Natural History Programs



  • Each program is tailored to meet the current California State Life Science and Earth Science Content Standards.
  • We provide a variety of programs to fit your needs: In-Class Programs, Special Projects, Assemblies, half or full day Immersion Programs and Parties.
  • Programs vary in length from 1 hour or longer, according to your schedule. Two-hour programs provide important time for hands-on activities. Activities listed in each program serve as examples of possible choices. Some activities have space requirements.
  • Please call (510) 494-9297 or send an email to outside-educators@sbcglobal.net to schedule the experiences you want for your class or group.

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Western Toads
(Bufo borreas)

 
Roosevelt Elk
(Cervus elaphus roosevelti)


In School
Natural History Programs

 

1st and 2nd Grades
Hop, Fly, Slither or Crawl
Using live animals, children see how adaptive features enable animals to thrive in different environments. Everybody gets to act like “a little animal” as we use our sticky frog tongues or constrictor muscles. We compare and contrast vertebrate classes of amphibian, reptile, fish, bird and mammal. “Carnivores, herbivores and omnivores,” it is a mouthful of new words as we examine skulls and infer the food animals eat by the shape of their teeth.

 

3rd Grade
Survival is the Game
Physical and behavioral adaptations are the key to getting away or catching one’s prey. Everyone gets a close look at live animals as we examine some “critters” and learn about their habitats. Students play games to experience how animal populations survive, thrive, reproduce and come into balance with food and other resources. The group explores a bird’s anatomical adaptations necessary for flight. Examples of bird and mammal bone are compared and contrasted. Examples of fossils may be displayed as we make comparisons between these ancient specimens and similar species living today.

 

4th Grade
Rocks and Minerals (Earth Science)
Using rock and mineral samples, we explore the “life of a rock” in the rock cycle. Students move from station to station where examples of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks allow them to examine texture, density, color and crystal form. Students use rock density to pan “gold” from sand and use a scratch test to determine color and hardness. Students learn about geologic forces of heat, pressure, weathering and deposition through a series of activities. Fossils help students imagine the immensity of geologic time.

 

4th and 5th Grades
The Web of Life
It’s a crazy look at the natural world where some of the littlest things make the biggest difference. Students get some hands-on experience with live animals and plants. Learn grade specific concepts through games and activities. These activities illustrate the way populations depend on each other and demonstrate the role of producers, consumers and decomposers. Concepts like biomass, energy transfer, food chains and recycling of nutrients are explored.

 

Special projects like weather and erosion activities/experiments are possible.

 


Tarantula Hawk
(Pepsis species)

 

Fees
Programs are $75.00 per hour. Inquire about flat rates for group assembly presentations.




 

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Contact Outside Educators at
(510) 494-9297 or outside-educators@sbcglobal.net

 

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