Camp Long School Nature Programs

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Environmental Education for School Groups

Grades K-6
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Times: 10-11:30 & 12:30-2
Each program meets ELRs for grade level.
Programs are adapted for each grade

Fee: $75/15 students

Pre-school Programs
1 hour programs
Fee $50/10 children

Registration

To Register Your Class for a Program:
Call our group registration request line at: (206) 684-0877

SCHEDULE

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Animal Homes year round

Search for nests, holes and homes in forest and field. Discover what animals live at Camp Long and maybe even find a few at home in the woods.

Beach Life (low tide days April-August)

Explore the intertidal zone at Mee Kwa Mooks beach (about 1 mile west of Camp Long). Students learn the challenges of life in the tide zone and adaptations animals have to make to survive. Get to know crabs, seastars, nudibranchs and how they live.

Birdwatching year-round

Learn about avian characteristics and adaptations for flight. Hike through forest and meadow looking and listening for birds and searching for their nests. Students will learn proper use of binoculars, study stuffed bird specimens and learn local bird songs.

Creep with the Crawlies May-October

Spy out spiders, chase butterflies and hold beetles.Learn abut the lives and habits of all kinds of "bugs" and discover they're not so creepy after all.

Discovering Wild Plants year-round

Which animals find stinging nettle delicious? What tree can cure scurvy? How did local tribes use cedar? Learn secrets of plants in a program that grows on you! Program emphasis varies according to ELRs by grade and teacher request. (emphasis available: ethnobotany, plant identification, trees, edible/poisonous plants and fall leaf color-October only)

Exploring a Watershed year-round
Fee $150/15 children
An exciting all day field trip! Hike the woods to Longfellow Creek exploring life in the forest, pond and salmon stream.

Forest Explorers year-round

From slimy slugs to clever foxes, all life in the forest is inter-dependent. Students explore the forest, learning woodland ecology through hands-on experiments and discovery. Program emphasis may be adapted to meet teacher's needs.

Incredible Insects May-October
Bizzare, wonderful and incredibly fascinating insects live right outside your school-door! Learn the weird life stories of beetles, dragonflies, bees, true bugs and all their 6-legged relatives. Students use butterfly and sweep nets, hand lenses and field microscopes to catch and identify insects. Bugs will be released, except for a select few that may be taken back to the classroom for further study.

Peering into Polliwog Pond April-October
Delve into the depths of aquatic entomology and discover monstrous dragonfly nymphs, fairy-like mayflies, voracious water bug and the salamander larvae that eat them. Students will use nets and field microscopes to catch and identify pond life, gaining an understanding of developmental metamorphosis of animals and the importance of wetlands.

Poking in the Pond April-October

Dip for salamanders, frogs and exciting water bugs! Learn what animals just live in the pond while they are kids, and who spends their whole life underwater.

Raptors-Hunters on the Wing year-round
Fee $85/15 children

How do owls fly silently? Just how good is eagle-eye vision? And how can owls hear mice under the snow? Dissect owl pellets, reconstructing food chains. Hike through the forest searching for nests and learning owl calls.

Search for Spiders September-October

Discover fascinating, beautiful spiders in the fields and meadows of Camp Long. Learning spider science, how webs are constructed; and meet some arachnid relatives. In addition to wild native spiders and pseudoscorpions, students will get to pet our live tarantula.

Where They Go in Winter November-February

Discover adaptations for winter in plants and animals through study in the Wonder Lab next to a cozy fire. Where do the frogs and insects go? How do birds survive the cold? What animals hibernate and which ones migrate? Then don raingear for an investigation of Camp Long's woods in winter.

Wildlife Tracking November-March

Who goes there? Animal footprints in the mud or snow tell a detailed story of animal lives. Learn to decipher the stories animals write in their own hand (and feet) by becoming a track detective. Class in the Wonder Lab includes making plaster footprints and solving "what happened here?" stories, followed by a hike in search of tracks and sign.

Rock Glacier Rappelling year round
Fee $150/15 children

Come join us at Camp Longs glacier for some fun in learning basic rappelling skills. This program will be taught on Camp Longs rock slabs (artificial glacier) since Shurman Rock is under construction. Students will work closely with two climbing instructors to develop introductory technical skills of rappelling, climbing safety, safety equipment use, and knot tying. This will be a boost to self-confidence, responsibility, and trust. The program is two hours long and can accommodate a maximum of 15 students.

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