Field Trip Programs

Grades K – 2

LS1.A.B & C, LS3 A&B

Learn how to distinguish living creatures from the non-living components of their environment. What do living things need in order to survive?

Grades K – 2

LS1.A

All living things move but they all move in different ways. Find out about fins, wings, and animal movements!

Grades K – 2

LS1.A, LS1.B, LS3.A & B

Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.

Grades K – 2

ESS2.C, ESS3.A, PS3.D

What is soil and why is it so important to our survival?

Grades 3 – 8

PS3.D, LS1.C, LS2.A/B

Learn how energy cycles through soils and, in turn, through other ecosystems.

Grades K – 8

PS3.D, LS1.C, LS2.A & B

Explore the basic concepts of food chains and webs. Learn how energy cycles through Connecticut’s ecosystems.

How do plants and animals deal with the changing weather and climate?

• What’s Up With Fall? – How do plants and animals prepare for Connecticut’s harshest season?
• Frozen – Who braves Connecticut’s winters? Learn to read the clues left by our winter residents and see how animals and plants survive the long winter season.
• Spring Fling – Nature makes gradual but continuous changes from spring buds to ladybugs. Hands-on exploration brings these changes alive.

Key concepts: making observations, weather, seasons, animal and plant observations.  ESS2.D; PS3.B

Grades 2 – 8

ESS1.C, ESS2.B & C

As Connecticut’s ecosystems have changed over time, the state’s wildlife has also changed. Observe, first-hand, how natural phenomena and human activities have impacted animal populations.

Grades 3 – 8

LS1.A, LS4.C

2-hour program: Use a variety of tools, including microscopes and hand lenses to discover micro and macro organisms found in local streams and ponds. Discover their adaptations and what makes CT’s aquatic habitats special.

Grades 3 – 8

ESS3.C

Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on our water resources. Today, individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. This program uses Enviroscape models to demonstrate how to prevent pollution.

Grades K – 2

LS1.A & C, LS2.A

Explore how flowering plants change throughout their life cycles in order to survive.

Grades K – 2

ESS3.A, LS2.A & B

All living things, including people, need water, air, food, and a place to live. Find out how our local wildlife uses natural resources to meet their survival needs.

Grades K – 8

ESS2.E, ESS3.A & C

What is an engineer? Meet animal engineers and see how the structures they build are designed to help them raise their young, survive the winter, store food, or escape predators. Learn how some of these animals change their environment and what we can learn from them.

Key concepts: Habitat, structures, and behaviors that allow animals to meet basic needs, ecosystem, adaptation, food chains  ESS2.E; LS2.A

Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.

Choose our general life cycle program or a topic from the list below:

• Insects and Their Relatives – May to October only –  Explore different insect habitats and see what special adaptations insects have developed to help them survive. Observe insects close up in their environments.
• Birds and Butterflies – Learn how the life cycles of songbirds and butterflies are linked.
• Reptiles & Amphibians – In spite of some similarities, they can be distinguished by their physical appearance and different stages of life.
• Marvelous Mammals – Some mammals need decades to reach maturity, others years, and some only weeks.

Key concepts: structural body parts, metamorphosis, adaptations, habitats, ecosystems, sorting and classification of characteristics, inheritance, and variation of traits, interactions with the environment, diversity of life cycles  LS1.B; LS3.A; LS3.B

Grades K – 8

LS1.A & D, PS4.B

Animals have body parts that capture and convey information needed for their growth and survival. How do animals perceive the world? Discover animals’ super senses and their odd ones, too!

Choose our general Adaptations program or a topic from the list below:

• Survival: Plants & Animals – How do plants and animals survive in various habitats? Key concepts: Behavioral and structural adaptations, advantage, survival, camouflage, energy transfer LS4.B; LS4.C
• Predator and Prey – Learn how animals big and small find food and avoid being eaten.
• Claws, Paws & Jaws – Animals have many interesting structural adaptations to help them survive.
• Going, Going, Gone (animal survivals and extinctions) – Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Why did some animals survive while others disappeared?
• Leader of the Pack – Learn why some animals find it works better to work as a team.
• Alien Invaders! – Find out how Invasive plants and animals are changing local habitats and food chains.

Ask about species-specific programs tailored to your student’s interests (ie. Reptiles, Birds)

Key concepts: Ecosystems, adaptations, life cycle, structures of living things, extinction, animal survival, fossils, camouflage  LS1. A; LS4.B; LS4.C

Grades 2 – 8

ESS1.C, ESS2.B & C

Every rock tells a story. Some of these stories are exciting and happen very quickly while others happen over a very long period of time. Knowing about Connecticut’s rocks and their stories helps us to understand how Connecticut’s landforms came to be.

Grades 5 – 8  

ESS2.A & D, ESS3.B & C

2 hour program – Skills learned are based on season: Learn basic survival skills including reading a map and compass, fire building, shelter construction, appropriate clothing, and food. Dress for the weather!

Grades K – 8

LS4.D

Discover how Native Americans relied on their natural environment for all their survival needs including shelter, clothing, and food.

Dependent on Classes Selected