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Grades K-3 Grades 4-5 Grades 6-8 Highschool
Bring DelNature to You Topics for Preschoolers Bring DelNature to You Topics for K-12
Kindergarten — Grade 3
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Field Trips
Beach Discovery (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: April to November — 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 (Who Lives At Abbott’s?) (Abbott’s)
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 (Abbott’s)
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 »
Insect Safari (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round. — Collect and observe insects found in meadows, forests and streams. Learn about insect characteristics and compare life cycles. Build a bug and examine adaptations to their habitats. Request this program »
It All Starts With Soil (Abbott’s)
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 (Abbott’s)
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 Native Americans collected and boiled 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 »
Native American Lifeways (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round. — Engage in bartering as you discover Native Americans in three regions of the United States. Learn about important natural resources in each region and help to construct a model dwelling of that area. A take-home craft and Native American game completes the experience. Request this program »
Organisms (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: September – November — Find and identify a variety of living organisms in the forest, meadow and pond. Collect and study seeds, insects, plants, and pond life. First grade concentrates on similarities and differences between organisms. Second grade focuses on survival mechanisms. Request this program »
Pond Study (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round. — Immerse yourself in pond ecology and get up close with the animals and plants of the pond ecosystem. Use dip nets and waders to survey aquatic inhabitants of Abbott’s Pond. First grade examines the unique plant life of the pond. Second grade looks at how animals develop, change, and adapt to the pond. Request this program »
Pondering The Pond (Abbott’s)
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 »
Rock Hounds (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: April – October — 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. Request this program »
Seashore & Saltmarsh (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: April – October — Comb the beach, scan the dunes, and explore saltmarsh habitats at Slaughter Beach while discovering the unique plants and animals that live in each area. Learn about conserving these fragile ecosystems. Program meets at Slaughter Beach. Request this program »
Seeds (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: September – November — Engage your senses to discover the diversity of color, size, shape, and travel modes of seeds. Examine the parts of a seed and learn about its life cycle. Discover how flour and meal are made from seeds in a tour of historic Abbott’s Mill. Request this program »
Stream Study (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round. — Conduct physical tests to determine the health of Johnson’s 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. Request this program »
Weighing At The Mill (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round. — Discover how corn and wheat are transformed into food products inside historic Abbott’s Mill. Conduct experiments while weighing corn, wheat and wood at various stages in the milling process. Arrange items in serial order based upon your research. Request this program »
Young Native Americans (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $4/student — Available: Year-round. — Experience the lives of Delmarva’s Native Americans. Learn about the animals and plants that supported Native populations and the ingenious ways that they used the environment. Visit a stream, try on Native-styled clothes, make music, and enjoy a legend about a Turtle. Request this program »
Ashland Nature Center Field Trips
Discovering Habitats (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Use senses to explore the woods, marshes, fields, and streams to find evidence of the animals and plants that live in these habitats. Explore how specific habitats provide different animals with the requirements they need to survive, food, water, shelter, and places to raise young. Request this program »
Discovering Trees (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Investigate a variety of trees and observe their similarities and differences. Learn parts of trees and their functions, what trees need to grow, and why and how trees change throughout the year and their lifetimes. Determine why trees are important to the ecosystem. Request this program »
Insect Safari (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Explore meadows, streams, and forests as you search high and low for insects. Use nets and magnifying lenses to collect and examine the insects you find. Study insect body parts and learn about metamorphosis. Request this program »
Life Of The Monarch Butterfly (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: September-early October — Discover the unique adaptations and behaviors of monarch butterflies. Observe the stages of a monarch’s life cycle and tag monarchs for an international scientific research program to document their migration. Request this program »
Maple Sugaring (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: February-March — Discover the history of making maple syrup from sap and learn to identify maple trees using your senses. Search for wildlife that depend on maple trees to survive the winter. Practice tapping a tree to experience how early Americans made maple syrup. Collect and boil sap to make your own maple syrup and taste the finished product. Request this program »
Native Americans: Young Lenape (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Explore the culture and customs of the original inhabitants of Delaware. Walk the lands these people once inhabited, visit a replica longhouse and investigate tools, clothing, hunting methods, games, stories, and plants that Native Americans used. Learn about Delaware’s Lenni Lenape tribe and their dependence on nature. Request this program »
Organisms (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Explore forest, meadow, and stream habitats to discover the diversity of life in these environments and investigate how wildlife meet their needs for survival. With live native and non-native animals, use observation skills to predict what they eat and where they live. Request this program »
Rocks & Minerals (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Travel the trails at Ashland to collect samples of minerals and rocks. Use tools and safety equipment to crack your specimens, exposing new surfaces to better identify their properties and composition. Investigate how people use rock and mineral resources to meet basic needs like food, heat, shelter, and tools, and where in Delaware and the local region these natural resources were found. Request this program »
Spring Amphibians (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: March-June — Use senses to explore the world of amphibians during the time when they are chorusing and laying eggs. Observe live specimens, compare unique adaptations of frogs and salamanders, and explore aquatic and terrestrial habitats to see different life cycle stages. Request this program »
Water Cycling (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Investigate the water cycle as you explore aquatic habitats. Visit the Ashland mill pond, use dip nets to sample the diversity of aquatic organisms, and discuss their role in the pond food chain. Compare and contrast the pond environment with a creek and a marsh and discuss how each habitat is affected by changing weather and the seasons. Request this program »
