Ideal for school settings, our two-week programs provide you with resources and curriculum guides to incorporate environmental education into your classroom. Each program includes two visits from a Mohonk Preserve educator to kickstart and conclude your experience.

Pond Keepers

Bring the wonder of a pond into your classroom with the Pond Keepers program. Students will learn how a variety of creatures adapt to life in a pond during this in-depth study. A Preserve educator will set up an aquarium, stocked with local pond life, that will stay in your classroom for two weeks.

The Preserve provides:

• Teacher training prior to the program;
• Two classroom visits from a Preserve educator to introduce and wrap up the program;

  

• A curriculum packed with activities;
• A digital camera to create projects that record what the students have learned and observed;
• A pond habitat poster, creature flash cards, and other resource materials

Hudson Valley Climate and Species Change

Actively engage your students as they apply STEM skills to the study of climate and species changes on a local level. With a focus on observable, measurable data and with more than 100 years of weather data from the Mohonk Preserve’s Daniel Smiley Research Center, students graph and conduct a trend analysis of long- and short-term data, study a tree’s record of climate, and research indicator species. By comparing historic and current weather and species observation records, students develop an understanding of our changing local and global climate and what steps can be taken to reduce or reverse those impacts.

Students will be introduced to the weather data collection at the Daniel Smiley Research Center through videos. Then through interactive activities and instructional videos students will explore phenology, collect local weather data, analyze Mohonk Lake ice data, and conduct research on a local indicator species.

The Preserve provides:

• Teacher training prior to the program;
• Two classroom visits from a Preserve educator to introduce and wrap up the program;
• A curriculum packed with activities; program gear for all curriculum activities

Organizing a community event? Hosting an environmental celebration, festival, or career fair and looking to inspire environmental engagement? Mohonk Preserve educators can bring interactive activities and host an engaging table at your event. We strive to connect people of all ages to our mission and foster a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.

To coordinate having an educator at your event, please contact aabbott@mohonkpreserve.org.

Creatures Alive!

Through a hands-on investigation with local aquatic life, participants interact with, identify, classify, and observe how these creatures live and interact in their underwater environment. Participants investigate the concept of niche as they meet aquatic insects, mollusks, amphipods, annelids, zooplankton and their predators as they explore how clean water plays a vital role in our environment and in our health.

Insect Investigation

Dive into the fascinating world of insects. Participants will have the chance to get up close and personal with various insects, from pollinators to predators. They’ll explore the diverse roles insects play in our ecosystems and explore various methods of insect collection outside, meeting their local creatures! Participants will also create seedballs to take home, contributing to the restoration of local pollinator habitats.

Animal Classification Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects and Amphibians

Our planet is home to amazing creatures! Spend an hour learning about some of the creatures that call New York home. Students will learn about the differences between mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and amphibians. This interactive lesson will incorporate animal artifacts, and live animals. Program is suitable for students in grades K through 3.

Hands-On Archaeology

This program brings artifacts from the Hudson Valley region into your learning space where participants touch, investigate, and discover experientially. Dynamic, small group activities enhance student learning through engagement with the materials of daily Iroquois and Algonquin life, including the chronology of projectile points, identification tools and their function, reconstruction of artifacts, and an introduction to pestles, awls, hammerstones, spear points, pottery, and more.

Hidden World of Seeds

Seeds come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all serve the same purpose. Inside those packages are new plants waiting to grow! Learn what seeds need to grow, how the seed protects the plant inside, and how they travel and disperse.

The Incredible Carbon Journey

Participants will collect beads representing their carbon molecules as they traverse the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. Along the way, they discover where carbon gets stuck and gain insights into how human activities have impacted this essential cycle. This interactive program not only educates on the intricacies of the carbon journey but also fosters deeper understanding of our environmental responsibilities.

Whether your troop is working towards a badge or just looking for a fun program, we will bring the joy of environmental learning to you! In each program, experienced environmental educators will use hands on activities to teach scouts about the natural world. All programs are approximately 90 minutes.

Bugs with Brownies

Through a hands-on investigation with local aquatic life, scouts will interact with, identify, classify, and observe how these creatures live and interact in their underwater environment. They’ll investigate the concept of niche as they meet aquatic insects, mollusks, amphipods, annelids, zooplankton and their predators as they explore how clean water plays a vital role in our environment and in our health.

Tree Identification

Scouts will learn how to identify different tree species examining leaves, bark, seeds, and more. Scouts will explore the unique characteristics of various trees, discover how to use field guides and identification k and understand the important role trees play in our ecosystem. Through interactive activities participants will gain valuable skills in observation, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship.

Skull Identification

Use the power of observation and a few helpful tips and hints to figure out if the skull is from a predator or prey and determine whether the animal was a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore.

Hands on Archaeology

Scouts will have the unique opportunity to touch, investigate, and discover artifacts from all over NYS. Engaging in dynamic, small group activities, participants will learn about the daily lives of the Iroquois and Algonquin peoples. Scouts will explore the chronology of projectile points, identify various tools and their functions, reconstruct artifacts, and get introduced to Native American Lifeways items like pestles, awls, hammerstones, spear points, pottery, and more.

Animal Observer

A Mohonk Preserve educator will teach scouts how to use binoculars to observe birds in the natural world. After exploring, scouts will play bird behavior bingo and learn how to use apps like Merlin to continue their learning of bird and bird behavior. Insect Investigation Participants will have the chance to get up close and personal with various insects, from pollinators to predators. They’ll explore the diverse roles insects play in our ecosystems and explore various methods of insect collection outside, meeting their local creatures! Participants will also create seedballs to take home, contributing to the restoration of local pollinator habitats.

Fees:

One Hour Programs:
Hands-on Archaeology, Insect Investigation, Animal Classification: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects and Amphibians, Creatures Alive!, The Hidden World of Seeds, The Incredible Carbon Journey 

• $150 for first class
• $80 for each additional class on the same day in the same school

Two-Week Extended Programs:
Pond Keepers and Hudson Valley Climate and Species Change

• $225 per class
• $245 per class for Pond Keepers

To request scholarship assistance contact Ashawna Abbott, Education Outreach Coordinator, at aabbott@mohonkpreserve.org.

Please note: A $50 surcharge will be added for schools within our service area that are beyond a 20-mile radius from Mohonk Preserve.

90-Minute Scout Program Pricing

Bugs with Brownies, Tree Identification, Skull Identification, Hands on Archaeology, Animal Observer

$150 for up to 15 scouts + $10 for each additional scout.

• Minimum $150 to run the program
• Most of our programs can be held outside (weather permitting). Scouts should wear
• weather-appropriate clothing and good hiking shoes.
• Chaperones may attend programs free of charge. We cannot, however, accommodate siblings of scouts.

Accessibility & Student Accommodations

The Preserve’s award-winning NatureAccess® program provides universally designed lessons wherever possible. Our experienced education staff has expertise in pre-K – 18 education, special education and outdoor education and is adept at meeting a broad range of needs and learning styles. Programs are universally designed wherever possible.

Scheduling a Program

Scheduling operates on a first-come, first-served basis. For more scheduling and scholarship information, please contact Ashawna Abbott, Education Outreach Coordinator at aabbott@mohonkpreserve.org.