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MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS

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Agriculture Then and Now
Amazing Adaptations
Brandywine Watershed Tour
Bugs in the System; Integrated Pest Management
Canoeing Water Quality Program
Communities at Work
Compost Critters and Backyard Aerobics
Energy Flow through the Food Chain

Human Impact on the Environment NEW
Inspect an Insect
Nature at Night
Team Challenge
Totally Trees
Wetland Field Study
What’s the Matter???
Winter Exploration and Experimentation NEW
Working Watershed UPDATED

Agriculture Then and Now
Standards: 4.4.7 (with accompanying teacher resource packet)
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; $5.75/participant
Available May 15 - October 15

Explore the vital role of agriculture in all of our lives. Students will learn how agriculture has changed over the past 200 years by examining the history of farming on the Myrick Center property. Learn about life on the farm in the 19th century and become familiar with present day soil conservation practices. Discover the relationship between agriculture and technology. Students will take a property walk, participate in a simple game to demonstrate transfer of energy, and plant in the garden. Maximum 40 students

Amazing Adaptations
Standards: 4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 5-6; 2 hours; $5.50/participant

Observe a variety of structural and behavioral adaptations of plants and animals at the Myrick Center. Students will learn about the color of worms and the beaks of birds through games, then 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

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 alternative conservation practices such as spray irrigation 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.

Bugs in the System; Integrated Pest Management
Standards: 4.5.7 (with accompanying teacher resource packet)
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; $5.75/participant
Available May 15 - October 15

Explore the Myrick Center community garden to see different ways of monitoring pest populations and various IPM tactics to deal with these pests. Students will work in teams to collect and identify garden insects- which insects are harmful to plants? Which insects help the garden? Students will play a game to learn how pesticides and other chemicals bioaccumulate in the food chain. Maximum: 40 students.

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

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 given. An east branch or west branch trip is available; please indicate which trip at the time of registration. A map showing drop-off points will be sent to you. It is highly recommended that students participate in "Communities at Work: Streams" or "Working Watershed" prior to this program.

Communities at Work
Standards: 4.1.7/4.3.7/
4.6.4/4.7.4
Grades 5-8; 2 hours; $5.75/participant

Explore the inhabitants of a pond, stream, or field/forest community while discovering how they interact and adapt. For each community, 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 physical limitations, large groups will need to be divided so that each student explores only one of the three communities.

Compost Critters and Backyard Aerobics
Standards: 4.2.7/4.3.7/
4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 5-6; 2 hours; $5.75/participant

Nature is the earth’s oldest recycler. Learn about compost and the critters that make it possible. Students will actively explore the dark side of compost and delve into the world of the worm through games, math and "aerobics." Maximum: 40 students.

Cycling and Recycling
Standards: 4.1.7/4.2.7/4.6.7
Grades 5-6; 1.5 hours; $5.50/participant

Explore nature’s air, water and soil cycles to see how the building materials of life are used over and over again in a balanced ecosystem. Students will follow nature’s example and minimize their impact on the environment. Maximum: 60 students

Energy Flow through the Food Chain
Standards: 4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 5-7; 1.5 hours; $4.75/participant

Explore the Myrick Center for evidence of energy flow in nature. Fill out a data sheet looking for examples of the transformation of radiant, chemical, heat, and mechanical energy as organisms interact. Take a look at the pond, stream, or field/forest community to identify producers and consumers. Look for traces of decreasing availability of energy at higher levels on the food chain connecting producers with primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.

NEW PROGRAM
Human Impact on the Environment
Standards: 3.57/3.67/4.27/
4.37/4.87/4.97
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; $6.00/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.

Inspect an Insect
Standards: 4.1.7/4.2.7/4.3.7/
4.6.7/4.7.7/4.8.7
Grades 5-7; 1.5 hours; $5.00/participant
Available April 22 to October 11

Collect fascinating insects in a sweep net. Learn the characteristic of insects and observe the similarities and differences between the various insects and other invertebrates collected at the Myrick Center. Compare and contrast the adaptations of insects that live on the land with those that live in water.

Nature at Night
Standards: 4.7.7
Grades 5-8; 2 hours; $5.75/participant

Come explore the mysteries of nature at night. See how your eyes adjust to darkness and talk about the adaptations of nocturnal animals. Play a game to see how bats find their prey and learn more about owls. All programs are by special arrangement and begin at dusk. Maximum: 50 students.

Team Challenge
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; 5.75/participant

How do you get back to your base camp if you must first cross an alligator infested swamp? Can you get a bucket of nitroglycerin away from the approaching prairie fire if the only way out is across a canyon? Students will participate in a variety of simulated problem solving experiences that require group cooperation and physical activity. Activities are designed to break down barriers, build teamwork and identify leadership potential among students. This program is recommended at the beginning of the school year or prior to group projects or problem-solving activities.

Totally Trees
Standards: 4.2.7/4.6.7
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; $5.75

Explore the complex world of trees by examining seeds and adopting trees. Look at gymnosperms and angiosperms and learn about tree structure by building a human tree. Look for signs of transpiration and photosynthesis and learn to identify trees using an identification tree and a treasure hunt. In the winter, learn about twig identification as you explore the forest during the coldest season.

Wetland Field Study
Standards: 4.1.7/4.3.7/4.6.7/
4.7.7/4.8.7/4.9.7
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; $7.00/participant

Working as a scientific team, students will complete a wetlands field study in a wetland. The class will be broken down into four small groups beforehand. Each group will explore with an environmental instructor one of four aspects of the wetland – plants, animals, water, or soil. Data sheets will be filled out on-site to be reported on in class after the study. A photo and atmosphere team can also be added if there are funds for disposable cameras. Before students visit the wetland, teachers will meet with a BVA/RCVA instructor to go over pre-and post-activities for the study. Maximum: 30 students.

What’s the Matter???
Grades 5-7; 1.5 hours; $4.75/participant

Look for evidence of matter found in nature. Explore how the interrelationships between molecules of solids, liquids and gases differ. Find out how much space (volume) and how much mass exists in the different states.0

NEW PROGRAM
Winter Exploration and Experimentation
Standards: 4.6.7/4.7.7
Grades 5-8; 1.5 hours at $5.00/participant or 2 hours at $5.50/participant

How do animals protect themselves from winter temperatures? Some animals build nests, burrows or other structures to stay warm. We will conduct an experiment using different materials to insulate a cup of water, record how the temperature drops over time, and determine which material was the best insulator. Search for birds, tracks and other signs of animals while learning about habitat, adaptations and winter survival mechanisms.

UPDATED
Working Watershed
Standards: 4.1.7/4.3.7/
4.6.7/4.8.7
Grades 6-8; 2 hours; 5.75/participant

Learn about water cycles, why water is so precious, and why it must be protected. Students will see how a watershed is defined by topography and how watersheds are affected by human development. Students will create their own watersheds and pollute then attempt to clean up a water sample.

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