DuPont Environmental Education Center Field Trips
Exploring Entomology (DEEC)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: April-November — Observe insects up close and personal. Examine insect anatomy including the head, abdomen, thorax, antennae, and wings under magnification. Catch and identify insects as you study biodiversity. Learn why humans depend on insects to survive in a game of ‘nectar collectors’. Request this program »
Senses (DEEC)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Use your senses to discover Wilmington’s wild side. Listen for sounds of nature and wildlife. Look for plants and animals and discover the textures and scents found in our botanic garden. After a hike around the gardens, use your keen senses to participate in a “senses challenge.” Request this program »
Water Wise (DEEC)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Discover the properties of water through scientific experimentation and examine the water cycle first hand. Investigate a tidal pond and wetland, test the permeability of different surfaces, and put water to work in a water powered obstacle course. See a video of this class »Request this program »
Weather Is A Breeze (DEEC)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Become a junior meteorologist as you explore how weather affects plants, animals and humans. Collect weather data using thermometers, identify cloud types and construct a water cycle. Put your knowledge to the test and dress for the weather in the relay race. Request this program »
Grades 4-5
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Field Trips
Beach Ecology (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: April – October — 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. Request this program »
Birds In Focus (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Fantastic Fish (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round –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. Request this program »
Maple Sugaring (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: February – March — 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! Request this program »
The Mill And Machines (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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! Request this program »
Native Americans Of Delmarva (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round –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. Request this program »
Pond Ecology (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2.5 hours — Fee: $6/student — Available: Year-round –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. Request this program »
Rock Hounds (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: April – October — 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. Request this program »
Stream Study (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Birds In Focus (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Ashland Nature Center Field Trips
Birding With Binoculars (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Cycle Of Life (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Exploring Ecosystems (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Field Geology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Insect Study (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Maple Sugaring (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: February-March — 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. Request this program »
Native Americans: Lenni Lenape (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Explore the culture and customs of the original 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 longhouse for a hands-on experience with tools, animal furs, hides, and clothing. Request this program »
Nature Photography (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours. — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Discover the natural world through a camera lens using digital cameras. Learn photography skills and compose photos as you explore the Ashland trails. Images will be shared digitally with you after the program or choose to also print favorite photos and prepare a poem or description for your images (printing adds $2/student material fee). Request this program »
Outdoor Team Building (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Build group communication and cooperation as you engage in a variety of exciting active games and challenges that require teamwork and creative thinking to complete. Request this program »
Pond Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Spring Amphibians (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: March – June –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. Request this program »
Stream Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round –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. Request this program »
DuPont Environmental Education Center Field Trips
Fantastic Fish (DEEC)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Land & Water (DEEC)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Grades 6-8
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Field Trips
Watershed Ecology (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round –Investigate the impact of land use in a watershed using aerial and topographic maps and discuss sources of point and non-point pollution. Collect soil samples and information on vegetative cover to determine water flow and the impact on local water health. In the stream, net aquatic macroinvertebrates and utilize chemical tests to determine pH, oxygen levels and nitrates to determine the water quality. Request this program »
Beach Ecology (Coastal Ecology Of Delaware) (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: April – October — 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. Request this program »
Fantastic Fish (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Discover biological and ecological adaptations of fish by examining external and internal features. Learn how to 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. Request this program »
The Mill And Machines (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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! Request this program »
Native Americans In Delaware (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Orienteering & Compass Reading (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Experience firsthand how to navigate with a map and compass. Learn how to read a topographic map and interpret natural and human-made features. Measure your walking pace and take bearings. Combine all your navigation skills on a compass orienteering course. Request this program »
Pond Ecology (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2.5 hours — Fee: $6/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Power To The People (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — Discover sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy. Follow energy pathways from its source to homes, cars, and our dinner table. Tour historic Abbott’s Mill and examine its water powered milling equipment. Solar and water power and fossil fuel sources are examined. Provide your own power to operate human-powered tools and machines. Request this program »
Rock Hounds (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: April – October — 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. Request this program »
Ashland Nature Center Field Trips
Fall Raptor Migration (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: September-November — 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. Request this program »
