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School Programs
Shaw Nature Reserve school programs offer students the opportunity to experience and investigate the natural world under the guidance of skilled staff and volunteer Teacher Naturalists. Programs are designed to encourage inquiry, exploration and problem solving. Instructors lead hands-on investigations that enable students to discover, gather information, ask questions, and begin to formulate their own answers. Discoveries in the field can stimulate more questions and new investigations to be pursued back in the classroom. Classes are 2 hours long (unless otherwise noted) and we encourage you to schedule two classes with a lunch in between to make the most out of your Shaw Nature Reserve experience.
Day Programs:
Overnight Programs:
For information about our SHAW OUTDOOR SCIENCE SCHOOL or scheduling 2-5 day overnight programs at the Dana Brown Overnight Center, please go to DBOC.
If you would like to schedule a program or have a program scheduled, please review our
scheduling and cancellation policies.
Required Chaperones:
Grades PK-3: 1 adult per 8 students
Grades 4 and up: 1 adult per 10 students
Fees
$2 per student per program except Maple Syrup Making which is $3 per student
Required number of chaperones are free
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EARTHWALKS
An introductory exploration into the wonders of the natural world. Instructors will lead your students through special activities using the five senses. Depending on the season, your students might use their sense of touch to identify a natural object or make a scented “teabag” to take home or use a mirror to simulate how different animals see. The five senses will be awakened during this light and comfortable approach to nature.
Grades: PK-8 (class will be grade appropriate)
March-May, September-November
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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EARTH ENCOUNTERS
In this exciting class, Mother Nature needs help finding the missing piece to the puzzle of how nature works. After an introductory puppet show, students set out with their instructor on an adventure following clues that lead to the discovery of all the parts of nature, including the missing piece – themselves! Students learn about the wonders of our living Earth and discover that they, too, are an important part of nature.
Concepts covered: soil formation, photosynthesis, water cycle, sunlight energy, basic plant parts, animal adaptations, diversity, fungus.
Grades: K-2
March-May, September-November
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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MAPLE SYRUP MAKING
Celebrate the coming of spring! Learn about maple syrup by exploring the two processes that make it all possible: photosynthesis and the water cycle. Explore the fields and woodlands as your students discover these processes. The annual cycle of sap movement and the importance of sap to trees will be investigated. Help with the collection and cooking down of the sap and enjoy a sample of this delicious syrup.
Concepts covered: photosynthesis, water cycle, tree form and function, tree identification, addition, division.
Grades 4-8
February
3 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $3 per student
Reservations open October 2, 2005
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FOREST ECOLOGY
How are forest trees like apartment buildings? Why do many wildflowers bloom in the spring? Why do some animals live only in the forest? Answers to these and other questions will be discovered as your students explore the upland forest. Through investigations of decomposing logs, comparing and contrasting different areas of the forest using simple equipment such as thermometers and wind meters, and a variety of other hands-on activities, students develop an understanding that the forest is a diverse and fascinating ecosystem.
Concepts covered: decomposition, microhabitats, animal adaptations, abiotic factors, food chains, predator/prey relationships, basic needs of life, taking measurements using simple tools.
Grades: 4-8
April
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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WETLANDS ARE WONDERFUL Like any other ecosystem, the wetland is a complex and active place! A wide variety of plants and animals live in this special natural community. Observe some of the inhabitants up close and discover some of their distinguishing characteristics that allow them to survive in this watery environment. Use microscopes to compare the structure of terrestrial plants and aquatic plants. Using a wetland model your students will understand how a wetland functions and why they are so valuable to the inhabitants and humans, alike!
Concepts covered: plant and animal adaptations, wetland function, plant structure, benefits of wetlands, animal identification, predator/prey relationships, food chains, and basic needs of life.
Grades: 4-8
May
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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WET AND WILD A whole tiny world lives in the lake community. In small groups, your students will sample the pond for the diversity of organisms living in various zones. They will observe some of the organisms distinguishing characteristics that allow them to live underwater and interact with each other. Using various magnification tools and identification guides students will identify a wide variety of organisms, focusing on structures used for feeding, moving through the water and breathing.
