Elementary School Programs
1st through 6th grade
Our presentations explore a variety of themes which help students cultivate both a sense of wonder and an understanding of the natural world around them. Whether they are indoor programs or outdoor explorations, our programs are primarily place-based and hands-on. Students examine real materials, see mounts of animals up close, view slides, or participate in outdoor explorations that lead to the joy of discovery and the inspiration of investigation.
NEW!- Inquiry Investigations
Science springs from curiosity and investigation, and our new inquiry programs will help to instill delight, interest, and confidence in the scientific process. In these 2-hour programs students will participate in an actual field investigation or indoor experiment. The inquiry questions students will explore will depend on the content topic, season, age of students and weather, but you can be sure that your students will be practicing inquiry science, no matter what the question is. We are happy to work with you, the teacher, to make each program applicable to your curriculum.
The following programs are available as 2-hour inquiry investigations.
- Meadow Habitat
- Forest Habitat
- Pond Habitat
- Stream Habitat
- Insects
- Rocks and Soils
- Snow and Ice Science
- Watersheds
- Plants and Seeds
- Oil Spill Science
- Astronomy (experiments through modeling)
Standards met-Inquiry Investigations
Animal Programs
Animals in Winter
1 Hour Program
1-Hour Program Discover how different animals survive throughout our long New England winters. We'll explore how animals are adapted to deal with the cold and snow and how they obtain food, water, and shelter in the winter. Through interactive games, slides, and observations of the museum's natural history collection we will delve deep into animal life in the snow.
Standards met-Animals in Winter
Amphibians
1 Hour Program
Offered in Spring & Summer
Learn about this engaging class of animals. Bringing in live specimens of frogs and salamanders, we will discuss what makes an animal an amphibian, their distinctive life cycles, the species that we have in New England, and the threats to their survival.
Bats
1 Hour Program
Behind the mystery and misunderstanding which surround them, bats are amazing and beneficial animals. Slides, mounted bats, a puppet show, and other activities demonstrate how bats from around the world have adapted to what they eat, and where they live. Threats to their survival and their effects on the ecosystem will also be discussed.
Life in a Beaver Pond
1 Hour Indoor Program or
1 1/2 Hour Program with Outdoor Exploration
Participants will study how these remarkable animals have adapted to survive in aquatic habitats and how they help the other animals and plants in their ecosystem. Learn about beaver adaptations, ecology, and history through slides, a beaver adaptation activity, and hands-on materials.
Standards met-Life in a Beaver Pond
Insect Investigations
1 Hour Indoor Program or
1 1/2 Hour Program with Outdoor Exploration
How is an insect different from a spider? How do insects change as they grow? Find out the answers to these questions and more through hands-on activity stations and museum specimens.
Standards met-Insect Investigations
Nature On The Farm
1 1/2-Hour Indoor/Outdoor Program
Grafton Only
Join a Nature Museum naturalist for this farm and museum visit. The Green Meadows Farm in Grafton has a wide variety of animals, including rabbits, goats, sheep, and chickens. We will compare and contrast the different farm animals and their life cycles and get lots of close encounters with the workings of a small farm. Additional farm visits to a dairy or alpaca farm may also be arranged in Grafton.
Standards met-Nature on the Farm
Making Sense of Skulls
1 Hour Indoor Program
Enhance your study of the skeletal system by doing a comparative study of wild animal skeletons. We will examine skulls from different animal families to learn more about skull structure and what that can tell us about an animal's feeding habits, special adaptations, and history.
Standards met-Making Sense of Skulls
Winter Tracking
1 Hour Indoor Program or
2 Hour Program with Outdoor Snowshoe
In the winter, animals leave clues about where they've been, who they are, and what they've been doing. We'll learn about the track patterns animals leave and how to identify them. Then, depending on program length and snow conditions, we'll head outdoors (on snowshoes, if appropriate) to test our skills!
Plant Programs
The Ecology of a Forest
1 1/2 Hour Indoor/Outdoor Program
The forest habitat is filled with activity and surprises. In this program we'll discover the interactions between forest plants, animals, and the landscape itself. This program allows time for investigating the forest habitat outdoors, as well as focusing on specific forest animal specimens inside.
Standards met-The Ecology of a Forest
Tree Identification
1 Hour Outdoor Program
Offered in Spring, Summer, and Fall
We will explore the forest looking for a diversity of trees. Hands-on activities, games, and hunts will help students to further their abilities to identify local tree species and their usefulness to people and wildlife.
Standards met-Tree Identification
Plants: Cycles and Adaptations
1 Hour Program or
1 1/2 with an outdoor option
Through inquiry-based activities students will gain an understanding of the diversity of local plant life and their life cycles. Students will investigate the process of pollination, distinguish parts of flowers, and recognize common shapes and colors that attract various pollinators, such as insects and hummingbirds.
