PROGRAMS FOR GRADES K-2

• UP TO 25 INDIVIDUALS

  • Butterfly Life Cycle

    • 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. This lesson features a discussion on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly and a highly entertaining transformation of a student into a butterfly.

  • How Do You Know It's Alive?

    • “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.

  • Insects and Spiders

    • 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 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.

  • Nocturnal Animals

    • We see, hear, smell, touch, or taste to understand our world. Students will participate in “senses-on” activities while learning how nocturnal animals use their own senses to thrive at night. This program features 1-2 live animals.

  • Pets and Wild Animals

    • 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.

  • Where Do Seeds Come From?

    • 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. If time and weather allow, we can also head outside to look for seeds on the school grounds!

  • What is Soil?

    • 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 in an interactive soil cooking show. They will also learn how everything on planet Earth can be traced back to a dependence on soil.

 

PROGRAMS FOR GRADES 3-6

• UP TO 25 INDIVIDUALS

  • Beaks, Wings, and Feathered Things

    • Participants will learn all about birds in this high-flying lesson. From beaks to feathers, participants 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, participants investigate how the different shapes of beaks help birds find a meal. This program features 1-2 live animals.

  • Exploring Your Watershed

    • Where does the water go when it rains? Explore the flow of water in your watershed both indoors and outdoors! Participants will demonstrate 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.

  • Food Webs

    • All organisms, or living things, require energy. But is acquiring that energy 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.

  • Honey Bees as Pollinators

    • Honeybees are well-known for their role as crop pollinators, but how much do you know about life inside the hive? Students become honeybees and act out different roles in the hive, learning how each bee contributes to the colony’s success.

  • Investigating Plant Parts

    • When you are eating a carrot, what part of a plant are you eating? 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.

  • Skulls: Form and Function

    • 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? Participants 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.

  • Under the Microscope

    • Students observe the “smaller picture,” the microscopic world of incredibly tiny things. Students learn how microscopes work, then use Brock Scopes in small groups to examine an entire ecosystem of live animals found in the soil beneath our feet!

  • Vertebrates and Invertebrates

    • Scientists have a variety of ways to categorize animals, one of which is the absence or presence of a backbone. Students will first learn about the advantages and disadvantages of being a vertebrate or invertebrate. Then, using artifacts and live animals, students will explore the similarities and differences between these two distinct groups and test their skills along the way. This program features 1-2 live animals.

• UP TO 40 INDIVIDUALS

  • Colonial Games

    • 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!

  • Pennsylvania Woods and Wildlife

    • 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 learning first-hand how biotic and abiotic systems come together when trying to survive. This program features 1-2 live animals.

  • Predator vs. Prey

    • How do predators stalk their prey? How do prey animals avoid being captured by predators? Participants 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.​

 

PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES

• UP TO 25 INDIVIDUALS

  • Investigating Insects

    • Participants discover what makes an insect an insect, learn their body parts, explore their amazing adaptations to the world, and address their bad reputations. They’ll then put their new knowledge to the test by meeting some of Briar Bush’s animal ambassadors. Which are insects and which are not? This program features 3 live animals.

  • Lenape Living

    • 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. Students will have the opportunity to try their hand at grinding corn, feel deerskin clothing, and play traditional Lenape games.

  • What Animals Leave Behind

    • The suburbs are filled with our natural neighbors such as squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, raccoons, and skunks, that are hard to see since they mostly try to avoid us. But their signs are everywhere! Students become nature detectives, observing and interpreting the signs animals leave: scat, bones, fur, feathers and more. They’ll also observe some of Briar Bush’s animal ambassadors as they make footprints right in the classroom! This program features 1-2 live animals.

  • You Show Off!

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

• UP TO 40 INDIVIDUALS

  • Trees from Root to Shoot

    • 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,” participants 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.

• ANY GROUP SIZE

  • Live Animal Encounter

    • 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 custom theme!

      • General Animal Program – Educator’s Choice

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

      • Animals in Spring

        • In spring, all of nature seems to be coming to life! Find out how different animals respond to the longer days and warmer temperatures and how you can help animal babies when they are injured.

      • 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.

      • 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.

      • Have to Have a Habitat

        • Where do animals find all the food, water, shelter, and space that they need? In their habitats! Meet animals that come from different habitats around the world and find out how they survive in such diverse places.

      • 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!

      • Incredible Invertebrates

        • Head, thorax, abdomen, and six legs: that's what makes an insect unique! See these features up close while meeting live insects and their close relatives. Are you brave enough to touch some creepy crawlies?

      • 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 backyard! In this program, you'll meet animals from here in Pennsylvania and learn why they are worthy of some hometown pride.

      • Nature at Night

        • The night is filled with mystery, including lots of nocturnal animals. We'll meet some nighttime animal specialists and discover how they are able to navigate the darkness with their heightened senses.

      • Reptiles are the Rage

        • They're cold-blooded, they're scaly, they're reptiles! Reptiles are some of the most fascinating and misunderstood animals 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.

      • 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!

      • Winter Survival

        • When it is 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.

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