Educational Programs

Field Trips

Educational Programs > For Schools & Scouts

Grades 1-5

School field trip subjects include:

Trees: From Roots to Leaves 1.5 hours

Explore the vital role trees play in the environment and what they need to survive. Students will identify the parts of a tree and how they function to provide what a tree requires to grow. Using tree keys for identification, students will learn differences among species and how they have adapted. Through examples they’ll discover many ways in which humans use trees.
Addresses standards: 4.2, 4.6, 3.1, and 3.3

Land of the Lenape 1.5 hours – Grades 1-3, 1.75 hours – Grades 4-5

Through a series of outdoor activities, students experience the daily life of a young Lenape who lived in our region 1,000 years ago. A visit to our recreated wigwam shows how shelters were constructed and how families survived through the seasons. Students learn about gardening and food preparation, and about the critical importance of deer. Tools, clothing, and customs are demonstrated. Older groups have the opportunity to learn and practice trail marking.
Limited to 50 students (Ideal for the Delaware County Passport to History program)
Addresses standards: 4.2, 4.8, and 8.2

Maple Sugaring 1.5 hours

Syrup making has been a late-winter activity in North America for centuries. In this hands-on program, students learn about the historic human interaction with the maple tree and the production of maple syrup by practicing drilling a tree, observing sap flow, watching the boiling process, and tasting the finished product. Basic tree identification, anatomy, and physiology is explored as students learn about sap’s role in the life of a tree.
(January to early March)
Addresses standards: 4.2, 4.6, 3.1, 3.3, and 3.5

Invertibrates: Worms, Slugs, and Bugs 1.5 hour

Searching the Arboretum, students discover the amazing diversity and range of characteristics and adaptations in theinsect world. They learn about life cycles and metamorphosis, and about the basic characteristics of insects and the many roles they play in the food web as prey, predators, pollinators, or decomposers. Insect survival adaptations, such as mimicry and camouflage, as well as interactions with soil and other non-living environmental features are investigated.
Limited to 60 students
Addresses standards: 4.3, 4.6, and 3.3

Nature's Adaptations 1.5 hours

Using the living resources of the Arboretum, students compare the adaptive mechanisms of mammals, birds, insects, and plants that live in Tyler’s diverse habitats. As students explore different ecosystems they discover how plants and animals have different colors, sizes, shapes, and abilities that assure their basic survival needs within distinct ecological niches.
Addresses standards: 4.6 and 4.7

Watershed Investigations 1.5 hours

Students discover the diverse elements of our local and regional watersheds: ponds, streams, and rivers. They learn about water cycle phases, such as evaporation and condensation, and about how water travels through both our built and natural environments. Water is critically important to humans for agriculture, energy, and health; students come away with an understanding of how they can positively impact water quality and conservation.
Addresses standards: 4.1, 4.2, 4.6, and 3.5

Seeds and Plants 1.5 hours

Plants are the basis for all life on earth; they are the only organisms that can make their own food. Students learn about plant life cycles and reproductive strategies through finding fruits and seeds, and through dissecting flowers. They learn about basic plant types and how they adapt to their environment to meet their needs for sun, and discover ways they can become better stewards of our living world.
Addresses standards: 4.2, 4.3, 3.1, and 3.3

Seasonal Eco-Explorations

Through visits to Tyler’s pond, woodlands, and meadow, students learn about plants and animals that live in specific habitats. Specialized adaptations – such as protective coloration, mimicry, size, and shape – help organisms survive. Learn how weather affects plant and animal endurance. Play games that demonstrate survival mechanisms.

Fall Eco-Explorations 1.5 hours

Approaching winter temperatures challenge plants’ survival. Students discover the adaptive mechanisms plants have developed through shedding vulnerable leaves, and through the production and dispersal of seeds. They learn how birds and Monarchs migrate to warmer climates while other animals store food for the cold months to come.
Addresses standards: 4.6, 4.7, and 3.5

Winter Adaptations 1.5 hours

How have plants and animals adapted to survive long periods of cold temperatures? Students examine evergreen leaves and the buds protecting flowers and leaves on deciduous plants. Looking for tracks and signs of animal activity, they learn which animals are active in the winter and which are hibernating – and why. How do camouflage and changes in winter coats enhance an animal’s chance of survival?
Addresses standards: 4.6, 4.7, and 3.5

Spring Adaptations 1.5 hours

Spring is an intense period of activity and growth in the natural world. Students discover the interdependent relationship between insects and plants as they investigate flowers and learn about the process of pollination, plant reproduction,and bee survival. Through nest-building activities and birdsong identification, students learn about avian life cycles. They explore the pond and meadow to discover the stages of metamorphosis that have been developed as amphibian and insect survival mechanisms.
Addresses standards: 4.6, 4.7, and 3.5