School and Teacher Programs 2016
100% STEM/STEAM Appropriate
100% NGSS Compliant
100% Natural
7117 South Jackson Road
Jackson, Michigan 49201
517-782-3453
Teaching Teachers
At Dahlem we believe that outdoor education is so
important that we are have developed some special
learning opportunities for teachers to help them
incorporate the outdoors into their lessons. Please
contact Ellen Rathbone for specific dates, times and
topics: 517-782-3453 or erathbone@dahlemcenter.
org.
Teacher Outings
Dahlem recognizes that teachers have a lot to do and
their lessons naturally lean toward topics they personally favor or enjoy. In order to help make nature one of
those favored subjects, we offer special Teacher Outings to
provide teachers with extra confidence and ideas for using
the outdoors as a classroom. Visit our website for information on upcoming Teacher Outings.
Summer Camp for Teachers
Why should kids have all the fun? We all know that
immersion education is one of the best ways to learn, but
when do teachers have the time? How about combining
training with that classic outdoor fun activity: summer
camp! Teachers join our staff for three days of hands-on
fun, learning how to incorporate nature and the outdoors
into their students’ lessons. Teacher Camp 2016 is June
28-30. For more details, contact Ellen Rathbone at 517782-3453 or [email protected].
Annie’s Big Nature Lesson Training
Perhaps you’ve heard from teachers at Hunt or Frost
Elementary Schools about their experiences with
Annie’s Big Nature Lesson, a week-long outdoor education immersion program at Dahlem. Developed by
Margaret Hotlschlag, a 4th grade teacher from Lansing
(and Michigan Teacher of the Year 1999-2000), ABNL is
an outdoor education break-through for students and
teachers alike. Training takes place in September. If you
are interested, please contact Ellen Rathbone at 517-7823453 or [email protected].
dahlemcenter.org
Science Outings at Dahlem
Science Outing
Information
Dahlem’s Science Outings can
accommodate up to 60 students
at one time, unless otherwise
noted in the program description.
When you arrive, the group
will be subdivided into smaller
groups, each led by one of our
staff or volunteer educators.
All of our science outings have
an outdoor component - some
are entirely outdoors. Students,
teachers and chaperones should
be aware of this ahead of time so
they come dressed appropriately
for the weather. We go out rain,
snow or shine. Should dangerous conditions prevail, we can
alter the program to take place
indoors, or you can reschedule.
Lunch
If your group plans to be here
during lunch, they are welcome
to eat outdoors in our pavilion
when the weather allows.
Otherwise, we can accommodate you indoors, although
students will likely be sitting on
the floor in our classroom. We
ask groups to clean up after they
eat and take their trash with
them.
The Nutshell Gift Shop
If your group would like time to
visit our gift shop, please let us
know ahead of time and we will
schedule that into your visit.
Our gift shop offers a variety of
items, many of which are priced
under a dollar.
Signs of Fall
Preschool
1.25 hour
Fall
Listen! Watch! Touch! Smell! Discover the
world around you as summer slowly turns into
winter. How many signs of the season can you
find at home and at school?
Standards: K.LS1.C
Nature Prepares for Winter
Grades K & 1
1.5 hours
Fall
People prepare for the chilly weather, and so
do plants and animals. Learn how seeds, fur,
evergreen needles, underground homes, and
“antifreeze” help nature’s creatures survive the
winter.
Standards: K.LS1.C; 1.LS1.A; 2.ESS1.C;
2.ETS1.B; 3.ESS3.B; 4.ESS3.A; 4.ESS3.B;
5.LS2.A; 5.ESS2.A; 5.ESS3.C
Animal Homes and Habitats
Grades 1-3
2 hours
Fall
Where do animals live and why do they live
there? Explore the habitats of many local wildlife species. Find out how their homes and habitats meet their needs and help them survive.
Standards: K.LS1.1; 1.LS1.A; 2.LS2.C;
3.LS2.C; 3.LS4.B
The Interesting World of Insects
Grades 1 & 2
2 hours
Fall
Fall is the best time to study insects - they are
everywhere! During this guided discovery walk,
students use sweep nets to capture insects on
the wing, and then study them to learn about
insect adaptations, life cycles, and family ID.
