K-12 Outreach Programs with DelNature
DelNature’s Teacher Naturalist staff can “Bring DelNature To You” with activities and animals! Let us introduce your K-12 school students to the natural world and inspire them to care for wildlife. These programs are designed for grades K-12 unless specified otherwise.
Want more options? Our team can develop a customized lesson to suit your program needs.
Outreach Programs from Ashland Nature Center
Animals In Winter
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
View live animals and taxidermy specimens native to Delaware to learn about different strategies for winter survival. Investigate which animals hibernate, which stay awake, and which migrate.
Demons, Dragons, And Damsels: Tales Of The Night Sky
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Learn night sky tales told by ancient peoples and discover the modern interpretations of these same phenomena—the tales that science tells. Ancient stories were born of inspiration and imagination, and varied from society to society. Explore the reasons for this variation and learn why scientific accounts do not depend on cultural differences. Use your imagination to create constellations and sky stories. This program can be customized to fit your current curriculum in the sciences or the humanities.
Discovering Habitats On Your School Grounds
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Use your senses to explore the places where animals live on your own school grounds. Search for evidence of the animals and plants that live near your school and learn how specific habitats provide different animals with the requirements they need to survive—food, water, shelter, and places to raise young.
Insect Safari On Your School Grounds
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Discover insect characteristics, body structure, and diversity on your school’s grounds. Delaware Nature Society staff will guide an exploration of the school green space for students to collect and observe the insects found there.
Native Americans
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Investigate the lives of the early inhabitants of Delaware as you examine tools and clothing. Experience several activities that the Lenni Lenape tribe participated in as you learn about Delaware’s Native Americans.
Native Birds
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Explore the unique and varied adaptations of native birds, including body shape, feathers, beaks, and feet, and investigate how these adaptations help birds survive. View mounted specimens, nests, eggs, and listen to bird calls as you learn about species in our region.
Native Wild Animals
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Learn about wild animals that are native to Delaware while noting their similarities and differences. Examine the habitats and characteristics of these wild animals with live animals and taxidermy specimens.
Owls In Delaware
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Learn about four species of owls common to Delaware. Examine their individual structures and adaptations for survival. View mounted specimens, listen to calls, and dissect owl pellets to explore the eating habits of owls. Owl pellet dissection available on request.
Reptiles & Amphibians
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Learn fascinating facts about frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes during this live animal presentation. Discover the differences between reptiles and amphibians and learn about their unique adaptations and differing life cycles.
Seasonal Delight On Your School Grounds
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Take a sensory hike of your school’s property to discover how the seasons affect plants and animals that live around us. Use senses to explore the environment, identify structures of organisms, and compare and contrast the properties of the plants and animals you observe.
Skull Study
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Handle and classify a variety of skulls from local mammals, birds, and reptiles. Examine teeth, eyes, and nose structures to determine if unknown animals are carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores, and discover how different animals survive in their environments.
Stream Investigation
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Examine stream water in your classroom. Identify basic types of stream pollution, use pH and dissolved oxygen test kits, sort and examine macroinvertebrates, and discuss how land use can affect water quality.
Tree Discovery On Your School Grounds Outreach
Program Length: 1 hour
Fee: $9 per student plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Take a tour of the trees on your school grounds led by Delaware Nature Society staff. Investigate the variety of trees and discuss the parts and functions of trees, how they grow, and why they are important for animals and for people.
Unhuggables
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
View live animals such as spiders, snakes, and lizards to learn about the important role that these less popular and misunderstood animals play in the balance of nature.
Bring DelNature To You Programs from DuPont Environmental Education Center (DEEC)
Animals Of The Marsh
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee. Travel fee is waived for any program in the City of Wilmington.
Available: Year-round
Learn about the native animals inhabiting Wilmington’s own tidal marsh. See live animals and taxidermy, touch real animal furs.
Nature In Your Neighborhood
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $4.50 per student (30 minutes) or $9 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee. Travel fee is waived for any program in the City of Wilmington.
Available: Year-round
Investigate your neighborhood in a whole new way. Explore the animals and plants that also call Wilmington home. Examine a robin’s nest, feel feathers, and touch a raccoon’s fur. Learn how animals survive city living.
Bring DelNature To You Programs from Abbott’s Mill Nature Center
Animals In Winter
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Birds In Focus
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Explore the unique and varied adaptations of native birds, including body shape, beaks, and feet. Investigate how these adaptations help them survive in their habitats. See mounted specimens and study the diversity of species in the Delmarva region. Use binoculars on a guided bird survey through different habitats. Find out how birds are affected by seasonal changes.
Native Wild Animals
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour) plus $35 travel fee
Owls In Delaware
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour) plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Reptiles & Amphibians
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Skull Study (Grade 3–12)
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour) plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
For grades 3 and up.
Unhuggables
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Spiders, bats, snakes, and lizards are all animals that make many people shudder. Learn about the remarkable role these less popular animals play in the balance of nature and explore their wondrous adaptations.
Paleo Lifeways
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Incredible Insects
Program Length: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Fee: $5 per student (30 minutes) or $7 per student (1 hour), plus $35 travel fee
Available: Year-round
Discover our insect collection up close and personal with specimen boxes and hand lenses. Learn about insect characteristics and compare life cycles. Students will “become a bug” and examine adaptations to their habitats. This program is ideal for Pre-K students through 3rd grade, but adaptable for older students.