Watershed Walkabout: Homeschool Explorers
We are working on something new and exciting to offer our local communities! See below for more infomation. Stay tuned for more to come!
Meet a real Marine Conservation Biologist with our BRAND NEW homeschool explorers program! If you are a part of a homeschool co-op group, this program is designed to bring marine science to your group. It can be tailored to your needs, and we offer single activities, as well as multi-week programs.
If you are interested in this specialty program, please see the program listing below. Cost of one activity is $85 flat rate plus tax (Travel fee may apply). Pricing for the two series is based on the number of activities scheduled, and will incur a $65/week additional charge. So the total price of the 8-week series is $605 plus tax, and the total price of the 15-week series is $1,060 plus tax.
Homeschool Explorers 8-Week Series
Brand new program just for homeschool co-ops based on our grade-specific program:
Watershed Walkabout: Cape Fear. Minimum of 10 students per group/co-op.
K - 2nd:
Water is Everywhere (weeks 1 and 2):
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Ocean in a Bottle - Investigate life in the ocean through this craft activity, while we learn about what plants and animals need to survive under the sea. (craft/art/water component)
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We Are All Connected - Investigate how all life on the planet is connected to each other through our water use in this craft activity. We'll discover how what we do to our water sources has long lasting effects on water for all. (craft/art component)
Ecosystems (weeks 3 and 4):
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Outdoor Adventure Guide Activity - Weather permitting, we'll be adventuring it outside, conducting an ecosystem-specific experiment, based on the location of the Co-op group.
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What's Under the Sand? - Identify sand-dwelling organisms and understand how they have learned to live under the sand we stand on when we go to the beach. This lesson also incorporates chemistry to discover hidden species. (outdoor space preferred)
Food Webs (weeks 5 and 6):
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Web of Life - All life is connected by the foods we consume and we explore different ecosystems down to the microscopic food source through this "pass the ball" game. Homeschoolers will also explore what happens when humans take too much from the ecosystem.
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The Great Terrapin Race - Being a terrapin turtle is hard when you need to find food and hide from predators in the marsh. This predator/prey game of tag shows students how to survive in one of the most biodiverse coastal ecosystems. (outdoor component)
Migrations (weeks 7 and 8):
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Flock Together (new) - This interactive activity demonstrates the migration patterns of known species along the Atlantic coastal waterway. Homeschoolers will learn what could happen to these species if their migration patterns were interrupted by an increase in predators or human interactions.
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Sea Turtle Survival (new) - Explore the interactions between humans and sea turtles throughout their life, how difficult it is for a turtle species to survive, and what it means to be threatened, endangered, and extinct.
3rd - 5th:
Water is Everywhere (weeks 1 and 2):
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Incredible Journey - Come learn where water travels and in what form it takes through this interactive game, where homeschoolers act as water droplets moving through the water cycle to see how all life is connected.
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Sea Level is On the Rise *(Limited to max 25 students)* - Sea level is rising along our coast, due to melting ice, and our native terrapin turtle is having difficulty finding proper nesting sites in the marsh. Homeschoolers explore salt marsh ecology, nesting area flooding, and reduced food sources. (water component)
Ecosystems (weeks 3 and 4):
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Made From Land, Made From Sea - As marine geologists, homeschoolers uncover sands around the world and determine where their origins are from. Using scientific inquiry, they describe samples by their size, texture, shape, color, and composition. (craft/art component)
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Ecosystem Survivor - Resources for survival, such as food, shelter, air, and space, can become limited with increased population or human interference. Homeschoolers demonstrate limited resources in this fun tag game of survival. (outdoor component)
Food Webs (weeks 5 and 6):
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Turtles, Turtles, Everywhere - Three different turtle species, three distinct coastal habitats. Homeschoolers discover who lives where through a series of clues based on predators, prey, and nest locations.
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Web of Life - All life is connected by the foods we consume and we explore different ecosystems down to the microscopic food source through this "pass the ball" game. Homeschoolers will also explore what happens when humans take too much from the ecosystem.
