Abbott's Mill Nature Center - Milford
Ashland Nature Center - Hockessin
Coverdale Farm Preserve - Greenville
DuPont Environmental Education Center - Wilmington
Abbott's Mill Nature Center Programs
Beach Ecology
3 hours, $7/student
Choose 4 activities to explore the coastal ecosystem: beachcombing, seining, horseshoe crabs, shorebirds, salt marsh, or dunes. Compare and contrast these habitats and the unique organisms that occupy each site. Experience the interactions between shorebirds and horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay. Program meets at Slaughter Beach. Available April-October.
Birds in Focus
2 hours, $5/student
Explore the unique and varied adaptations of native birds, including body shape, beaks and feet. Investigate how these adaptations help them survive in their habitats. See mounted specimens and study the diversity of species in the Delmarva region. Use binoculars on a guided bird survey through different habitats. Find out how birds are affected by seasonal changes.
Fantastic Fish
3 hours, $7/student
Discover biological and ecological adaptations of fish by examining external and internal features. Read a fish by its structure and examine how form relates to function. Don chest waders and use a seine net in Abbott's Pond to collect specimens. Hone your dissecting skills in our wet lab as we explore fish anatomy and biology.
Maple Sugaring
2 hours, $5/student
Learn to identify maple trees through the seasons using all of your senses! Discover how a tree makes sap and explore the history of maple syrup. See how Native Americans collected and boiled sap to make this tasty tree treat. Try your hand at tapping a tree and find out how trees are tapped today. Experience the sights and smells of maple sap turning into maple syrup and sample the final product! Available February-March.
The Mill and Machines
2 hours, $5/student
Explore historic Abbott's Mill and discover how water makes energy for humans. Experience forces firsthand and use simple machines to understand how the Mill works. Tour the Mill to complete a simple machine scavenger hunt. Learn how the sun and water turn energy into plants and food for people!
Native Americans of Delmarva
3 hours, $7/student
Explore the culture and customs of the early inhabitants of Delaware. Take an interpretive walk to discover pre-colonial Delaware history. Learn how Native Americans used nature for their everyday needs and visit a replica longhouse for a hands-on experience with tools, animal skins, clothing and musical instruments. Program meets at the Lindale Tract Preserve.
Pond Ecology
2½ hours, $6/student
Immerse yourself in Abbott's Pond with dip nets to sample the diversity of aquatic organisms. Use microscopes to view small pond organisms. Examine and compare the structures of pond organisms that help them survive in their environment.
Rock Hounds
2 hours, $5/student
Learn about the rock cycle, where Delaware's rocks come from, weathering, and the differences between rocks and minerals. Use a dichotomous key to select and separate types of rocks. Perform a variety of tests to determine what minerals are present in the different rocks. Program meets at Slaughter Beach. April-October.
Stream Ecology
2½ hours, $6/student
Use scientific tests to determine a stream's health by examining its biological, chemical, and physical attributes. Collect and classify stream macro-invertebrates and record pH and dissolved oxygen levels. Discover how humans and wildlife impact our stream and identify four basic types of stream pollution. Microscopes reveal the tiniest inhabitants of the stream. This program qualifies your class to adopt a stream.
Stream Study
2 hours, $5/student
Conduct physical tests to determine the health of Johnson Branch. Learn about different types of pollution and how they impact aquatic habitats. Become a raindrop and take an exciting journey downstream. Explore ways you can help to protect our aquatic habitats.
Ashland Nature Center Programs
Bird Box Biology
2 hours, $6/student
Visit bird boxes to discover the basics of bird biology. Look for eggs, examine nesting materials, observe nestlings and learn about the lives of four species that use boxes regularly. Record observation data which will be used to monitor Ashland's bird populations. Available May-June.
Birding with Binoculars
1½ hours, $6/student
Explore the unique and varied adaptations of native birds and investigate how specific adaptations help them survive in their habitats. View mounted specimens and study the diversity of species in our region during an interpretive hike. Use binoculars, learn identification techniques, discover how birds are affected by seasonal changes, and record your findings.
Cycle of Life
2 hours, $6/student
Learn about producers, consumers and decomposers and their importance in Earth's cycle of life. Use magnifiers, collecting containers and guidebooks as you hike through a marsh, forest and field to discover live organisms.
Delaware Bay Study
3 hours, $8/student
Investigate the diversity of life in four communities of the Delaware Bay Estuary: the open bay, beach, brackish pond, and salt-marsh. Study plant and animal life, arrange organisms in food chains, identify them as producers, consumers, or decomposers, and discover the structure and function of organisms in the Estuary system. Program meets at Woodland Beach and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Best October-November.
Exploring Ecosystems
2 hours, $6/student
Explore forest, meadow, and pond habitats to determine which ecosystem has the greatest diversity of living things. Search for producers, consumers and decomposers and collect data on the non-living factors of the system. Using your data as evidence, determine which of the habitats was the most diverse and develop statements explaining why.
NEW! Fall Raptor Migration
2 hours, $6/student
Visit the Ashland Hawk Watch to identify and count some of the 16 species of migrating raptors that pass overhead. Ashland Nature Center is one of the best locations in Delaware to view migrant hawks in the fall. Use maps to track the birds' migration routes. Learn about the ecology and habits of hawks and take a walk to identify other bird species.
