Field Trip Programs
To schedule a program or for more
information, please contact the Education Director at 781-659-2559x214 or
education@ssnsc.org. Current
offerings include:
Animal Habitats: A nature walk during
any season of the year is both delightful and amazing. In the winter, fresh
tracks may appear in the snow, and in the spring there may be evidence of
migrating birds returning from their voyages. Summer and fall produce other
intriguing signs of animal life. Discover the many different places where
wildlife make their homes. Available year round.
Backyard Birds: Chirp! Chirp! Songs
and calls of birds can be heard throughout the year in a variety of habitats,
making them the easiest wildlife species to find. Using mounts and other
resources learn how to identify and appreciate these frequent backyard visitors.
Discover how birds' special and unique colors and makings, shapes and sizes,
beaks and feet, and behaviors and sounds are all clues to who they are and what
they eat! Explore our tails to search for signs, sounds, and habitats.
Available year round.
Finding Your Way: Join us on a quest
for hidden treasure. Use maps, compasses, trail markers and written clues to
help find a way through the woods to a secret, surprise ending. Orient yourself
to have some fun! Grade 1 and up (limited participants). Available spring,
summer, and fall.
Furry Warm & Soft: Living things have
basic needs - a place to live, food to eat and protection from predators and the
elements. You will learn about several wild and domesticated mammals and
discover that they are alike in many ways. Available year round.
Journey Through Time (1620 - Today):
Discover how biodiversity, the variety of life, has changed in this area since
the Colonists arrived in Massachusetts almost 400 years ago. Learn how some
animals and plants have survived, some have disappeared and then returned, and
some have vanished completely. Find out what impact man has had on these
populations from 1620 until today! Available year round.
Maple Sugaring: Have a sweet time
learning how trees make sugar. Stroll along the trails to see how maple trees
are tapped and how sap is collected. Taste maple sap right from the tree! Find
out how Native Americans first boiled sap to make maple sugar. Available
during March.
Native Americans: The banks of the
North River were home to Native Americans and their ancestors for thousands of
years. Observe items from our collections including artifacts from ancient
hunting encampments and learn about the history and culture of native peoples
who traveled and settled along the river. Available year round.
New England Owls: What's that shrill
sound traveling through the night air? It might be the call of a screech owl,
one of New England's resident birds of prey. Come find out all about these
magnificent silent hunters. Meet a live owl up close. Optional activity: take
apart and owl pellet to discover what owls eat? There is an addition $1.00
charge per student for owl pellets. Available year round.
Pond Life: The pond is a thriving
world of living things. Discover what plants and animals live there by exploring
the water and shore of Jacobs Pond with dip nets, buckets, and magnifiers. Meet
pond animals at the nature center and find out how they depend on the pond and
each other to survive. It's a good idea to bring along some boots. Available
from May to mid-October.
Scaly, Cold, & Slimy: Explore the
fascinating world of reptiles and amphibians. Discover how these cold-blooded (ectothermic)
creatures are uniquely adapted to live in different habitats. Meet our resident
iguana as well as some of our local species of turtles, frogs, toads, and
salamanders. Available year round.
Stonewall Secrets: Stonewalls remind
us of a time when pioneers cleared the land to build homes and plowed the land
for farming. There are more miles of stonewalls in New England than there are
miles of railroad tracks in the entire United States. Explore the stonewalls at
SSNSC, study the lichens and mosses found on them, and learn about the many
secrets they contain. Listen and look for a residents chipmunk! Available
year round.
Tide Pool Exploration: Journey across
a salt marsh and over the sand dunes to explore tide pools along the rocky ocean
shore. Learn about life at the edge of the sea and discover how plants and
animals survive the tide and thrashing waves. Program meets at Third Cliff in
Scituate. Available from May through September.
Tremendous Trees: What is a tree?
Where do trees come from? Travel along woodland trails to investigate tree
trunks to treetops and explore a rotten log to meet nature's recyclers. Discover
how trees support all kinds of life. Available year round.
Water, Ice, & Snow: See how water,
ice, and snow sculpt the landscape, and learn how living things survive beneath
the ice and snow. Experiment with snow and ice crystals, and investigate some of
the amazing properties of water. Available winter.
Wetland Expedition: Explore the watery
world of swamps, bogs, and vernal pools. These wet places provide vital habitats
for salamanders, frogs, turtles, insects, and more. The naturalist will do some
careful collecting, and we'll observe the teeming signs of life, examine the
soil and terrain, and find out why wetlands are so important to us all. This
program is available at SSNSC, your site, or at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke
(in a two hour program). Available year round.
Winter Wildlife: Winter is a
challenging time of year for wildlife. Look for signs to discover which animals
are still active and search for the snowy hideaways of winter sleepers. Find out
why some animals must migrate and how others survive in a frozen world.
Available from November through March.
Woodland Programs (Seasonal): Explore
the colorful beauty of the woods in every season. In the spring search for
spring peepers and investigate the waking earth. Summer brings ladyslippers,
blueberries and toads hopping all around. In the autumn, cool and colorful,
chubby chipmunks appear and there are signs that winter is approaching. The
trails in winter will tell a story about the animals that do not migrate to
warmer climates. Available year round.
Nature Presentations
Brighten up your students' day with a visit from the South Shore Natural Science
Center! Naturalists will bring live animals and/or materials from our natural
history collection. This 45-minute program is designed for a maximum of 50
children. Additional presentations may be scheduled to accommodate more
students. Program themes include:
Amazing Insects
Backyard Birds
Birds of Prey
Furry, Warm, & Soft
New England Owls
Prowlers of the Night
Scaly, Cold, & Slimy
