a man and child inspecting an insect

Nature-Based Education

About our Nature Programs

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County is proud of our strong history in providing immersive educational experiences for Broome County residents. Nature education offers a wide variety of opportunities for all ages to get involved and learn about the natural world around us.

Nature education programs for students include in-school programs, field trips, and on-site visits where students will get hands on experience learning about a variety of topics ranging from ecology, life cycles, conservation, and local land history through the lens of our local plants, animals, and natural resources.

Nature education also offers a multitude of opportunities for all community members including guided walks/tours, hands-on workshops, lecture-style presentations, and one-off series which highlight our local habitats and species. 

a man showing taxidermy animals to children during a nature presentation

In-School Nature Programs

Nature educators will come to your classroom for a 30–45-minute program on your chosen topic. In-school programs are listed below under each topic area: Birds, Mammals, Trees, Haudenosaunee and Nature, Dirty Water, and Animals Up-Close. Educators are happy to visit several classrooms in the same school if multiple teachers are interested in an in-school program. 

Interested in a topic not listed below? Nature educators are happy to accommodate other topics or ideas, please contact us for more information! 

Interested in setting up a nature program for your classroom? Fill out our interest form.

In-School Nature Programs Offered

  • Prime Parts: A demonstration of bird parts and their functions focusing on the various adaptations different groups of birds have which help them survive in their environment. (Grades 2 and up, 30-45 minutes)
  • Let’s build a Bird: Teaches students how adaptations of birds relate to their lifestyle by matching different types of bird heads, feet, and wings to create an all-new type of bird. Students will be able to explain how their new bird lives based on its adaptations. (Grades 2 and under, 30-45 minutes)
  • Mystery Tracks: Students print animal tracks, and with the help of props and clues, identify the animal behind the track. (Grades 2 and up, 30-45 minutes)
  • Keeping Track of Baby: Using their noses, students learn how mammal mothers and babies keep track of each other. (Grades 1 and up, 30-45 minutes)
  • Keying out Trees: Identify several common Broome County trees through the use of a simple key/identification scheme. (Grades 3 and up, 30-45 minutes)
  • From Paper to Plastic: Discover some of the things people get from trees through this creative thinking activity (Grades 3 and up, 30 minutes)
  • Leaf Rubbings: Students create their very own field guide using the leaf rubbing technique. (All Grades)
  • Natural tools: Learn how the Haudenosaunee used natural resources such as fur, feathers, antlers, and more in this thinking activity. (Grades 3 and up)
  • Haudenosaunee legends: Learn the importance of oral tradition with legends that feature animals and other natural themes to explain various aspects of the natural world and our role in it. (All grades)

“Dirty Water” focuses on issues concerning water use, pollution, management, and sanitation. During this visual demonstration, students will follow the journey of clean water as it gets dirtied by organic, inorganic, soluble, and insoluble contaminants, the processes by which it gets filtered and sanitized, and how it re-enters our waterways once cleaned. (All grades, 30-45 minutes)

Our “Animals Up-Close" programs are geared towards our youngest learners and provide interactive experiences for students from Pre-K ages through kindergarten. Topics include birds, mammals, insects, animals in winter, and animal coverings. During these programs, young learners will learn about the various adaptations of animals within the chosen topic area that make them uniquely able to survive in their environments. Our up-close programs feature many components and activities geared towards young learners to make learning about these topics as interactive and fun as possible. Students will even be able to get hands-on experiences with some of our program materials such as taxidermy, pelts, and bones towards the end of the program.

Nature Field Trips

Nature educators will meet school groups at a Broome County Park for a three-hour field trip on a topic of your choice. Field trips include a guided nature walk, an activity led by a nature educator, and an activity led by a schoolteacher (materials provided by CCE). Activity options are listed below under each topic area.

In the event of poor weather, the field trip can be rescheduled if rebooking is available through BC Parks, or nature educators can come to your school for an adapted in-door program. School teachers can select from any of the BC Parks for their trip. CCE nature educators are happy to provide suggestions on which park(s) would be best suited for your selected topic/school group’s needs. 

Interested in a Nature Field Trip? Fill out our Interest Form.

children using nets to catch and study pond life

Field Trips Offered

Nature educators meet your school group at Nathaniel Cole Park or Greenwood Park for a three-hour pond ecology trip. Students rotate through three 45-minute activities: a guided pond study (collecting and discussing pond life and its adaptations), a guided nature walk, and a teacher-led activity, with time for lunch (lunch not provided by CCE). Schools with an on-site pond may request an on-campus version - contact our staff to discuss.

