Watershed Walkabout: Young Ecologists
AVAILABLE NOW!
Meet a real Marine Conservation Biologist with our NEWEST signature in-school field trip program! In this interactive, inquiry-based opportunity, your students will learn all about marine science, ecology, and conservation from an expert in the field. These age-appropriate STEAM lessons are taught exclusively to students in New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, and Brunswick Counties, NC. They are all correlated to the Next Generation Science Standards, NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development, and Ocean and Climate Literacy Standards. Check out how we meet the standards HERE.
Here's how it works:
Choose a lesson, contact our Director of Education to schedule a day that's suitable for you and the other teachers in your grade, and she'll bring the science to you! She doesn't need an auditorium or a gymnasium because her presentation style requires her to be in your individual classroom with your students. Each is hands-on, so students get the most out of the 35-45 minute lessons.
NEW POLICY FOR 2025-26! $65 base fee *non-refundable* deposit to secure a date on our calendar and $30 each additional class due on the day of the program. Deposits by Check or by Credit Card through Square or Venmo. We use this flat rate so it's cheaper for your students. For example: 4 classes = $155 (plus tax). For 100 students total, that would be less than $2/student! We can only accept check or money order at this time. Registration must be made at least two weeks in advance and cancellations must be made within 24 hours of the scheduled date. (PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY INCLUDE TRAVEL)
AVAILABLE ACTIVITIES 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR
Available to Both (Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten):
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Elasmo-Craze - Sharks, rays, and skates are all cartilaginous fish. That means they only leave behind their teeth and some vertebrae. Students will have an opportunity to be archaeologists for a day and go on a hunt to discover who used to frequent our waters.
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-5, HPD-5, LCD-1, LDC-2, CD-2, CD-5, CD-14
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Sea Jellies Among Us - Get up close and personal with sea jellies without getting stung. Students will learn which species may inhabit the estuary and how their bodies are quite similar to ours. They will then create their own sea jellies to take home. (craft/art component)
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-2, APL-4, APL-5, ESD-4, ESD-5, HPD-4, HPD-5, LDC-1, LDC-2,
CD-2, CD-5, CD-14, CD-15
Available to Preschool Only (ages 3 - 4 years):
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Crab Grab - This interactive activity gives young ecologists an opportunity to learn common adaptations of predators and prey of the blue crab while living in the salt marsh ecosystem. They will also learn about blue crab conservation and how humans have impacted the species through habitat alteration, overfishing, and taking away their food.
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-2, APL-4, APL-5, ESD-4, ESD-5, HPD-4, HPD-5, LDC-1, LDC-2,
CD-2, CD-10, CD-14, CD-15
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Sea Shell Sort - How many young ecologists love to go to the beach and pick up random seashells? This activity will introduce young ecologists to the Phylum Mollusca. They will be able to differentiate between common species by organizing them by size. This activity also builds on their knowledge and learning of numbers and shapes.
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-2, APL-3, APL-5, ESD-4, ESD-5, HPD-5, LDC-1, LDC-2, LDC-4,
CD-1, CD-11, CD-14, CD-15
Available to Pre-Kindergarten Only (ages 4 - 5 years):
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Baleen In-Between - Different whales feed in different ways and this fun game demonstrates those feeding mechanisms. Students will understand what happens to both baleen and toothed whales when humans begin to interact with their food supplies. (water component)
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-2, APL-3, APL-4, APL-5, ESD-4, ESD-5, HPD-5, LDC-1, LDC-2,
CD-2, CD-10, CD-14, CD-15
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Flock Together *(LIMITED ON SUPPLIES)* - This interactive activity demonstrates the migration patterns of known species along the Atlantic coastal waterway. Young ecologists will learn what could happen to these species if their migration patterns were interrupted by an increase in predators or human interactions.
NC Foundations: APL-1, APL-2, APL-3, APL-4, APL-5, ESD-4, ESD-5, HPD-4, LDC-1, LDC-2,
CD-2, CD-5, CD-14
