Five Rivers MetroParks

1. "Growing Gardeners" at Wegerzyn --> Small groups of investigators will examine the park's vegetable garden to learn about companion planting, pollinators, and agricultural habitats (grades K - 5).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered MAY - SEPT.

2. "Discovering Soil" at Wegerzyn --> Get your hands dirty as you dig into the importance of soil and learn about ways to keep soil healthy (grades K - 5).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered APR - OCT.

3. "Stream Study" at Sugarcreek --> Explore vertebrates and invertebrates of the stream ecosystem and determine the health of this habitat as an indicator of clean and healthy water (grades K - 12).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered APR - JUN & AUG - OCT.

4. "Habitat Safari" at Carriage Hill & Cox Arboretum --> Participants explore the similarities and differences of forest, pond, and prairie habitats to investigate the positive and negative impacts of human activity (grades K - 7).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered APR - JUN.

5. "Ecology Hike" at Cox Arboretum & Sugarcreek --> Explore plant and animal interactions in the native habitats of the Miami Valley and analyze where humans fit within the ecological puzzle (grades K - 12).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered APR - JUN & AUG - OCT.

6. "Self-Guided Habitat Exploration" at Germantown & Englewood --> Teachers can use MetroPark-supplied resources and tools to lead their students on their own Pollinator Adventure or Aquatic Study (grades K - 7).

   • NOTE: This program is only offered APR - JUN & AUG - OCT.

Educators can also check out education kits that include all of the necessary materials to lead a participatory lesson on environmental literacy in their own classrooms! Education kits bring curated hands-on activities to you!

7. "Forestry" Education Kit --> Investigate organic and inorganic elements of a forest habitat and determine actions that humans can take to protect these habitats (grades K - 12).

8. "Pollinators" Education Kit --> Students engage in citizen science to analyze the important role of pollinators in an ecosystem (grades K - 12).

9. "Soil and Composting" Education Kit --> Participants will use this kit to conduct soil tests, create compost, and apply their knowledge to solving real-world gardening and agriculture problems (grades K - 8).

10. "Wetlands and Aquatics" Education Kit --> Investigate pond and wetland ecosystems and analyze how these habitats can impact humans and wildlife (grades K - 12).

Five Rivers MetroParks offer pre-recorded field trip content and accompanying resources for virtual participatory learning.

1. "Stream Study" --> Guided investigation with Metroparks naturalists teaches students about how they can maintain clean freshwater ecosystems (grades K - 7).

2. "Butterflies and Bees" --> Participants are immersed in citizen science and connect with nature as they use observations of native pollinators to improve the habitats of their own yards and gardens (grades K - 3).

3. "Classroom Nature Breaks" --> This lesson emphasizes mental, emotional, and spiritual ecosystem services in order to teach social-emotional learning to students AND their teachers (grades K -5).

At the Five Rivers MetroParks, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the environment and the circumstances and conditions affecting it, particularly as it relates to air, climate, land, food, energy, water, and ecosystems.

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of society’s impact on the natural world

• Investigate and analyze environmental issues, and make accurate conclusions about effective solutions.

• Take individual and collective action towards addressing environmental challenges.