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Nature Education Programs for Schools & Youth Groups

Schedule Now for the 2007 / 2008 school year!

The Audubon experience engages young minds in science through hands-on, investigative activities in nature. Field trips to the Audubon Center, coupled with workshops in your classroom, provide fun opportunities for your students to explore nature and learn important scientific concepts. Audubon programs are correlated to district standards and units of study.

• Field Trips at the Audubon Center
• Nature Discovery Labs - Classroom Workshops
• Training Workshop for Teachers, Naturalists & Youth Group Leaders

To schedule a program for your class or group, call 303-973-9530 or email education@denveraudubon.org.

Field Trips at the Audubon Center

Scheduling Information

The Audubon experience starts with a one-hour classroom workshop at your school for each classroom of students. Workshops include pre-trip activities to introduce new concepts and prepare students for their field trip.

Next, students visit the Audubon Center for a 4 to 4 ½ hour field trip (actual time will depend on your school's bus schedule). The day will include hands-on activities before and after lunch. The newly renovated outdoor classroom building is equipped with binoculars, microscopes, insect nets and more! The equipment your students use will depend on the program you choose.

• # of students: 6 - 60 students per field trip
• One adult chaperone per 10 children required for field trips.
• Cost: $10/student (includes classroom workshop AND field trip to the Audubon Center ) plus mileage reimbursement

Location

The Audubon Center is located at the southwest corner of Chatfield State Park . From C470 & Wadsworth, take Wadsworth south about 4.4 miles. Turn left on Waterton Road . Immediately turn left into the first parking lot at the Audubon Center sign.

MIGRATION MADNESS

Preschool - 4th grades

LIMITED TIME - April 30 - June 1, 2007

Birds need habitat every day of the year! Discover the perils of migration that birds encounter, from Colorado to South America and back again. Students have the unique opportunity to visit a bird banding station, see birds in-hand and talk with an ornithologist. This program is presented in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

 *A 1/2 day option is available for preschool & kindergarten classes. Weekend dates are available for scouts & youth groups.

POND ECOLOGY

2nd & 3rd grades

Everything, living and non-living, within the pond ecosystem is interconnected in the web of life. Students will unravel a pond food chain, starting with invertebrate sampling in the muck and water. They will also examine the different types of plant life and survey wildlife found in and around the pond. (The classroom workshop will occur after the field trip, in order to compile and summarize the students' observations.)

MINI-BEAST SAFARI - INVERTEBRATE INVESTIGATIONS

2nd & 3rd grades

Small does not mean insignificant! Insects are the most successful group of animals on the planet. From the schoolyard to the pond muck, they are found everywhere and are incredibly well-adapted for survival. Students will keep a field journal of the invertebrates they find. Sampling techniques include aquatic & terrestrial sweep nets, beat sheets and litter shakers!

SURVIVAL BY DESIGN - BIRD ADAPTIONS

2nd & 3rd grades

Birds are uniquely adapted for survival. Discover beaks that work like tongs, tweezers, straws, nutcrackers and more. Test different wing shapes to learn how they affect flight. Examine how birds found at the ponds, in the forest and on the grasslands are designed for each habitat.

HOME, SWEET NEST

1st - 3rd grades   Offered in spring & summer.

Could you find a mate, build a home and raise a family in three months time? Discover how birds accomplish this amazing feat. Search for the perfect nest site that provides shelter, food, water and space. Students will examine real nests to determine what materials are used and how they are constructed. They will then build a nest for their adopted bird.

Nature Discovery Labs - Classroom Workshops

Infuse your classroom with a dose of nature. We transform your classroom & schoolyard into a learning lab with workshops that stimulate inquisitive minds and develop practical scientific skills. Certain workshops include exclusive scientific collections that enhance students' experiences. Each activity sparks creative ideas for further study. ASGD provides all materials and equipment for every child to fully participate. Nature Discovery Labs are one hour long. We are able to bring the same program to four classes per day, depending on your school's time schedule.

Maximum of 30 students per class
Fee: $4.00 per student plus mileage reimbursement

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE!

Topic: Seed Dispersal & Adaptations
Recommended for 1st & 2nd grades

Be prepared to experience the wilderness in your own schoolyard. Explore the ingenious seed adaptations that plants use to conquer new territory and theorize on the most successful methods found on your school grounds. Students test their adaptive powers by designing their own seeds for specific environments in a challenging post visit activity, available on request.

NEIGHBORHOOD BIRDS

Topic: Classification & Identification Keys
Recommended for 3rd, 4th & 5th grades

Super sleuthing scientists solve "The Case of the Unknown Avian" by learning to make and use a simple identification key. Students hone in on the culprit while exercising their observation skills by examining some of our neighborhood birds up close. Bird study skins will be used to test our abilities and expand our knowledge of the usual and not so usual suspects.

WHO'S FOR DINNER?

Topic: Food Chains & Adaptations
Recommended for 2nd & 3rd grades

Become a Wildlife Detective looking for clues to reconstruct a food chain. Discover how owls hunt in darkness and capture prey by examining Great Horned Owl study skins and experimenting with adaptive techniques. Dissect an owl pellet to help solve the mystery of "Who's for Dinner?"

BIRD WATCH

Topic: Population & Behavior
Recommended for 2nd & 3rd grades

Branch out from your usual classroom studies with a challenging field investigation into the lives of our local birds. Introduce students to basic field observation techniques while guiding them to create their own investigations. Bird Watch combines art, math and practical science.

BLUEBIRDS IN PERIL

Topic: Habitats
Recommended for 4th, 5th & 6th grades

Explore the importance of shelter within a habitat and discover teh stresses affecting our native bluebirds. Learn what citizens are doing to help restore bluebird populations in Colorado and how students can make a difference. Students work in teams to build a bluebird nest box. Nest boxes can be donated to the Colorado Bluebird Project or used by the school for classroom observation projects.

Mileage Reimbursement

We use Mapquest to determine the distance in miles from our office (9308 S. Wadsworth Blvd, Littleton, CO 80128) to your site.

Distance from ASGD office to school:	Mileage Cost
0 - 10 miles	$20.00
11 - 20 miles	$30.00
21 - 30 miles	$40.00
over 30 miles	Please call for details.

 

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