Grades: 3rd - 5th

Audience Size: Maximum of 65

Length of Program: 4 stations, 30min each station (2hrs total)

Description: 

Do you enjoy the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and want to give your students some of the lessons that Brian learned surviving in the wilderness? This program will teach students all about basic survival skills, important plant identification, awareness of one’s surroundings, and how to hike responsibly, without the danger of being stranded in a wilderness survival scenario. What plants can be a safe snack, and what ones do you want to steer clear of? Do you know how to navigate to safety if you were lost in the woods? What items or mindset should you bring with you on a hike to be safe and responsible in and respectful of nature? Find out during this interactive presentation by the Waterman Center!  

This program can be delivered in a field trip format at the Waterman Interpretive Center in Apalachin. From April until November, the program may be presented indoors or outdoors.

This tour supports the following NYS Learning Standards:

English Language Arts Common Core Learning Standards 

• • • Comprehension and Collaboration (speaking and listening)

    • Vocabulary acquisition and use

Learning Standards for Physical Education

• • • Personal health and fitness

Next Generation Learning Standards: Mathematical Practices 

• • • Counting and cardinality

    • Measurement and data

    • Ratios and proportional relationships 

Science and Engineering Practices

• • • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

    • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)

Topics covered in program:

Natural Resources, Biological Science, Ecology and Environment

Categories: Animals / Environmental Education / Farms / Nature / Museums / Exhibits / Science / Wellness / Life Skills / Bully Prevention / Character Education 

Cost: 

• • • $15 per student

Grades: 2nd - 5th

Audience Size: Minimum of 15, Maximum 25, May be implemented as a “station” as part of a larger event.

Length of Tour: 30 minutes (as a station), 2 hours as in class presentation or field trip

Description: 

Did you know that wild animals live among us – that even though most stay close to the forest, certain critters come right up to our doorsteps or even get inside our homes?  Most often they are quietly curious. Sometimes they are silently sneaky.  Rarely do we ever take notice of the stories they leave behind!

Tracks and Traces teaches students how to identify and understand the tracks and signs left behind by common local animals.  Students will investigate and learn the different ways animals move their bodies (gaits) and make rubbings of plaster tracks to create their own track guide.  If presented at the Waterman Center as a field trip, this program includes a short hike to look for tracks and animal signs.

Tracks and Traces can be delivered year-round, indoors or outdoors.  If your school is planning a science fair or STEAM night, this program can be presented as an abbreviated “station” where students can drop, or rotate into.

This tour supports the following NYS Learning Standards:

English Language Arts Common Core Learning Standards 

• • • Comprehension and Collaboration (speaking and listening)

    • Vocabulary acquisition and use

Learning Standards for Physical Education

• • • Personal health and fitness

Next Generation Learning Standards: Mathematical Practices 

• • • Counting and cardinality

    • Measurement and data

    • Ratios and proportional relationships 

Science and Engineering Practices

• • • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

    • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)

Topics covered in program:

Natural Resources, Biological Science, Ecology and Environment

Categories: Animals / Environmental Education / Farms / Nature / Museums / Exhibits / Science / Wellness / Life Skills / Bully Prevention / Character Education 

Cost: 

• • • In Class or Field Trip - $10 per student.

    • Station during an event (science show, STEAM night, etc) - $200

Grades: Pre-K – 1st

Audience Size: 10 - 25

Length of Tour: 45 minutes 

Description: 

Do you ever wonder how animals survive outside during winter? Learn about the extraordinary abilities of the animals we see every day during an interactive presentation illustrated with beautifully painted representations of wildlife as well as taxidermy specimens. Which of our animals is best at camouflage? Who has the best memory? What animal has the ability to freeze solid and how on earth do all of the others stay warm? Find out during this whimsical presentation by the Waterman Center.

This program can be delivered in either an in-school or field trip format at the Waterman Interpretive Center in Apalachin. From December until January, the program may be presented by naturalist(s) in seasonal costume.

This tour supports the following NYS Learning Standards:

English Language Arts Common Core Learning Standards 

• • • Comprehension and Collaboration (speaking and listening)

    • Vocabulary acquisition and use

Learning Standards for Physical Education

• • • Personal health and fitness

Next Generation Learning Standards: Mathematical Practices 

• • • Counting and cardinality

    • Measurement and data

    • Ratios and proportional relationships 

Science and Engineering Practices

• • • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

    • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)

Topics covered in program:

Natural Resources, Biological Science, Ecology and Environment

Categories: Animals / Environmental Education / Farms / Nature / Museums / Exhibits / Science / Wellness / Life Skills / Bully Prevention / Character Education 

Cost: 

• • • In-School, No Costume - $10 per student.  

    • In-School, With Costume - $12 per student.  

    • Field Trip, No Costume - $8 per student.  

    • Field Trip, Costume $10 per student.