Programs for Schools and Scouts

Available year-round, on or off-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 1.1a; 2.1a,b; 2.2a,b; 3.1a,c; 3.2b; 5.1b; 5.21b-g; 6.1e,f; 7.1c

Learn what different species need to survive. What do they eat and how do they protect themselves? What is their habitat? What function do their body coverings like fur, scales, and feathers serve? Younger groups usually cover animal babies and animals in autumn. Some past themes for older groups include: insect lifecycles, amphibian lifecycles, ecosystems, and birds of prey.

Available September-November/ March-May, on-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 2.2a; 3.2c; 4.1a; 4.2b; 7.1b Geog S 3

This lesson demonstrates the parts of the cider press including the flywheel, basket, press bag, hopper, tray, and platen. We will discuss the lifecycle of the apple tree and the parts of the fruit. We also include the importance of pollinators in the lifecycle of food plants. We’ll make cider from a variety of apples and then take a brief hike in the woods to discuss how seeds are spread.

Available year-round, on-site

Details

Students will learn about the processes that shape the three major types of rock and learn to identify the common minerals found in the area. Our on-site quarry offers the opportunity to collect samples of quartz, feldspar, and mica while using basic tools used by geologists.

Available year-round, on-site/off-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 1.1a,b; 2.1a; 3.1c; 5.2a,b,d,f

Meet some of our museum animals as we discuss how animals prepare for winter. We will learn the difference between warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals and which are true hibernators.

Available February/March, on-site

Details

Learn how to tap a tree with a hand drill, spile, and bucket while learning about the physiology of trees. We’ll taste fresh sap and visit our Sugar Shed to check out the evaporator and discover just how much sap is needed to produce syrup.

Available September-November / April-May, off-site (at school or Oakland Beach)

Details

**Rye School District Only**

Meet us at Oakland Beach for Meet us at Oakland Beach for a tide-pool program. You have the option to add a seining component in which instructor and teacher/chaperone will catch swimming organisms from the Sound. Alternatively, an in-school program would cover the classification of invertebrates through a slide show, and observation of live specimens and various exoskeletons.

Available year round

Details

Rye is filled with a rich cultural, ecological, and geological history. Learn how various people have lived off the land, from American Indians and colonists through present times. We will highlight different land uses from hunting and farming to gardening and recreation. We will also touch on the formation of the physical environment of the park dating back to the last ice age.

Available year-round, off-site only (Requires a 40 x 16 ft parking space)

Details

Core standards vary depending on the program.

This mobile classroom and exhibit was fabricated to have the feeling of the forest using natural woods, photographs from the Nature Center as the background, and a ceiling that replicates the canopy of the trees on a summer day. The interactive forest, wetland, quarry, and garden components include hands-on activities and lessons designed by our education team. For more information pertaining to NatureStation, click here. Please note that NatureStation programs begin at $300/hour.

Available September-November / March-May, on-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 3.1a; 5.1b; 7.1c

Students will visit the Blind Brook to collect specimens like crayfish and eels. We discuss what a watershed is and how the brook is influenced by Long Island Sound.

Available year-round, on-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 1.1b; 1.2a; 2.2a; 3.1b; 3.2b; 4.1a,b,c; 5.2a

Students will visit both the garden and the forest to observe and compare stages of plant growth. They will collect various seeds while learning the natural history of the forest plant community. We will also play some games to learn how animals and wind help in seed dispersal.

Available Late April-May, on-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 3.1a; 4.1a,f; 5.1b

A visit to the pond will include both amphibian and insect lifecycles. Each scoop of the net provides a plethora of opportunities to identify some of the common aquatic creatures like dragonflies and tadpoles. Younger students will observe the teachers' scoops while older children will have the chance to use the nets themselves.

Available September-November / March-May, on-site

Details

**Fourth Grade Only**

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 1.1b; 1.2a; 2.2a; 3.1b; 4.1b,d; 4.2a; 5.2a; 6.2a

Learn to identify forest trees by their flowers and leaves. In the fall students will get to admire the beautiful canopy of changing leaves and learn what causes this seasonal color change. In the spring, it's time to discover the newly emerging wildflowers.

Available year-round, on-site

Details

Sample Core Standards: S #4: 1.1a,b; 3.1b,c; 4.1a; 5.1b; 5.2b

Learn some of the easily identifiable trees you can find in the Nature Center forest and around your neighborhood. We will learn to identify these trees by comparing the leaves and seeds as we hike the forest. Students will also learn about the age of trees and the habitats they prefer to grow in.