Search for School Programs at Stony Brook

Beavers are the largest rodents in North America and one of very few animals that are actually able to modify their environment. Using models, topographical maps and aerial photos, gather data on how beavers change their habitat. Explore how these changes affect plants and animals within their habitat.

Learn about the complex web of life in this program about food chains. Play games and conduct activities to visually display native food chains and the effect humans have on them. Examine the skulls of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores for clues about what they eat. Finally, take a walk along Stony Brook's trails in search of animals and evidence of their roles in their food chains.

Learn about the complex web of life in this program about food chains. Play games and conduct activities to visually display native food chains and the effect humans have on them. Examine the skulls of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores for clues about what they eat.

Learn about seeds and plants inside and out. Discover how seeds grow into plants. And plants produce seedsParticipate in a seed match up, learn how plants "breathe" and search for seeds along Stony Brook's trails.

Investigate three different habitats at Stony Brook. Discover how a sow bug, painted turtle, and coyote interact with their habitats to find food, water, space, and shelter.

Our staff will visit your school for a one hour class which introduces your students to habitats. Students discuss the components of a good habitat and create a habitat for a wild animal including the components necessary for survival.

Creep, crawl, and scoop in search of insects. Investigate the habitats where insects live and learn about their physical features, adaptations, and life cycles. Using nets and bug boxes, discover the variety of insect life in Stony Brook's pond, forest, and field.

Learn how the landscape of Stony Brook was shaped by glaciers. Walk atop our esker and search for glacial striations. Explore the changes human impact has made on the landscape and landforms.

Discover nature's wonders on this hike as your preschoolers sharpen their sensory skills. Listen for the singing birds, smell the skunk cabbage, feel the soft moss, and look for basking turtles. Sensory exploration and the wonder of nature will be the focus of the field trip.

Take a more in-depth look at the pond ecosystem. Collect water samples and aquatic organisms and then return to our "wet lab" to gather data the physical structures that allow them to survive and thrive.

Using nets and bug boxes, discover the animals and plants that live in the pond and their unique adaptations for survival in this watery habitat. Explore the habitat around the pond followed by a hands-on examination of the animals living in it. Older children will conduct a more in-depth survey of the pond with a focus on populations and specific identification.

Using nets and bug boxes, discover the animals and plants that live in the pond and their unique adaptations for survival in this watery habitat. Explore the habitat around the pond followed by a hands-on examination of the animals living in it. Older children will conduct a more in-depth survey of the pond with a focus on populations and specific identification.

Our staff will visit your school for a one hour class which introduces your students to ponding. This class is designed to support a field trip to Stony Brook.

Our staff will visit your school for a one hour class which introduces your students to ponding. Students observe both living organisms and artifacts and classify them. This class is designed to build on Ponding In-Class I, but can be adapted to stand alone. Both classes are designed to support a field trip to Stony Brook.

Awaken your students' senses to the natural world. With a little closer attention to looking, smelling, listening, and touching. Discover how much you can learn and appreciate all that nature offers in our backyards. Each season brings new things to explore and study along the trails at Stony Brook.

How are trees important to people? This full-day field trip introduces students to tree identification, anatomy, and the important roles trees play in our lives and the lives of native animals. We will illustrate the mystery of photosynthesis inside a giant leaf and take a closer look at tree decomposition and decomposers in forming forest soils.

Explore our temporary wetlands that fill with water each spring. Dip net for aquatic insects, search for amphibians, and investigate what makes the plants and animals of this ecosystem unique.

Do you know your watershed address? This introduction to wetlands and watersheds uses models andhands-on activities to define these concepts. Students will learn about the importance of water quality to the lives of plants, animals, and humans. Using chemical tests and scientific methodology, students will determine the water quality of Stony Brook's pond or a pond near your school. Students will also use macroinvertebrate sampling as a method of determining the health of a pond. Data collection and analysis techniques will be emphasized. To increase the effectiveness of this program, an in-class introduction to watersheds is suggested.