Concepts covered: Food chains, basic needs of life, animal adaptations, predator/prey relationships, animal identification, using identification guides and simple magnification tools.
Grades: 4-8
September
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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TALL GRASS PRAIRIE Explore the fascinating ecosystem that once covered 40% of Missouri. Learn the history of this unique grassland community and investigate some of the inhabitants that make up this ecosystem. Discover how these plants and animals are adapted to live on the hot, wind-swept prairie. Find plants that were used by the Native Americans and pioneers for medicine. Your students may go back in time and see how pioneers once lived on the prairie in sod houses. Find out how Shaw Nature Reserve and others are using fire to restore Missouri’s prairie.
Concepts covered: Basic needs of life, food chains, plant and animal adaptations, plant usage, pioneer prairie life, fire as a management tool.
Grades: 4-8
October
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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BUGS, BEAKS AND BEASTIES: ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS In this class students explore, through hands-on activities, some of the fascinating adaptations animals have for surviving in their environment. How are different bird beaks adapted to eating certain foods? What special adaptations do humans have that allow us to do everyday tasks? Students learn about camouflage on the “Un-Nature Trail” and see examples of organisms that depend on this adaptation for protection.
Concepts covered: Animal adaptations, predator/prey relationships.
Grades: 3-8
March and November
2 hours
Limit: 60 students
Fee: $2 per student
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SELF GUIDED INTERPRETIVE TRAIL This winding forest trail is easily implemented by teachers with a class of up to 30 students. Upon arrival to the Reserve, the leader will pick up a pack at the Visitor Center that contains everything that is needed to facilitate this program. Using hands-on activities, the trail focuses on developing an understanding and appreciation for the Earth and its life. Students investigate a decomposing log; observe small natural objects under magnifying lenses; discover how seeds are dispersed; and try to make their own soil.
Concepts covered: Communities, seed dispersal, soil formation,plant growth, decomposition and invasive species.
Reservations required
Grades: K-6
March-November
Limit: 30 students
Fee: $ .50 per student
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LITTLE ACORN TRAIL
Take your young learners on an exciting adventure along this easy self-guided trail. Pick up a key and backpack at the Visitor Center containing everything you’ll need as you unlock the activity boxes along your hike. You’ll learn about camouflage as you look for the “magic bunnies” or discover how soil is made. Discover lots of hands-on activities about birds, plants, animal tracks, weather and much more. There is no starting point, no order in which the activity boxes must be found and no minimum number of stations you must complete. Just start on any one of the three segments and complete as many activities as you want.
Reservations required
Pre-school
Year round
Limit:
Fee: $.50 per student
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Our Forest Neighbors
Who lives in the forest in Missouri? Come and explore the forest ecosystem, and learn about some of the residents and how their special adaptations help them to survive in this special community.
Grades 1-3
April
Length of class: 2 hours
Limit: 40 students
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SCHEDULING AND CANCELLATION POLICIES
Important: All groups, whether led by a Reserve instructor or self-guided by a
teacher, must make reservations for their visit.
- To schedule a class, please call (636) 451-3512
- Registration for Maple Syrup Program Begins October 1st
- Registration for Spring Classes Begins November 1st
- Registration for Fall Classes Begins May 1st
Note: If the first is a weekend, registration will begin the following Monday
- Information needed when you call
- School name, address and phone number
- Contact persons name for confirmation
- Program choice(s) – make sure it is available for the month that you request
- Date and time (please have alternates)
- Grade, age and number (students and adults) of participants
- Teachers name and home phone number
- Will you be having lunch at our picnic area?
- One month prior to your visit, you will receive a confirmation packet containing important information about your visit, a suggested “Chaperone Letter”, and an invoice. Carefully review the confirmation information and call (636) 451-3512 if corrections need to be made. The program fee is due on the day of the class.
- If you must cancel your trip please let us know as soon as possible. Other school groups are on a waiting list and are willing to fill your place if they are given enough time to make the necessary arrangements.
- If it is raining, we suggest that you call and cancel the class as most classes are extremely difficult to conduct in this situation.
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