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New Castle County Kent & Sussex Counties
Preschool aged children have the opportunity to engage in immersive nature-based education with DelNature’s preschool programs! Introduce your 3-5 year old preschoolers to the natural world by livening your classroom with activities and animals, or by visiting our sites to explore ecosystems through hands-on discovery and play. Offerings differ by county.
Thank you for your patience. We are currently revising our programs and only certain offerings may be available.
New Castle County
Bring DelNature to You
Note: Works best for groups of 14 children or less. We are happy to schedule multiple lessons per visit to accommodate larger groups with additional presentations.
Animals In Winter
Program Length: 1 hour / 1/2 hour — Fee: $7/$3.50 per student plus $35 travel fee — What do you do to get ready when the cold winter weather arrives? View live animals and taxidermy native to Delaware to learn about different animal strategies for winter survival. Investigate which animals hibernate, which stay awake, and which migrate. Request this program »
Reptiles & Amphibians
Program Length: 1 hour / 1/2 hour — Fee: $7/$3.50 per student plus $35 travel fee — Learn fascinating facts about frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes during this live animal presentation. Discover the differences between reptiles and amphibians and learn about their unique adaptations and differing life cycles. Request this program »
Words & Wildlife: The Gruffalo
Program Length: 1 hour / 1/2 hour — Fee: $7/$3.50 per student plus $35 travel fee — Circle up and enjoy this terrific tale by Julia Donaldson. Mouse avoids becoming dinner for a hungry fox, owl, and snake by inventing a monster – the huge and terrible Gruffalo. But what happens when a “real” Gruffalo appears? Discover the surprising answer and meet mouse’s foes, both live and taxidermy. Then use predator “parts” to create a fearsome Gruffalo of our own! Request this program »
Nature In Your Neighborhood
Program Length: 1 hour / 1/2 hour — Fee: $7/$3.50 per student plus $35 travel fee (Travel fee is waived for any program in the city of Wilmington) — Investigate your neighborhood in a whole new way. Explore the animals and plants that also call Wilmington home. Examine a robin’s nest, feel feathers, and touch a raccoon fur. Learn how animals survive city living. Request this program »
Field Trips to our Nature Centers
Budding Explorers: Connecting Farm to Nature
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $140 per 12 children — Available: April, May, September, October, November — Explore hands-on fun with our innovative program for preschoolers. Engage in farm and nature experiences, get creative in our maker space, discover animal habitats, and dive into the world of soil. It’s a playful and educational adventure for curious young minds. Request this program »
Kent & Sussex Counties
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Bring DelNature To You Programs
Animals In Winter
Program Length: 1/2 hour — Fee: $3 per student plus $35 travel fee — Available: December – March —Learn about different animals native to Delaware and their strategies for winter survival. Investigate which animals hibernate, which stay awake, and which migrate south. See and touch live animals, taxidermy and enjoy a story. Request this program »
Native Wild Animals
Program Length: 1/2 hour — Fee: $3 per student plus $35 travel fee — Available: Year-round — Learn about wild animals native to Delmarva while looking closely at live animals and taxidermy. Examine the habitats and characteristics of these wild animals and learn which species might live in your backyard. Request this program »
Reptiles & Amphibians
Program Length: 1/2 hour — Fee: $3 per student plus $35 travel fee — Available: Year-round — Discover fascinating facts about frogs and toads, salamanders, turtles, and snakes during an exciting animal program. Live specimens aid in examining the differences between reptiles and amphibians and in exploring the significance of their unique adaptations and life cycles. Request this program »
Unhuggables
Program Length: 1/2 hour — Fee: $3 per student plus $35 travel fee — Available: Year-round — Spiders, bats, snakes and lizards are all animals that make many people shudder. Learn about the remarkable role these less popular animals play in the balance of nature and explore their wondrous adaptations. Request this program »
Paleo Child
Program Length: 1/2 hour — Fee: $3 per student plus $35 travel fee — Available: Year-round — Investigate the lives of the early inhabitants of Delaware as you examine tools and clothing. Experience several activities that the people who have lived in Delmarva long ago participated in. Request this program »
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Field Trips
Beach Discovery
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: September -May — Explore Slaughter Beach while learning about crabs, sea turtles, and other animals of Delaware Bay. Build with sand, create a sea turtle nest, walk like a crab, and help “sand” turtles get to the water. Program meets at Slaughter Beach. Request this program »
Discovering Habitats
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: Year-round — Use senses to explore the forest, stream, and meadow in search of animals that live in these habitats. Discover the special adaptations, shelters, and foods these animals depend on. Get up close with live animals and taxidermy. Request this program »
Discovering Trees
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: Year-round — Explore the habitat at Abbott’s Mill to discover a variety of trees. Find out how trees grow and protect themselves, identify parts of trees, and describe their functions. Determine why and how trees change throughout the year and why they are important to other plants, soil, clean air, and water. Request this program »
It All Starts With Soil
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — Discover soil and how it influences plants, animals, and people. Conduct scientific experiments to identify the three basic components of soil and compare different soil types from forest, meadow, and swamp. Observe soil layers with augers and test pH to distinguish humus, sand, and clay. Request this program »
Maple Sugaring
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: February – March — Discover how a tree makes sap and explore the history of maple syrup. See how the longtime inhabitants of Delmarva collect and boil sap to make this tasty tree treat. Try your hand at tapping a tree, experience the sights and smells of maple sap turning into maple syrup, and sample the final product! Request this program »
Pondering The Pond
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: Year-round — Ponder the pond and discover the plants and animals that call it home. Meet live animals and taxidermy to learn about mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Explore how pond organisms are similar and how they are different. Request this program »
Paleo Child
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: Year-round — Experience the lives of Delmarva’s first inhabitants. Learn about the animals and plants that supported historical populations and the ingenious ways that they used the environment. Visit a stream, try on traditional clothes, make music, and enjoy a legend about a Turtle. Request this program »