Teacher-Led Activities

  • Pond Web of Life - Interconnections in the pond community, and what happens when one breaks (Grades 3 and up)
  • Aquatic Life Concentration - A pond-themed memory game (Grades 3 and up)
  • "Are You Me?" - Match pond creature babies to their adult forms (All grades)
  • Create-a-Creature - Design a mythical creature with survival adaptations (Grades 2 and up)
  • Little Green Monsters - Real pond plants strange enough to seem fictional (All grades)
  • Dirty Water - How easily water is contaminated and how hard it is to clean; for smaller groups only, replacing the third rotation and led by a CCE educator after lunch (All grades)**

**Dirty Water is offered for smaller groups which would only need two-rotations (i.e. the pond study and the guided walk). Dirty Water is led by a CCE nature educator for the entire group following lunch (i.e. it takes the place of a third, "teacher-led" activity if three rotations are not needed due to a smaller group size).
 

Nature educators meet your school group at a Broome County Park of your choice for a three-hour field trip focused on birds. Students rotate through three 45-minute activities: a guided nature walk, a CCE educator-led activity, and a teacher-led activity (materials provided), with time for lunch (lunch not provided by CCE).

CCE Educator-Led Activities 

  • Oh, Birdie! -  An active game showing how birds depend on habitat, and what happens when their needs aren't met (Grades 2 and up)
  • Name That Bird - An active game introducing common bird species (Grades 3 and up)
  • Deadly Links - Introduces food chains and the impact of pesticides on birds and wildlife (Grades 3 and up)
  • Web of Life - Explores interdependence in nature and human impact on the environment (Grades 3 and up)
  • Bird Survivor - Explores the bird life cycle and challenges nesting birds face (Grades 3 and up)
  • Migration Obstacle Course - Students run a course simulating challenges birds face during migration (Grades 2 and up)
  • Bird Spy Bingo - A birding-themed bingo game, included as part of the guided nature walk.

Teacher-Led Activity

  • Bird Concentration - A card-matching game pairing bird adaptations with facts (Grades 3 and up)

Nature educators meet your school group at a Broome County Park of your choice for a three-hour field trip focused on mammals. Students rotate through three 45-minute activities: a guided nature walk, a CCE educator-led activity, and a teacher-led activity (materials provided), with time for lunch (lunch not provided by CCE).

CCE Educator-Led Activities

  • Oh, Deer! - An active game showing how mammals depend on habitat, and what happens when their needs aren't met (Grades 2 and up)
  • How Many Bears Can Live in This Forest? -  An interactive game exploring habitat and carrying capacity. (Grades 5 and up)
  • Quick Frozen Critters - An active game illustrating predator/prey relationships and behavioral adaptations (Grades 2 and up)
  • Food Chain Game - Introduces food chains and predator-prey relationships (Grades 3 and up)
  • Web of Life - Explores interdependence in nature and human impact on the environment (Grades 3 and up)
  • Creature Features - Introduces animal adaptations (Grades 4 and up)
  • Animal/Habitat Relay - A relay race matching animals to their proper habitat or group (All grades)
  • The Change Game - A predator/prey game examining prey defenses, predator skills, and success rates for both (Grades 3 and up)

Teacher-Led Activity

  • Mammal Concentration - A memory-matching game reviewing mammal characteristics and facts (Grades 3 and up)

Nature educators meet your school group at a Broome County Park of your choice for a three-hour field trip focused on trees. Students rotate through three 45-minute activities: a guided nature walk, a CCE educator-led activity, and a teacher-led activity (materials provided), with time for lunch (lunch not provided by CCE).

CCE Educator-Led Activities

Maple Seed Mix-Up - An active game exploring what seeds need to sprout and grow (All grades)
Keying Out Trees - Students use a simple key to identify trees in the field (Grades 3 and up)

Teacher-Led Activities

Tree Concentration - Match tree names with facts (Grades 3 and up)
Picture Tree Concentration - Match paired pictures representing tree and forest concepts (All grades)

A man showing children different types of leaves

On-Site Nature Visits

On-site nature experiences are designed to get students outdoors and engaged in their local ecology through guided nature walks on your school's campus. One group, 30 students maximum, may be scheduled per on-site nature experience. Multiple visits can be scheduled for several groups in the same school for the same day (for example, one or two classes in the morning and one or two classes in the afternoon). These programs are best suited for schools that have ample outdoors space to facilitate a walk and are typically about 45-60 minutes in length. If your school has scheduled time periods, we recommend fitting an on-site visit into those and are happy to work with you to make that happen.

The guided nature walks can be broad-based, or focused on specific topics such as birds, mammals, trees, insects, etc.. Nature educators are happy to collaborate with teachers to focus on topics/themes that would be most relevant to the students.

In the event of poor weather, the program can be rescheduled, or nature educators can provide an adapted in-door interactive nature experience. 

Interested in an on-site visit? Fill out our interest form.

Children playing in a creek

Community Based-Nature Education

CCE of Broome County offers nature-based education programs to the community free of charge year-round. Visit our Events Page for current offerings.

Interested in a nature-based education program for your community group? We are also happy to come to your community group/organization, such as a scout troop or club, for a nature-based program. To submit an inquiry, fill out our interest form. Nature educators are happy to adapt one of our pre-existing programs, or collaborate with your group to fit your needs!