Field Trips for Grades 3-6

INDOOR PROGRAMS

Animals in Winter
Grades 3-6
Winter means cold, ice, snow, and shorter days. How do New Hampshire animals survive these conditions? See three live animals up-close and find out about various successful adaptations they use to cope with the stresses of winter.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, at SLNSC or your site

Coyotes
Grades 3-6
Through story, slides, and sound, students learn about wild members of the dog family: coyotes, foxes, and wolves. A visit with a live coyote highlights the role these fascinating and effective predators play in the natural world.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Eyes of the Wild: Hawks and Owls
Grades 3-6
Peer into the raptor world through an up-close experience with some live hawks and owls that call New Hampshire home. Compare the fascinating similarities and differences between hawks and owls.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Good, Bad or Ugly?
Grades 3-6
What makes us like some animals, but not others? Learn the truth about misunderstood animals and to appreciate the important role every animal plays in the natural world.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Marvelous Mammals
Grades 3-6
From herbivores and insectivores, to carnivores and omnivores, mammals serve a range of functions in the natural world. Live mammals and hands-on props help students gain insight into the marvelous lives of mammals.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Predators
Grades 3-6
From small to large, all predators live by catching other animals. Students explore some specific predator hunting strategies by studying several live predators.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Stories on the Wild Side
Grades 3-6
Animal characters in stories are often very different from real animals. But students can still learn important truths about animals through stories. Storytelling and visits with live animals featured in the tales help students to separate fact from fiction.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

The Truth About Bats
Grades 3-6
Bats have historically suffered at the hands of humans due to misconceptions about their little-understood nocturnal habits. Look at the amazing diversity and importance of bats throughout the world and learn about these secretive and gentle creatures.
Available: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Winter Birds
Grades 3-6
Students learn how and why birds are banded. They help capture and release wild birds and collect measurements for banding records under the direction of a Master Bird Bander. Discussion topics include bird adaptations, migrations, and identification, using live birds and mounted specimens.
Available: Winter, at SLNSC only

OUTDOOR PROGRAMS

Ecosystems Scavenger Hunt
Grades 3-6
Divided into small exploratory teams, students visit eight locations to collect and analyze data. This data help them learn how all living and non-living parts of an ecosystem are connected.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Geology Rocks
Grades 4-6
New Hampshire is a state of rocks, stones, and “mountain bones,” shaped by geologic forces. Through hands-on activities and exploration, students learn about different rock types, the geologic cycles that formed them, and the effects of ice and water on the current landscape. Meet a live animal influenced by the region’s geology.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Habitats
Grades 3-6
Using habitat activities, students learn about the complex interrelationships that are the essence of all natural communities as well as the importance of the places animals call home.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Living Wild
Grades 3-6
Students learn how animals survive in the wild with a variety of learn-by-doing activities. Students role play and investigate the plant and animal adaptations in outdoor natural communities.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Squam Lake’s Microscopic Mysteries
Grades 4-6
Rotifers, copepods, and phantom midges share our lakes. Take a trip on the Science Center’s 28-foot pontoon boats to study zooplankton. Student teams collect samples and take a close look at them in the classroom with a bioscope. All data are posted on the Science Center’s website for teachers to compare with results from past years.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Tree-mendous Trees
Grades 3-6
Through hands-on activities students learn all about trees and the forest community including their importance to wildlife. The reliance of humans on trees and forests is also emphasized.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Wet and Wild: Water and Wetlands
Grades 3-6
Water is vital to life. Wetlands perform essential functions, from controlling floods and purifying water, to providing habitat for wildlife. Using indoor and outdoor activities and live animals, students learn why water and wetlands are important to both humans and wildlife.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC only

Wildlife Webs
Grades 3-6
Students examine the energy-rich components of a natural community and gain an understanding of the flow of the sun’s energy through forest, field, and pond. Students will achieve an appreciation for the web of life.
Available: Fall, Spring, Summer, at SLNSC or your site

Winter Exploration
Grades 3-6
How do New Hampshire animals survive winter with cold, ice, snow and shorter days? This outdoor experience combines natural history and active games to demonstrate how animals adapt to the rigors of winter.
Available: Winter, at SLNSC or your site