30.00/participant (transportation
included)
Outreach fee does not apply
Available Sept 3-Oct. 5, May 5-Oct 3
Search for aquatic
organisms in a stream and learn how to use them as indicators of
stream health and change. Students stop at water quality
testing sites along the Brandywine Creek. Canoeing experience
is not necessary. Basic instruction will be provided. An east
branch or west branch trip is available; please indicate which
trip at the time of registration. Organizing adult canoes for
free. Additional adults cost $15 each.
Pond Study
Standards:
3.5.10/4.1.10/4.1.12/4.3.10/4.7.10/4.7.12
Grades 9-12; 3
hours; $10.25/participant
Analyzing the
physical, biological and chemical parameters of a pond, students
will determine the health of the system. They will then
hypothesize how to fix the problem(s). This program can be done
at the Myrick Center or at a pond closer to your school.
Stream Study
Standards:
3.5.10/4.1.10/4.1.12/4.3.10/4.7.10/4.7.12
Grades 9-12; 3
hours; $10.25/participant
Students will
analyze the physical, biological and chemical parameters of a
stream to determine its health. Students will then strategize
how to turn a red stream blue. This program can be done at
BVA’s Saalbach Farm or at a stream closer to your school.
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