Field Geology
2 hours, $6/student
Investigate Ashland's geologic past and our local geology. Review the difference between minerals and rocks, learn about the rock cycle and the three rock types, look for evidence of geologic processes in action on an interpretive hike, and use rock hammers to collect samples for identification.
Forest Succession
2 hours, $6/student
Take a successional journey from open meadow to mature forest. Learn about the natural transition of open land to woodland and determine the age of the stages of forest succession using four tree-aging methods. As you travel through the stages, identify trees, search for examples of dominant plants and animals, and document progress in a journal.
Insect Study
2 hours, $6/student
Investigate insects up close and describe what enables them to reproduce, grow, and survive in their environment. Learn to identify and classify orders of insects using identification keys and guide books. With nets and jars, collect insects to discover their role in the food chains of meadow, forest and stream ecosystems.
Maple Sugaring
1½ hours, $6/student
Learn to identify maple trees and the function of roots, branches and leaves. Discover the history of maple sugaring, tap a tree, and observe the changes in maple sap as it is boiled and becomes maple syrup. February-March.
Mining & Minerals
1 ½ hours, $6/student
Explore an early mining operation to uncover and classify various rocks and minerals native to Delaware's Piedmont geologic region. Use rock hammers and safety goggles to collect samples for identification and take specimens of quartz, mica and feldspar back to the classroom. This program meets at the Woodlawn Trustees Preserve.
Native Americans in Delaware - The Lenni Lenape
2 hours, $6/student
Explore the culture and customs of the early inhabitants of Delaware. Take an interpretive walk to discover pre-colonial Delaware history. Learn how Native Americans used nature to meet everyday needs and visit a replica wigwam for a hands-on experience with tools, animal furs, hides, and clothing.
Nature Photography
2 hours, $8/student (includes materials fee)
Discover the natural world through a camera lens using digital cameras. Learn photography skills and compose photos. Print and frame favorite photos and create a poem to describe the image.
NEW! Outdoor Team Building
2 hours, $6/student
Build group communication and cooperation as you engage in four exciting active games and challenges that require teamwork to solve. Seasonal specialties include Spider Web, Creek Crossing, Blindfold Walk, Egg Drop and more.
Plant Kingdom
2 hours, $6/student
Discover the diversity of plant types within the plant kingdom of organisms. Review the functions of roots, stems, flowers, leaves and seeds. Learn about plant life cycles. Investigate the importance of plants in a healthy ecosystem, discover animals that drink nectar, collect nuts, and eat leaves, and learn how important plants are in the cycle of life.
Pond Ecology
2 hours, $6/student
Visit a pond ecosystem and use dip nets to sample the diversity of aquatic organisms. In the lab, use a video microscope and individual microscopes to view small pond organisms. Examine and compare the structures of pond animals that help them survive in their environment and discuss their role in the pond food chain.
Reptile & Amphibian Workshop
2 hours, $6/student
Investigate the characteristics and adaptations of snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles in this hands-on experience with live animals. After training for handling these animals, assist with feeding, and investigate their life cycles and histories using field guides. In the spring and fall, explore a nearby marsh to find these animals in their habitats.
Spring Amphibians
1½ hours, $6/student
Explore the world of amphibians during the time when they are chorusing and laying eggs. Learn how amphibians in Delaware survive the seasons and use nets and other collecting equipment to look for amphibians and the food they eat. March-June.
Stream Ecology
2 hours, $6/student
Determine a stream's health by examining its biological, chemical, and physical attributes. Catch and classify stream macro-invertebrates, and use test kits to record pH and dissolved oxygen. Discuss how humans and wildlife impact stream health and identify four basic types of stream pollution.
Coverdale Farm Preserve Programs
Colonial Farm
2 hours, $8/student (includes material fee)
Discover farm life as a child in colonial Delaware. Turn cream to butter after learning how cows turn grass to milk. Prepare corn from field to flour and explore the old fashioned refrigerator made of stone!
Farm Photography
2 hours, $8/student (includes material fee)
Discover farm life through a camera lens! Use cameras to learn photography skills and compose digital photos. Create your own "Farmer's Almanac" calendar page to capture the month of your visit. The cost of this program includes photo paper, almanac matting page, and use of camera.
"What's For Lunch?"
2 hours, $6/student
Create a delicious lunch, then determine how nutritious it is for your body. "Slice up" your meal to discover how many food groups are represented, and what vitamins and minerals are obtained. Trace your meal to the sources by exploring the farm gardens and livestock. Hands-on activities make this the most active meal you've ever "eaten."
DuPont Environmental Education Center
Fantastic Fish
2 hours, $6/student
Meet the many fish of the Christina River and the marsh at DEEC. Study fish anatomy and use body parts to predict what fish eat, how fast they swim and if they are a hunter or the hunted. Use a spinning cast net, reel in fish traps, and dip with nets to try your luck catching fish.
Forces in Motion
2 hours, $6/student
Look to the air and in the water and discover forces in motion. Explore the unique adaptations birds have for flight. Discover the effect of load on the movements of a rubber band powered bird. Celebrate the Christina River's rich maritime history and design a boat to compete in a DEEC boat race.
Land & Water
2 hours, $6/student
Look at the land from the perspective of an osprey, raccoon, and snapping turtle. In the marsh, find evidence of water interacting with the land. Investigate how humans affect soil erosion and deposition.
