Bernards, NJ - According to the Bernardsville News, "Naturalists from the Somerset County Park Commission's Environmental Education Center (EEC) in Basking Ridge offer programs designed to make learning about nature interesting for children both in and out of the classroom. The programs feature science-based topics using a hands-on approach. Topics range from discovering how to identify animal tracks, to a discussion about the process of maple sugaring. Programs are appropriate for children in kindergarten through high school."
The EEC will create and adapt programs according to the educators’ needs for the classrooms and field trips. All programs meet the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
In-class programs include:
In-class programs include:
- “Who’s Track Is That?” where children learn how to identify animals by their tracks;
- “Maple Sugaring,” which provides participants a glimpse of the secret life inside of a maple tree;
- “Amazing Adaptations,” which explains how animals adapt and survive their habitat;
- “Basically Bugs,” which investigates the life of bugs.
- Fun field trip programs are also offered, including:
- “Who Lives in a Pond,” where children will learn about unique pond life and the food chain;
- “Sensory Sleuths,” when kids discover nature through their five senses while walking;
- “Let it Rot,” where a naturalist explains the recycling and decomposition process and how animals and species aid in this process;
- “Aquatic Habitat Math,” which gives children the opportunity to experience what it is like to be a field scientist by collecting data, identifying species and recording observations.
