Programs for Grades K-2

Backyard Butterflies

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

Raising butterflies from caterpillars—the transformation of a leaf-eating machine into a stunning nectar-sipping flier—allows your students to see the extraordinary life cycle of the butterfly up close and tell the difference from moths. To assist you in this effort, Briar Bush educators bring to your classroom a wide variety of colorful, mounted butterflies. Students will play a butterfly life cycle game interpret the many wonderful adaptations of butterflies and their body parts.

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How Do You Know It's Alive?

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

“Is that real?” Can something be real if it’s not alive? Students learn the six things that all living things have in common, then put their new knowledge to the test examining items that are alive, once alive, and never alive. Can you tell which is which? This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Insects and Spiders

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

They may both be called bugs, but insects and spiders are actually quite different in anatomy and behavior. Using props, artifacts, and live animals, students learn about the adaptations and habits of these fascinating creatures. Students will learn how to identify the distinguishing features of insects and arachnids, what they have in common, and what tells them apart. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Nocturnal Animals

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

We see, hear, smell, touch, or taste to understand our world. Students will exercise most of their five senses while learning how nocturnal animals use their senses to thrive at night. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Pets and Wild Animals

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

Not every animal is capable of being a child’s best friend, and most of our pets are not native to the United States. Students learn the differences and connections between pets and wild animals and what they can do to care for both. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Pollinator Power

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

We may not give much thought to bees, butterflies, and other animals that travel from flower to flower, but if it weren't for pollinators, plants, animals, and even ourselves would be in a lot of trouble. Students will learn why pollen is important, how plants attract pollinators, and also act out the busy life of a pollinator.

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Where Do Seeds Come From?

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

Most plants from grass to redwood begin life as a seed. Students examine the different parts of a flower, how it is pollinated, and how seeds are formed. Then, each student will dissect their own bean to look for the young plant inside and learn how it grows. Students also discover the many ways seeds travel, as well as what they need to live.

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What is Soil?

1-Hour Program

Grades K-2

Maximum of 25 Participants

Almost a third of our earth is covered in it, but where exactly does soil come from? Students will discover firsthand what “ingredients” are needed for the formation of soil while the entire class works together to whip up a batch of fresh soil adding all the necessary ingredients. Students also learn the different layers in the soil and why it is so important in our daily lives.

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Programs for Grades 3-6

Beaks, Wings, and Feathered Things

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Students will learn all about birds in this high-flying lesson. From beaks to feathers, students will first discover what makes birds unique from all other animals through the use of real bird feathers, wings, feet, and skulls. Through hands-on stations, students investigate how the different shapes of beaks help birds find a meal.

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Colonial Games

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 40 Participants

Children throughout the world, and throughout time, are often quite the same in that they love games. This lesson exposes students to the games children played during colonial times and teaches them that batteries and fancy graphics are not necessary to have a lot of fun!

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Exploring Your Watershed

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Where does the water go when it rains? Explore the flow of water in your watershed both inside the classroom and on your school grounds! Students will participate in a demonstration of how human activities affect water quality and then will head outside to learn the difference between permeable and impermeable surfaces, find potential sources of water pollution, and learn what can be done to keep our watershed healthy for everyone that depends on it.

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Food Webs

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

All organisms, or living things, depend on other organisms for nutrients. But is it a simple food chain or a more complex food web? Students will learn about the transfer of energy in nature and work in groups to construct food webs through a fast-paced trading card game.

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Honey Bees as Pollinators

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Honeybees play a vital role in the survival and perpetuation of our natural world. The role these fascinating creatures play in nature is displayed through pictures, models, and artifacts, as students follow a honeybee colony through the seasons. Students will recognize and understand the value of bees and observe the interconnection between animals and plants.

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Investigating Plant Parts

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Students become junior botanists as they observe and examine the basic structure, function, and importance of plants. Students will be able to identify the basic plant parts and their functions, and understand what plants need to survive. Participants will also familiarize themselves with the different uses of plants.

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Pennsylvania Woods and Wildlife

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 40 Participants

In this lesson, the woods at Briar Bush Nature Center come to you! Students will learn about the animals and plants of the Briar Bush woods and how they interact with each other by acting as the layers of the Pennsylvania forest, identifying local wildlife, and playing a food web game where it is “eat or be eaten.” This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Predator vs. Prey

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 40 Participants

How do predators stalk their prey? How do prey animals avoid being captured by predators? Students will reveal how to tell a predator from prey by investigating real animal skulls, then playing a game where they become the predators and prey! This program features 1-2 live animals.

 

Skulls: Form and Function

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Do you wish you could be a kind of wildlife detective and be able to tell what an animal was by just looking at its skull? Students will exam real animal skulls and learn how their size, eye sockets, and teeth can reveal the secrets of their former life. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Under the Microscope

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Students observe the “smaller picture,” the microscopic world of incredibly tiny things. Students learn how microscopes work, then use Brock Scopes and a high powered microscope to examine an entire ecosystem found in the soil beneath our feet!