Migrations (weeks 7 and 8):
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Animal S.O.S. - Let's role play as wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators in this interactive activity, where homeschoolers work together in rescue teams to learn what care injured and sick marine species need.
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Alternate Route - Find the best way to save sea turtles at every stage of their life cycle from hatchling to adult. Discover how human have been impacting their populations in both positive and negative ways. (craft/art component)
Homeschool Explorers Environmental and Marine Science
15-Week Series (Middle School/High School only)
Brand new program just for homeschool co-ops with older students, based on our grade-specific program: Watershed Walkabout: Cape Fear. Minimum of 10 students per group/co-op.
Introduction to Environmental Science (week 1):
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Made From Land, Made From Sea - As marine geologists, homeschoolers uncover sands around the world and determine where their origins are from. Using scientific inquiry, they describe samples by their size, texture, shape, color, and composition. (craft/art component)
Ecosystems and Habitats (week 2):
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Outdoor Adventure Guide Activity - Weather permitting, we'll be adventuring it outside, conducting an ecosystem-specific experiment, based on the location of the Co-op group.
Introduction to Ecology (week 3):
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Web of Life - All life is connected by the foods we consume and we explore different ecosystems down to the microscopic food source through this "pass the ball" game. Homeschoolers will also explore what happens when humans take too much from the ecosystem.
Environmental Needs - Shelter (week 4):
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Ecosystem Survivor - Resources for survival, such as food, shelter, air, and space, can become limited with increased population or human interference. Homeschoolers demonstrate limited resources in this fun tag game of survival. (outdoor component)
Environmental Needs - Variations (week 5):
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Beakology Decoded - Migrating shorebirds all have unique beaks that best serve them in finding the right food. Homeschoolers engage in this lively activity to discover which beach is designed for which prey species.
Environmental Needs - Food (week 6):
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Alternate Route - Find the best way to save sea turtles at every stage of their life cycle from hatchling to adult. Discover how human have been impacting their populations in both positive and negative ways. (craft/art component)
Predators and Prey - Competition (week 7):
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The Great Terrapin Race - Being a terrapin turtle is hard when you need to find food and hide from predators in the marsh. This predator/prey game of tag shows students how to survive in one of the most biodiverse coastal ecosystems. (outdoor component)
Introduction to Marine Science (week 8):
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Outdoor Adventure Guide Activity - Weather permitting, we'll be adventuring it outside, conducting an ecosystem-specific experiment, based on the location of the Co-op group.
Migrations and Open Ocean (week 9):
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Migration Mayhem (new) - In this interactive migration game, homeschoolers demonstrate the obstacles birds and marine mammals face from their wintering to their nesting habitats. (outdoor component)
Coastal Ecosystems - Barrier Islands (week 10):
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Anatomy of a Beach - Homeschoolers model a barrier island system and demonstrate how storms can affect our coastline. They will determine the best ways to prevent erosion and save valuable wildlife habitat as our coastal storms increase in frequency and intensity. (water component)
Coastal Ecosystems - Estuaries (week 11):
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Calcium Carbonate Calamity - Homeschoolers demonstrate what happens when too much acid is added to a large ecosystem like the ocean. In this experiment, the rate of acidification will hinder some shellfish important to North Carolina from reproducing and surviving.
People Pollution (week 12):
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Sea Turtle Salvation - Sea turtles can become injured or sick due to human interactions, and as wildlife rehabilitators, homeschoolers learn how to diagnose and properly care for these injuries or diseases.
Human Food Competition (week 13):
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A Little Crab on a Big Decline - The blue crab is part of a large fishing industry in NC, and as fishermen, homeschoolers learn how to manage the fishery during times of natural disasters and human harvesting seasons. (non-allergy food component and math component)
Human Accommodations (week 14):
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A Diplomatic Island - Let’s have a debate! Homeschoolers work in teams to decide best management practices on a barrier island and within a community of stakeholders.
Marine Conservation (week 15):
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It's Getting Hot in Here - Global temperatures are rising and that has long-term effects on gender ratios of sea turtle species. In this experiment, homeschoolers excavate sea turtle nests to describe these ratio changes as temperatures continue to rise. (math component)
