With children home from school, the Environmental Nature Center has shifted to provide learning opportunities from afar. The ENC’s Distance Learning programs bring the field trip to YOU. Take a virtual hike with an ENC Naturalist as they present your program LIVE with easily accessible technology. Your students will have the ability to ask and answer questions about what they observe in real time. The ENC presents Distance Learning programs to preschool – 6th grade classes throughout the school year. The curricula for each program supports the Next Generation Science Standards for each grade level. Our unique grade-specific programs enable students to participate year after year to build on previous learning. Students develop a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world around them as they build and deepen their knowledge. These core ideas build on each other, and on what they’re learning in their classrooms. We are currently scheduling Distance Learning programs for the 2020-21 school year at the Environmental Nature Center.
We also offer virtual scout programs and virtual bEARTHday parties.
Call (949) 645-8489 or email Mindy to schedule a program!
Grades
Science Learning
History-Social Science
PreK/TK
Students pack up their backpacks and use dramatic play to accompany an ENC naturalist on a hike through various habitats. They meet several live animals along the way and learn how these habitats make great homes for these critters. Students get to ask questions in real time and have their questions answered by our knowledgeable naturalists. $65, 45 minutes
K
Students will observe and interpret patterns between what plants, animals, and humans need to survive. On a virtual hike through our trails, they will learn how animals and humans can change the environment for better or worse. The program will end by brainstorming as a class things that we can do to help nature. $65, 45 minutes
1st
On a virtual hike through the ENC, students will discuss how human inventions are often inspired by nature. The naturalist will introduce the students to an animal that has an unusual sense for ‘smelling’ its prey. Students will also meet live animals as they learn about metamorphosis and other life cycles. $75, 1 hour
2nd
On a virtual hike through the ENC, students observe signs of erosion and discuss how land can change suddenly or over thousands of years. Students learn about pollination as they meet and interview a pollinator. They discover the importance of biodiversity by meeting one of our native snakes and by playing a game with the naturalist. $75, 1 hour
3rd
On a virtual hike through the ENC, students will learn about animal adaptations and meet several species of live insects along the way. Students will meet a live amphibian and discuss its life cycle. They will also be able to observe skulls from various animals to determine their adaptations for capturing and eating food. $75, 1 hour
Students travel back in time to learn about the tools, trade, and customs of the Tongva (Gabrielino) and Acjachemen (Juaneno) peoples of Orange County. During a virtual hike, students see many examples of native plants that were used for tools, medicine, food, and clothing. Students will also be given demonstrations of how musical instruments, hunting tools, and pump drills were used in everyday life. $75, 1 hour
4th
Students explore science careers on a virtual hike through the ENC. They engage in botany as they identify native plants along our trails. They engage in botany as they study plant adaptations in the chaparral ecosystem. Then they will learn about microbiology as they go on a virtual dig through our compost pile. Students will become entomologists as they meet both live and preserved insect specimens. $75, 1 hour
During a virtual hike along the trail, students learn about the lifestyles of indigenous peoples from throughout California. Students will be given demonstrations in food preparations, fire-making, and weaving. Finally, students will enter a life-size Tongva dwelling and listen to a native California legend. $75, 1 hour
5th – 8th
On a virtual hike through the ENC, students engage in ecology as they help the naturalist create a 3-D model of a food web and learn the significance of trophic levels. Students will identify native plants along our trails as they review the process of photosynthesis. The naturalist will introduce the students to an ‘indicator species’ that is sensitive to water pollution as they learn about the water cycle. $75, 1 hour
On a virtual hike along the beach at Corona del Mar, students will learn about the Southern California tidepools. Students will observe and learn about the various organisms that are found in tidepools, as well as how they interact with each other and their environment. Students will also learn about the geology found along the beach and how our lifestyle choices affect this sensitive ecosystem. $95, 1 hour
Cancellation Policy:
If you need to cancel your program for any reason, please email mindy@encenter.org so that we have it in writing. We will respond via email that we received your cancellation. If you do not receive a response to your email, please call 949-645-8489 and speak with Mindy or Lori. If cancellations occur at least two weeks before the program, no fees apply. If cancellations occur within two weeks before the date of the program, the minimum fee for the scheduled program will be charged.