The Nature Museum has many different facets to its educational programming. From programs for the public, to school and library programs, to teacher trainings and children's camps, we make an effort to bring our audiences closer to an understanding of and excitement about the natural world.

Educator Training Programs

Children's Camps

Educational Programs

Public Programs

Explore the mysterious world of the night.

Spend each day with a real-world scientist. Study Archeology and go on a dig to find treasures. Learn about trees and forest management; visit a sawmill. Learn about geology and all kinds of water and wetlands.

From dirt to plate. Plant seeds, pick fruit, save seeds for next season. Make jam, cheese, and other delicacies. Meet farm animals and learn how to care for them. Learn to be self-sufficient.

Experience a week of hunting for treasures -- some edible, some natural, some crazy and wild -- from clues that will teach you how to interpret and make simple maps. Create a map to a secret stash and see if the others can find the treasure.

Learn about the Connecticut River. Visit petrogylphs, explore a geothermal hotspot, go crayfish hunting, look for sources of pollution and erosion that affect the river.

Learn how to build a survival shelter and build different kinds of forts from natural materials.

Learn to read tracks and animal signs. Build the Mystery Creature of Village Park and create a trail of tracks leading to the beast. The day will be full of exploration, games, and crafts.

Jim Esden of Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation will speak about the mysterious purple boxes, why they are here, and what you can do to help. Learn about invasive insects and how they impact our region and the trees we love.

Laurie Callahan, Coordinator for the Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance [SeVWA] monitoring program, will lead a discussion with members of the Rockingham community who participated in water monitoring on the two rivers. Included will be the history of the monitoring program, factors that affect the water quality in the two rivers, and a presentation of the 2011 water test results with comparison to past statistics. Also discussed will be the short-term and long-term implications of the massive flooding from Hurricane Irene, as well as what the Town and community members can do to help maintain and improve the rivers' water quality and overall health.

Bruce Parks, high-school science teacher and professor of meteorology, will speak about weather and wives' tales. Do cows really lie down when it is going to rain? What do wooly bear caterpillars tell us about the coming winter. Find out at this fun and informative talk.

The focus will be on turkeys. See October 20 for program description.

This illustrated PowerPoint program is a fundraiser for Museum camperships. Liz Baldwin, Antioch University New England graduate student, will share her research on river otters on Martha's Vineyard. Learn about the ecology and adaptations of the appealing, secretive, and seductive river otter through first-hand stories, slides, and videos. Various show-and-tell items will be on display, including a skull, otter mount, motion-detection camera, and scat samples.

The focus will be winter sleepers. See October 20 for program description.