Field Studies Program SeriesThe selected programs are appropriate to the time of year
and for students age 6 - 12.
Program #1 ~ Bird Box Building
Course#: W08-092-AS
Max: 20
Fri. February 8 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $13/$16
Led by: DNS Staff
House wrens and chickadees are fun birds to attract to your backyard. Inviting these birds to your yard helps to reduce insect populations and increases your enjoyment of nature as you watch the parents busily feeding the hungry babies. Learn about the different species of birds that use nest boxes and craft your own bird house using simple hand tools. Then take your nest box home and hang your creation in a tree for the nesting birds to use when they arrive with spring weather!
Program #2 ~ Animals in Winter
Course#: W08-093-AS
Max: 20 students
Fri. February 22 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $7/$10
Led by: DNS Staff
Learn about different animals native to Delaware and their strategies for winter survival. Using live animals and taxidermy, investigate which animals hibernate, which stay awake, and which migrate south where it is warm. Take a winter hike to look for signs of animal activity around Ashland.
Program #3 ~ Building a Backyard Habitat
Course#: W08-094-AS
Max: 20 students
Fri. March 7 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $7/$10
Led by: DNS Staff
Learn the key components of a successful backyard habitat, and plan one! We’ll view many garden examples, backyard ponds, and learn the top 10 plants you should include. Receive a garden plan for a bird or butterfly garden for your yard. Learn how to take soil samples and examine a variety of soils and minerals from our area. Find out how to certify your backyard as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat:
http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/bwh.html
Program #4 ~ Mining and Minerals
Course#: S08-095-AS
Max: 20 students
Fri. March 28 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $7/$10
Led by: DNS Staff
Explore an early mining operation to uncover and classify various rocks and minerals native to Delaware’s Piedmont geologic region. Use rock hammers and safety goggles to collect samples for identification and take specimens of quartz, mica and feldspar back to the classroom. This program meets at Woodlawn Trustees Preserve, contact Ashland Nature Center for directions.
Program #5 ~ Spring Amphibians at Bucktoe Creek
Course#: S08-096-AS
Max: 20 students
Fri. April 11 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $7/$10
Led by: DNS Staff
Explore the world of amphibians at Bucktoe Creek Preserve. Spring is the time when they are chorusing and laying eggs and a great opportunity to learn how amphibians in the Piedmont survive the seasons. Use nets and other collecting equipment to look for amphibians and the food they eat while hiking the Bucktoe Creek, approximately 285 acres of forest, meadows and marsh in New Garden Township, Pennsylvania, just 5 miles northwest of the Ashland Nature Center. This program meets at Bucktoe Creek Preserve, contact Ashland Nature Center for directions.
Program #6 ~ Pond Ecology
Course#: S08-097-AS
Max: 25 Students
Fri. April 25 - 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $7/$10
Led by: DNS Staff
Visit a pond ecosystem and use dip nets to sample the diversity of aquatic organisms. In the lab, use a video microscope and individual microscopes and/or magnifying lenses to view small pond organisms. Examine and compare the structures of pond animals that help them survive in their environment and discuss their role in the pond food chain.
Homeschool Programs are designed to meet state and national standards and are appropriate for students of all ages. If you are a homeshool parent or organizer and are interested in programs for older students or topics that are not covered, please contact David Pragoff, School Program Coordinator at 302-239-2334, ext.133 or davidp@delawarenaturesociety.org to request a copy of our School Program Brochure.
Advance registration for all programs is required.
Program information and registration form.
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