Field Geology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Investigate the rock cycle as it relates to Ashland’s geologic past and our local geology. Hike the trails at Ashland to discover current examples of weathering, erosion and deposition, and use rock hammers and goggles to collect mineral and rock samples for identification. Request this program »
Insect Study (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Native Americans: Lenni Lenape (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Explore the culture and customs of the original 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 longhouse for a hands-on experience with tools, animal furs, hides, and clothing. Request this program »
Orienteering & Compass Reading (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Experience firsthand how to navigate with a map and compass. Learn to read a topographic map and interpret natural and human-made features. Measure your walking pace and take bearings. Combine all your navigation skills on a compass orienteering course on the Ashland property. Request this program »
Outdoor Team Building (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Build group communication and cooperation as you engage in a variety of exciting active games and challenges that require teamwork and creative thinking to complete. Request this program »
Pond Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Spring Amphibians (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: March-June — 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. Request this program »
Springs & Streams (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Visit and view three sites in a small watershed within the Burrows Run Preserve. Compare and contrast the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of a groundwater spring, an intermittent stream, and a perennial stream. Request this program »
Stream Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Watersheds & Stream Quality (Ashland)
Program Length: 2.5 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Discover land use in the Red Clay Creek watershed and hypothesize how human activities have impacted the water quality of the stream. Investigate the benefit of forested riparian buffers and conduct visual and biological assessments of the Red Clay Creek and one of its tributary streams. Use physical characteristics and biological indicator species to determine the water quality of the Red Clay and its tributary stream and compare findings. Request this program »
DuPont Environmental Education Center Field Trips
Wilmington’s Wetlands & Watershed (DEEC)
Program Length: 2.5 hours — Fee: $8/student — Available: Year-round — Think globally, act locally to learn what wetlands and watersheds have to do with the quality of our streams and rivers. Test four water quality parameters, investigate point source and non-point source pollutants, and measure biodiversity along the Christina River and its adjacent wetlands. See a video of this class » Request this program »
High School & Ecology Clubs
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center Field Trips
Birds In Focus (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5/student — Available: Year-round — 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. Request this program »
Orienteering & Compass Reading (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Experience firsthand how to navigate with a map and compass. Learn how to read a topographic map and interpret natural and human-made features. Measure your walking pace and take bearings. Combine all your navigation skills on a compass orienteering course. Request this program »
Pond Biodiversity By Canoe (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $10/student — Available: Year-round — Explore Abbott’s Pond by canoe! Learn canoe basics and examine what lives in and around the pond. Look for aquatic plant life, reptiles and amphibians, and birds that call Abbott’s Pond home. Complete visual surveys, record data and drag a plankton net. Back at the nature center, examine the microscopic life found in the pond. This program qualifies your class to adopt a stream. Request this program »
Stream Ecology & Stream Watch (Abbott’s)
Program Length: 3.5 hours — Fee: $8/student — Available: Year-round — Learn about Delaware Stream Watch while studying the variables that indicate the health of a body of water. Collect macro-invertebrates and perform physical and chemical water quality testing, such as pH and dissolved oxygen. Examine water samples under a microscope, looking for the minute plants and animals that are the basis of the stream food chain. Emphasis is placed on the possible harmful effects of human activity in the watershed. This program qualifies your class to adopt a stream. Request this program »
Ashland Nature Center Field Trips
Fall Raptor Migration (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: September-November — 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. Request this program »
Orienteering & Compass Reading (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Experience firsthand how to navigate with a map and compass. Learn to read a topographic map and interpret natural and human-made features. Measure your walking pace and take bearings. Combine all your navigation skills on a compass orienteering course on the Ashland property. Request this program »
Outdoor Team Building (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Build group communication and cooperation as you engage in a variety of exciting active games and challenges that require teamwork and creative thinking to complete. Request this program »
Springs & Streams (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Visit three sites in a stream continuum at Burrows Run Preserve to test and compare them chemically, physically, and biologically. Follow the flow of water from a spring where it exits the ground downstream to the Burrows Run. On the way, test and record the changes in the water’s chemical and physical properties and investigate the different forms of life that depend on the stream as the water flows over the land and is affected by the environment. Program meets at the Burrows Run Preserve near Ashland. Request this program »
Stream Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Learn about Delaware Stream Watch and the variables that indicate the health of a body of water. Collect macro-invertebrates and perform physical and chemical water quality testing, such as pH and dissolved oxygen. Emphasis is placed on the possible harmful effects of human activity in the watershed. Request this program »
Watersheds & Stream Ecology (Ashland)
Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7/student — Available: Year-round — Discover land use in the Red Clay Creek watershed and hypothesize how human activities have impacted the water quality of the stream. Investigate the benefit of forested riparian buffers and conduct visual and biological assessments of the Red Clay Creek and one of its tributary streams. Use physical characteristics and biological indicator species to determine the water quality of the Red Clay and its tributary stream and compare findings. Request this program »
DuPont Environmental Education Center Field Trips
Exploring By Canoe (DEEC)
Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $20/student — Available: Year-round — Take your group or class on an adventure as you canoe the Christina River and the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, a freshwater tidal marsh on the edge of the city of Wilmington. They are home to a tremendous diversity of wildlife. Learn basic paddling skills, hike along the shore to survey plant and animal life, and discover the functions and importance of wetlands. Canoes, paddles and life preservers included in cost, no canoeing experience required. Age minimum: 12 year old. Request this program »