SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Nature’s Pantry
Plants are amazingly useful organisms! They are the source for many products we use in our society today as well as providing ‘blueprints’ for compounds that can be synthesized. Students will learn medicinal vocabulary and basic plant identification techniques while they explore the many wild plants that provide people with sources of food and medicine. August-October and March-June
Trails and Treasures
In today’s world the Global Positioning System is useful and fairly common place, but it is not a good idea to depend soley on this tool for navigation. Learning how to use a map and compass is not only prudent, but fun too! Students will learn about the different features of a topographic map, how to use a map to calculate distances, how to use a compass and calculate their paces to navigate the distances to a certain point. Then they will complete a compass course and find treasures along the way! This program can be extended to also cover the use of a GPS.
The Blue Marble (Water Chemistry/Oceanography)
This program can be set up as a 50 minute StarLab experience at the school site, or it can be an extended into a 2.5 hour program at Oatland Island Wildlife Center.
Roughly ¾ of the earth is covered with water: a substance that is so ubiquitous but is often overlooked and taken for granted. Students will study water and its properties and how it affects life on earth. In-School Program: each class will have approximately 20 minutes of classroom instruction/demonstrations followed by 20 minutes of Star Lab. The Star Lab experience will show students how ocean currents cause weather patterns that create climate. Oatland site program: will take an in-depth look at the properties of water and make use of Oatland’s resources to compare and contrast salt water to fresh water.
Wondrous Wetlands
In the past, wetlands have always been considered to be wasteland-places to discard unwanted items or places that should be drained and converted to more ‘useable’ land. Research in the last 30 years has uncovered the true nature of wetlands and the role they play in an ecosystem. They have also proven to be beneficial to humans in many ways. Students will utilize Oatland’s resources to explore a variety of wetlands. They will learn about the different types of wetlands and their biotic and abiotic factors. They will also learn about their benefits to humans and human impact upon them.