Lower Merion Conservancy

Middle School

Grades 6-8

Field Experiences

Creekology
Students become streamside scientists investigating the biology and chemistry of Mill Creek. Using graphs and data from the Conservancy’s StreamWatch monitoring program, students make predictions about the current state of Mill Creek. Then, in small teams, your students test their hypotheses by measuring the amount of oxygen, nitrogen, and chloride in the waters of Mill Creek-- and interpret what these numbers mean. Students also collect stream organisms to connect the water’s chemistry to the stream's ability to support a healthy population of living creatures. They’ll meet creek creatures up close while learning about insect life cycles and adaptations to fast-moving water. This workshop is a hands-on, practical exploration approach connecting students to real and relevant reserach.

Forest and Field: Introducing Ecology
Your students will use forest and field habitats as living laboratories to explore an introduction to ecology. Through a series of games and hands-on exploration activities, students investigate plant and animal adaptations, succession of plant communities, and the biotic and abiotic components of habitats. They'll even perform scientific research evaluating and comparing species richness and abundance in two different natural communities. The experience culminates as small groups synthesize their experiences and make inferences about the health of the forest ecosystem in Rolling Hill Park.

Hiking Through History
Lower Merion began as a working landscape, the home of numerous waterwheel mills and modest farms. In an interactive hike through ruins-rich Rolling Hill Park, our staff teaches 300 years of Lower Merion history, from William Penn to the present. Students discover ruins of 18th-century mills, 19th-century farms, and 20th-century estates, and use their powers of observation and deduction to read the park's landscape. Using a series of maps and photos, our staff uses the park as a case study in Pennsylvania history. Take a hike through history with us this year.

Avian Biology New!
Learn about why birds fly, how they build nests and how multiple birds can live in the same tree without competing. Look closely at bird feathers and determine the purpose of these delicate coverings, learn about flight aerodynamics, even build birds that can fly. Test out beak types and match them to the food birds eat; learn about feet adaptations too. It's a basic introduction to the fascinating world of birds that gives students a new appreciation for the wrens and robins that flutter through their yards.

Classroom Workshops

Classroom Creekology
Through a series of hands-on science investigations, your students begin to understand concepts including insect adaptations, limiting factors, watersheds and the water cycle. Students use topographic maps and models to understand local watersheds, then explore the movement of water through these watersheds. Your students also learn about the factors that contribute to healthy streams, and analyze current data from Mill Creek. This experience asks students to think critically, perform scientific experiments, and use basic science knowledge to draw key conclusions.

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

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