Standards: K-2.ETS1.1; K-2.ETS1.2
Maple Sugaring
Grades K-5
1.25 hour
March
Bring your students out to learn the art and
science of making maple syrup! Investigate
tree characteristics and winter ID as well as
the fascinating historical significance of maple
sugaring.
Standards: K.LS1.C; K.ESS3.A; K.ETS1.A;
2.LS2.1; 2.LS2.2; 5.LS1.C; 5.LS2.A
Babes in Sugarland
Preschool
1.5 hours
last week March
Puppets, storytelling, hands-on demonstrations,
a make-n-take craft, and a visit to the sugar
shack for a sweet treat make this program a
perfect outing for our youngest students.
Standards: K.LS1.C; K.ESS3.A; K.ETS1.A
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Assis
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Fi n a p a g e 7 !
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Spring Birds
Grades 1-3 2 hours
Spring
Peer at our feathered friends through our
binoculars! Learn more about bird nests, songs,
adaptations, and how to identify field marks
during an interactive trail hike and hands-on
simulation activities.
Standards: K.LS1.1; 1.LS1.A; 2.LS2.1;
2.LS4/D; 3.LS2.1; 3.LS4.B
Signs of Spring
Preschool
1.25 hour
Spring
Discover the wonders of a world awakening to
spring! Use all of your senses to experience the
changing environment around you. See the
shapes and colors, feel the textures, and smell
the fragrances of Spring.
Standards: K.LS1.C; 1.LS1.A; 2.ESS1.C;
2.ETS1.B; 3.ESS3.B; 4.ESS3.A; 4.ESS3.B;
5.LS2.A; 5.ESS2.A; 5.ESS3.C
Who Lives There?
Kindergarten
1.5 hours
Spring
Search for animals homes. Discover where and
why animals make their homes the way they do.
Become a careful outdoor observer and discover
the animals at Dahlem as they seek to satisfy
their basic needs of food, water, shelter and
space. Standards: K.LS1.1; 1.LS1.A; 2.LS2.A
Frogs & Toads
Grades 1-3
2 hours
Spring
Find our local amphibians in their favorite
spring hideouts. Study their lifecycles and
characteristics, learn their language, and raise
some tadpoles in your classroom. Does a frog
really feel like a dill pickle? Come to Dahlem
and find out!
Standards: 1.LS3.A; 1.LS3.B; 3.LS3.A; 3.LS3.B
Aquatic Studies
Grades 3-8
2.5-3 hours
Spring & Fall
All life depends on clean water. A study of the
biota in an aquatic ecosystem can be used to
determine water quality. Students sample for
life at both a pond and a stream. Identification
of living organisms sampled at each site leads
to a discussion about the quality of the water at
Dahlem.
Standards: 1.LSS1.A; 1.LS3.1; 2.LS4.1;
3.LS3.A; 3.LS3.B; 3.LS4.C; 3.LS4.D; 4.LS1.2;
5.LS2.A; MS.LS1.A; MS.LS1.D
Annie’s Big Nature Lesson
Annie’s Big Nature Lesson is a week-long outdoor
education immersion program developed by Margaret
Holtschlag, a 4th grade teacher from Lansing and the
1999-2000 Michigan Teacher of the Year.
Classes that participate in ABNL are out at Dahlem
for the entire school day for an entire week. Almost all
lessons take place outdoors. Each day the classes receive
one naturalist-led program, and the teachers lead the rest
of the lessons, which include one hour of journaling each
day.
Teachers who participate in ABNL attend training in
September to learn how the program runs, and then sign
up for a week at Dahlem, usually between November and
March.
ABNL is not your typical “field trip” - it is a “study trip,”
because each day students receive their regular school
lessons, the only difference is that they are taught
outdoors.
From a Student: Thank you for all that you have done for
my class. It was such a great experience being out in the
wild learning science.
Signing up for a Program
When you are ready to register, please call us at 517782-3453. Our offices are open Tuesday - Friday 9:00
AM - 5:00 PM.
