Lower Merion Conservancy

Programs for Young Learners

Preschool-1st grade

Forest Frolic
Explore a forest filled with towering trees, feathery ferns, leaves that smell sharply of spice, and the rat-a-tat-tat symphony of working woodpeckers. On a forest walk, children use their senses in a variety of activities including sound mapping and scavenger hunting, and during a story pantomime, they'll become a forest filled with trees. We'll help students discover the life cycle of a tree, the role of trees in their lives, and how the forest is a habitat for a wide array of creatures and critters.

River Ramble
Creeks, streams, and rivers all flow with that magical, irresistible substance, water. Alongside Mill Creek, your students will learn the extraordinary science of water through activities and games that teach about the water cycle and the phases of water. They'll discover why waterways are vital to all living things, then don rubber boots to dive into the creek in search of the creatures that live there, including crayfish, insects, and small fish. They’ll even get a chance to view these live creatures up-close under a microscope.

A Place Called Dirt
There’s a whole wide world living beneath your feet in a place called dirt. Your students will dig down into the dirt in search of squiggling and squirming soil dwellers like earthworms, ants, and a whole lot more. They'll collect underground invertebrates, then use microscopes to view their creatures and meet their adaptations to life in soil. Your students will differentiate between "soil" and "dirt," and engage in a variety of experiments that teach about the role soil plays in our own life. Students learn about the differences between soil types and textures and write a recipe for soil. Get dirty (even muddy!) as we explore a place called dirt.

Insect Investigations
Investigate the world of buzzing bees, singing crickets, and fluttering butterflies in a hands-on ant's-eye view of the world. Students search for insects in fields, forests, dirt, and water, then learn about amazing insect adaptations, how some insects benefit humans, and how to tell insects from non-insects. We'll even turn one of your studetns into an incsect complete with wings, exoskeleton, antennae, and sipping mouthparts. Fly with us into a world of creeping, crawling, jumping, and hopping insects.

New! Classroom and After/Before-School Programs
This year, bring the wonders of nature into your classroom in a one-time lesson or work with us to create a multi-program experience for your class, after-school program, or nature club. The Conservancy can tailor any of the above programs to fit your needs! With a mixture of engaging investigative activities both indoors and outside the classroom, your students can apply the concepts they learn to the familiar setting of their own schoolyard. Contact the Conservancy for details.

Updated: 9/20/2006 © 2010Lower Merion Conservancy. All rights reserved.

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