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Vertebrates and Invertebrates

1-Hour Program

Grades 3-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

There are millions of animals in the world! With that many animals out there, it is quite difficult to keep track of them all. Grouping animals into categories of vertebrates and invertebrates is a primary step in the classification process. Using live animals, models, and artifacts, students will act as scientists exploring the similarities and differences between these two distinct groups and testing their skills along the way. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Programs for All Ages

Investigating Insects

1-Hour Program

Grades K-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

Students discover what makes an insect an insect, learn their body parts, explore their amazing adaptations to the world, and address their bad reputations. While so many of us see insects as unpleasant pests that bite or sting, students will discover they can be both pleasant and helpful. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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Lenape Living

30-Minute or 1-Hour Program

Elementary to Adult

Maximum of 25 Participants

A favorite lesson for the fall! This lesson explores the lives of the Lenape people who have lived in Pennsylvania for over 600 years. Students will learn about historic Lenape culture, practices, and daily activities. Younger students will have the opportunity to try their hand at grinding corn, feel deerskin clothing, and play traditional Lenape games.

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Live Animal Encounters

30-Minute or 1-Hour Program

Elementary to Adult

Any Group Size

Live animals and taxidermy mounts highlight this exciting hands-on experience. Participants learn what behaviors and adaptations are unique to each species, then touch and see the critters up close. Content and vocabulary will be age-appropriate. Choose from the following themes or request a theme!

• General Animal Program

  • Allow the assigned experienced educator to choose the animal line-up for this exciting introduction to a live animal presentation! 

• Eat Up!

  • From carnivores to herbivores and everything in between, animals eat all different kinds of food. In this program you'll meet animals with different diets and learn why eating things we may consider gross is deliciously good for that animal and the environment as well.

• Winter Survival

  • When it's cold outside, animals don't have mittens or hot chocolate to keep them warm. Instead, some sleep through the winter, some have thick fur to stay active, and others just pack up and leave! Learn all about how nature beats the cold in this cool program. 

• Reptiles are the Rage

  • They're cold-blooded, they're scaly, they're reptiles! This group of animals is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood on the planet. Get up close and personal with turtles, snakes, and lizards and find out what makes these critters s-s-spectacular and not so scary. 

• Native Pennsylvania Animals

  • You don't have to go to another country or even a zoo to see exciting animals; we have them right here in our own backyards! In this program, you'll meet animals from right here in Pennsylvania and learn why they are worthy of some hometown pride.

• What Are You Wearing?

  • From fur, to feathers, to scales, and more, animals have all different kinds of things that cover their bodies. Some coverings keep an animal warm, some help them to disappear, and some even help an animal be noticed. See a variety of animals and learn how what they wear helps them to survive!

• How Animals Move

  • They slither, crawl, hop, fly, and scurry. Each animal has its own unique way of moving. Watch Briar Bush's animals move in their own unique ways and then try doing some moving of your own!

• Fight or Flight: Animal Defenses

  • How would you protect yourself in a dangerous situation? Animals have a variety of ways that they protect themselves; some are familiar, some are gross, and some are downright bizarre! Learn about animal defenses from our not-so-dangerous animal ambassadors.

• Awesome Adaptations​

  • Animals have all sorts of incredible adaptations to help them meet challenges in their environment. Meet some of our animal ambassadors and see their own special adaptations up close, from camouflage to special tails and silent flight to not-so-sharp spikes.​

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Trees from Root to Shoot

1-Hour Program

Grades K-6

Maximum of 40 Participants

Trees give us food, oxygen, wood, and countless other things that we depend on every day. Through games such as “Leaf Scramble” and hands-on activities like investigating tree “cookies,” students will experience how to identify tree species by their leaves, age a tree, and learn how animals use trees at every stage of their life. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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What Animals Leave Behind

1-Hour Program

Elementary to Adult

Maximum of 25 Participants

Scientists track animals by observing the signs they leave behind such as footprints, scat, food, nests, fur, and feathers. After studying some real animal signs, students will have the opportunity to watch an animal leave its own tracks behind. This program features 1-2 live animals.

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You Show Off!

1-Hour Program

Grades K-6

Maximum of 25 Participants

From songs to fights and flashy costumes to elaborate dances, animals go to extraordinary lengths to impress their mates during courtship. In this lesson, students will not only be told what animals do, but get to try out their own talents as well!

 

Custom Programs

30-minutes or 1-hour program

Briar Bush Nature Center has the ability to create custom programs for specific groups who would like our lessons and programs tailored to their interests. Briar Bush has created custom programs for religious groups, libraries, colleges and universities, Scout groups, and more.

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