NATURE PROGRAMS

The nature programs at Bunker Hill Environmental Education Center are designed as an integral part of the Franklin Township Public School Science curriculum. The programs meet core curriculum standards and provide hands-on lessons in “nature’s classroom,” the fields and the forest on the Center’s property.

Seasonal Hike

Students will explore the forest and fields of the Bunker Hill Environmental Education Center using their senses. They will list the differences in a natural setting in spring, summer, fall and winter. Students will become wildlife detectives by finding clues of animal life on the property.

Inspecting Insects and Spiders

Learn the characteristics of insects and spiders and observe them in their habitats. Collect a variety of fascinating critters and discover what adaptations they have to help them survive. Learn about the benefits of insects and spiders to both humans and wildlife.

Creatures of the Forest Floor

Discover the vast world of the forest floor. By using a trowel and bug bottle find and collect organisms that live on the forest floor, in the leaf litter and underground. Learn all about the role decomposers play in the food chain and our environment, before releasing the organisms back into their homes.

Animal Evidence

It is hard to find animals on a hike in the woods because they are afraid of humans! Students will learn how to discover what animals live here by looking for the evidence they leave behind such as scat, tracks, fur, feathers, and bones.

Feathered Friends

What makes a bird a bird? Examine closely the adaptations of these special creatures that allow them to take flight. Why are some birds' feathers, beaks, and feet different from others? Try to build a bird's nest and learn some common bird calls.

Amazing Adaptations

Find out how animals of New Jersey have adapted to their environment. Learn about animal adaptations, camouflage, predators, and prey. See special adaptations of different types of animals. Touch and examine skulls and specimens. Play interactive games to understand animal adaptations.

Tremendous Trees

Bunker Hill is home to an incredible diversity of tree species. After learning the parts of a tree, students will learn how to identify trees and discover how both people and wildlife use them.

Bird Migration

Every year many of New Jersey’s birds travel long distances to migrate south for the winter months only to return a few months later in the spring. Learn through discussion and an interactive game, factors that help migrating birds along their migration pathway and obstacles that migrating birds may encounter. Also, students will recognize human effects on bird migration.

Orienteering - Finding Your Way Through Your Watershed

Students will learn the basics of orienteering by identifying the parts of a compass and learning how to properly use the compass. The students will describe and illustrate the water cycle. The journey begins, as the students become water droplets and head into the forest to a designated orienteering course. Using teamwork and their compasses the students will navigate through the course and answer and discuss questions relating to the local watershed.

Outdoor Living Skills

Students will learn through hands-on activities what one needs to survive without the amenities that every day life provides. Students will sharpen their survival skills by identifying what the basic needs are for human survival. Students will construct a shelter based on the conditions and needs of their specific group.

Life & Death in the Forest

Students will learn the importance of food chains and the dynamic forces food chains play in an

ecosystem. Students will demonstrate the dependence of each and every species upon each other for survival by playing a fast paced game in the forest. Students will find a home or just a good place to hide, without getting caught by the predator while maneuvering around a designated playing area in the forest in search of food and water.

Ecosystem Comparison

Students will observe and record data from two different ecosystems. They will examine the soil, temperature, plant life, animal life and human impacts in the areas. Students will explain how the differences in plant life effect what animal life is present and why there are differences in the two ecosystems. Students will also explain how humans affect natural systems.