Standards met-Plants Cycles and Adaptations
Nature Journaling Programs
Introduction to Nature Journaling
1 1⁄2-Hour Outdoor Program
All Seasons
Nature Journaling enhances your students' natural curiosity and observation skills while giving them an opportunity to practice drawing and writing. Using nature as their muse and drawing and writing exercises as their inspiration, students will practice their documentation skills and connect more closely to the natural world.
Standards met-Nature Journaling
Habitat Programs
Exploring a Meadow
1 1/2 Hour Indoor/Outdoor Program
Offered Spring, Summer, & Fall
The meadow habitat can be a fascinating place, especially when you stop and take a closer look! From butterflies and flowers to foxes and field mice, there are many organisms that depend on meadow environments to survive. This program allows time for investigating the meadow habitat outdoors, as well as spending time indoors focusing on specific animals that depend on it.
Standards met-Exploring a Meadow
Pond Life
1 1/2 Hour Program (outdoor program)
Offered in Spring, Summer & Fall
Ponds are rich habitats supporting a wide diversity of life. Prepare to explore the life in and around a pond first hand, from the bottom-dwelling dragonfly nymph to the birds flying above. Using nets and buckets, we will muck around a pond's edge exploring the life there.
Stream Explorations
1 1/2 Hour Program (Outdoor Program)
Offered in Spring, Summer & Fall
Streams are a rough and tumble environment that require special adaptations in order to live there. Get your feet wet and get ready to learn first hand about the amazing critters (and their special adaptations) that call a stream home.
Standards met-Stream Exploration
Vernal Pools
1-Hour Program
Offered in Spring
Temporary spring ponds are much more than giant mud puddles. They are the "hatcheries of the forest" and provide an important start for many species of animals. Through a slide show and hands-on activities we will explore these important ecological zones and the adaptations of animals that live in these fleeting wet areas.
Geology Programs
Fossils: Secrets of the Past
1 Hour Program
How are fossils formed and what stories can they tell? This program uses activities, hands-on specimens, and slides to introduce students to the fascinating world of fossils and the processes that formed them.
The Rock Cycle
1 Hour Program
Have you ever wondered how rocks are formed, or what the difference is between a rock and a mineral? Here's a chance to discover the processes that form different types of rocks. Learn how rocks are always changing, and become familiar with some common New England examples.
Rocks Are All Around Us
1/2 Hour Indoor Program
This program can be added to the other geology programs.
Students will be surprised to learn about the many different ways humans use rocks in everyday life. Hands-on activities will explore the different everyday products that contain rocks as an essential ingredient, and students will try to match real rocks to the products that contain them.
Standards met-Rocks Are All Around Us
Plate Tectonics
1-Hour Indoor Program
Program Designed for Upper Elementary Students.
Learn about this geological theory and how it has transformed our view and understanding of some of the Earth's crustal development. Using hands-on activities and slides, we will discuss plate movement and highlight examples from around the world and locally in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Our Geologic History
1-Hour Indoor Program
Program Designed for Upper Elementary Students.
Learn about the movement of the earth's crust and how these monumental events shaped our current New England landscape. Were there really mountains here that once rivaled the Himalayans? Is New Hampshire really a part of ancient Africa? Find out through hands-on activities, slides, and discussion.
Standards met-Our Geologic History
Physical Science Programs
Kids' Power: Renewable Energy
1-Hour Indoor Program
In "Kids' Power" Michael Caduto - award-winning environmentalist, master storyteller, and author - presents an entertaining new program about renewable energy explored through science and the arts. Storytelling, music, a slide show, and participatory experiences with today's energy technologies will engage students in the process of transforming the forces of nature into energy for everyday living. This humorous program is full of facts and activities that reveal simple ways to harness natural energy and help to reduce global climate change. The program contains such highlights as kid-powered demonstrations of wind power, solar energy, magnetic-electrical power, and energy special effects. Curriculum resources are provided for teachers.
This is a special program that the Museum offers through Michael Caduto. The cost for this program is $300 plus $.40 a mile, and the program may include 150 participants.
Standards met-Kids Power Renewable Energy
Snow & Ice Science
1 Hour Indoor Program
Offered in Winter
In this program we investigate the properties of snow and ice. We use a hands-on scientific approach to compare snow, ice, and water and then explore the beauty and science of snowflakes.
Standards met-Snow and Ice Science
Astronomy Programs
Astronomy: Our Changing Moon
1-Hour Program
Does the moon stay the same each night? How does it change? We'll answers these questions and more through hands-on demonstrations and experiments with additional sorting and journaling activities.
Astronomy: Planets
1 Hour Program
This program is filled with hands on activities that demonstrate the relative size and distances between the planets. Lessons are taught through the creation of two types of models. Students will practice their fraction skills while creating clay models.
Standards met-Astronomy-Planets
Please Contact Us, for more information, to reserve a program, or to receive program announcements and updates. You can also contact us by phone: (802) 843-2111.
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