Please have the following information ready:
• preferred program date and time;
• back-up date and time, just in case we can’t grant
your first choice;
• names of all the teachers who will be present;
• teachers’ email addresses;
• grade and number of students who will be attending;
• number of chaperones who will be attending;
• school name, address and phone number;
• name of the program(s) you’d like us to teach.
Payment:
If you are choosing one of our existing programs, they
are $5/student with a minimum payment of $50. If we
are developing a program (or program series) for your
students, there is an additional $300 fee for program
development.
Chaperones are free, and we request that you bring
one chaperone per ten students, and one for every five
students in pre-school (includes the teacher). Additional
chaperones are charged the $3 fee each. Chaperones are
invited (and encouraged) to participate in the program,
but please make sure they understand that they are there
for crowd control.
Payment can be made the day of your program. Checks
are made out to” The Dahlem Conservancy. Programs
that are cancelled with less than 48 hours notice will be
charged a $50 fee.
See page 7 for financial assistance information!!
The Travelling Naturalist -
Dahlem Programs at Your School
Travelling Naturalist
Information
Sometimes schools cannot
come out to Dahlem, so we
bring Dahlem out to them!
Our Travelling Naturalist
outreach program can accommodate one class (or 40
students) at a time, unless
otherwise stated in the program
description.
The Travelling Naturalist fee is
the same as our Science
Outings fee: $5/student with a
$50 minimum.
We ask that teachers remain in
the classroom at all times
during our programs. Teachers
are asked to monitor their
students to be sure they are
getting the most out of our
programs.
Skulls, Scats & Tracks
Grades 1-5 1.5 hours
Year Round
Students see and touch Michigan
mammal skins and skulls, explore
mammal classification, adaptations
and predator/prey relationships. Students also investigate animals signs,
such as scats and tracks, that they can
search for in their own back yards.
Standards: 1.LSS1.A; 1.LS3.1; 2.LS4.A;
3.LS3.A; 3.LS4.C; 3.LS3.B; 4.LS1.2; 5.LS2.A;
MS.LS1.A; MS.LS1.D
How to Build an Animal
Grades 1-5 1.5 hours
Year Round
How do beavers build their dams?
Are all bird feathers the same? Do
snakes have a tail? Students explore
the fascinating array of animal adaptations and how each characteristic helps
the species survive in the challenging
Michigan environment.
Standards: 1.LSS1.A; 1.LS3.1; 2.LS4.1.;
3.LS3.A; 3.LS4.C; 4.LS1.2; 5.LS2.A;
MS.LS1.A; MS.LS1.D
The Life Cycle of Stuff
Grade 4
1 hour
Year Round
Students interactively explore the
concepts of natural resources, human
impact, and how we can all protect
the environment through reducing,
reusing and recycling our waste. This
program is offered free thanks to sponsorship from both the Dahlem Conservancy and Recycling Jackson, and
serves as part of our Michigan Green
Schools initiative. The program can
take up to 30 students at a time. This
program is FREE.
Our World of Water
Grades 4-6
3 hours April & May
This hands-on program is designed
specifically to meet the GLCEs for
students who are learning about water,
the water cycle, and watersheds. Four
classrooms can be accommodated at
once, each taking turns visiting the
four learning stations we bring and
set up at your school. Each station
teaches a different topic: watersheds,
groundwater, the water cycle, and
macroinvertebrates. There is a program fee of $350, which comes out to
less than $5/student, our regular program fee. We received a grant to help
allay costs for schools whose budgets
are tight - please contact us, and check
out other financial assistance options
on page 7 (Teacher Resources).
Standards:
S.IP.04.11
S.IP.05.11
S.IP.04.12 S.IP.05.12
S.IP.04.13 S.RS.05.13
L.OL.04.15 S.RS.05.15
L.OL.04.16
L.EV.05.11
L.EV.04.21 L.EV.05.12
L.EC.04.11
L.EC.04.21 P.CM.04.11 S.IP.06.11
S.IP.06.12
S.IA.06.14
SRS.06.27
L.EC.06.11
L.EC.06.21
L.EC.06.23
L.EC.06.31
L.EC.06.41
L.EC.06.42
Remember - financial assistance is
available to help you bring these
programs to your school. See Teacher
Resources (p. 7) for more information.
Homeschoolers
Non-traditional schooling is on the rise, and
Dahlem is here to serve. Homeschoolers, whether
as individual families or organized groups, are
encouraged to take advantage of our environmental
education programs, helping their children develop
into the Earth’s stewards of tomorrow.
Homeschool groups are encouraged to sign up for
any of our regular school programs, with the exception of Our World of Water and Annie’s Big Nature
Lesson.
For more information or to sign up, contact
Carrie Benham at 517-782-3453 or
[email protected].
Scouts and Other Youth Groups
Girl and Boy Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters,
YMCA groups, camps, et al are welcome at Dahlem
to work on various nature badges and programs.
Groups can also choose from many of our existing
school programs.
We charge $5/student with a $50 minimum.
For more information, or to sign up, contact
Ellen Rathbone at 517-782-3453 or
[email protected].
urur
Teacher Resources
Financial Assistance
Don’t let lack of school funding keep you away from
nature! There are many organizations out there that
offer mini-grants to teachers to help them pay for
programs like these.
•
Michigan Community Credit Union offers mini-grants
for teachers four times a year. www.micommunitycu.com
•
The Meemic Foundation offers $500 grants four times a
year for a variety of programs, including field trips.
www.meemic.com
•
The Michigan Nature Association and Lake Trust
Credit Union announce the availability of $500 grants
for field trips to natural areas. These grants are intended
to assist teachers in developing fun, hands-on field trips
for teaching students about the natural environment.
The grants can cover bus transportation and educational
supplies for field trips to eligible natural areas,
including community nature centers, MNA sanctuaries,
or other appropriate locations.
michigannature.org/home/news/naturefieldtrips.shtml
• Donors Choose is an online crowd-source funding forum.
They have several categories for teachers looking to fund
projects. donorschoose.org
• Target also helps fund field trips for schools! Check out
their website:
corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants/
field-trip-grants
• Honda is another corporation who funds school
programs: corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.
aspx?id=ahf
•
Dahlem offers financial assistance for Our World of
Water, thanks to grants we have received. Call Ellen for
information: 517-782-3453.
•
Dahlem also offers assistance through grants to pay for
busing. For more information, contact Denise Bigham at
517-782-3453
Continuing Education, Certifications and Workshops, et al
•
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning
environmental education program that uses the forest as
a “window” into natural and built environments, helping people gain an awareness and knowledge of the world
around them. www.cedarcreekinstitute.org
•
The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is an innovative,
interdisciplinary conservation ethics curriculum targeted
for grades 6-12. LEP is a part of Pheasants Forever’s
education program to create an ecologically literate
citizenry. www.lep.org
•
•
Project F.I.S.H. is and educational program for youth
and families sponsored locally by schools, fishing conservation organizations, others interested in fishing and our
fisheries www.projectfish.org
Audubon Adventures is an environmental education
curriculum product created by the National Audubon
Society for grades 3 - 8. Developed by professional
environmental educators, Audubon Adventures presents
standards-based science content about birds, wildlife, and
their habitats. www.audubonadventures.org
•
Project WILD is a wildlife-focused conservation education program for K-12 educators and their students. It
is based on the premise that young people and educators
have a vital interest in learning about our natural world
and addresses the need for human beings to develop as
responsible citizens of our planet. projectwild.org
•
Project WET’s mission is to reach children, parents,
teachers and community members of the world with
water education that promotes awareness of water and
empowers community action to solve complex water
issues. projectwet.org
•
Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor
Education (MAEOE) is a statewide organization that
unites all sorts of environmental professionals who are
educating Michigan citizens toward environmental
literacy, stewardship and outdoor recreation. Their
annual fall conference is a must for school teachers!
www.maeoe.com
Testimonials
“I also liked when we learn how to use the compasses,
Fred would not stay in the shed.” ~ Student, Frost
“Thank you for all that you have done for my
class. I appreciate it...and I am very thankful. It
was such a great experience being out in the wild
learning science.” ~5th grade student, Frost
“My favorite thing was going outside for about an hour
and writing about the weather and things around us. I
really loved seeing a hawk. That was the best part of
the whole trip.” ~ 4th grade student, Frost
It’s never too late to get ‘em outdoors, where Nature is the best teacher of all.