new HS Nature educator at Schiff

"Hi Homeschooling Families:

Greetings from the Schiff Nature Preserve! My name is Angela Gorczyca and I am the new environmental educator. I would like to invite you to participate in the Homeschool environmental education program we are offering at the Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham. The program begins this September and will run in three semesters through May. We will offer monthly classes that relate to a seasonal topic and we will repeat the curriculum on a four year rotation. Each two hour class will focus on a specific theme and include a combination of hikes, games, crafts, and outdoor and indoor activities.

The classes will be offered once per month on Fridays. Lessons will offered from 9:30 to 11:30 am for grades K- 6th and from 1:00 - 3:00 pm for grades 7th through 12th.

These are dates and topics for the upcoming Fall semester on Meadow Ecosystem are as follows:

• September 23rd: Butterflies
• October 14th: Flowering Plants and Seeds
• November 18th: Deer

The classes will run rain or shine with indoor activities provided in the event of extreme inclement weather.

Our pricing schedule will be $40 per child per semester for members and $55 per child per semester for nonmembers. If you would like to try a class, the cost will be $15 for members and $17 for nonmembers. There is no fee for parents to attend classes but we expect that parents act as “additional hands” to assist with shepherding and policing during class times. We ask families to call to register beforehand and pay by check.

Cancellation Policy: If a group cancels within the week preceding the program, they will lose a $5 registration fee per child. Once the semester begins, there will be no refunds given for cancellations.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please email us. Thanks!

Angela Gorczyca
Environmental Educator
email: angela@schiffnaturepreserve.org
phone: 973-543-6004

Spring HS Nature Classes

NATURE’S CLASSROOM

Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area in Montville Twp is offering science programs for home school children ages six to twelve years. Each session consists of four two-hour classes that are hands on and suited for experiential learners. To register or for more information on the programs listed: call Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area: 973-334-3130 or e-mail Douglas at dvorolieff@morrisparks.net RSVPs needed ASAP to confirm classes will run!

Classes are:

Tuesdays, 1:30-4pm for 6-8 year olds on April 5, 12, 19, & 26 (topics: Water Cycle, Birds, Reptiles, & Wildflower Hike)

Thursdays: 1:30-4pm for 9-12 year olds on April 7, 14, 21, & May 5 (topics: Leave No Trace Principles, Mapping, Tracking, & Navigation Hike)

Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area - 472A Boonton Ave - Montville Township

The 4-week sessions are $45 or $12 per class/ non-refundable payable upon registration. Each session is limited to 12 students.

FAMILY HOMESCHOOL WALKS

At Pyramid Mtn on the following Wednesdays from 1pm to 2:30pm

April 13: Dirt Made my Lunch: Explore soils and their importance to life on Earth with activities and a guided walk.

May 18: Stream Ecology: Put on your water shoes and get into the stream to study this habitat and its critters.

Walks are for all ages; cost $8 per child age 3 and older.

To register or for more information on the programs listed: call Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area: 973-334-3130 or e-mail Douglas at dvorolieff@morrisparks.net

Great Backyard Bird Count 2008

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts Saturday the 16th and ends on Tuesday the 19th. Join Lorna & friends and check out those birds at the feeder. It is a great thing to do and they have a nice web site. You can print off certificates for your family when they have participated-

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

"The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. " GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.

January 2007 was the warmest on record, did that impact the distribution of birds in 2008?

25 Morris County Hikes

Top 25 Walks in Morris County - the 2008 list from the Daily Record seems to no longer be available online

Link was: http://www.dailyrecord.com/25walks/hike_index.htm#Top

Environmental Education

"Close enough" to me in Northern NJ:

1. Schiff Nature Preserve's (Mendham, NJ)
   
2. Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, Chatham, NJ (Morris County Parks)
3. Pyramid Mountain, Boonton, NJ (Morris County Parks)
   
4. Raptor Trust, Millington, NJ
5. Closter Nature Center, Closter, NJ
   
6. Science Barge, NYC
7. selected Liberty Science Center events
8. Aquarium, Camden, NJ
   
9. Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Whippany/Morristown, NJ
10. (not as environmental) Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

Morris Museum (Morristown) is offered Project WET class for educators on March 29th, 2008, 9:30 - 3:30, $30. Register with them.

Schiff Nature Preserve's (Mendham, NJ) programs include:
Homeschool environmental education starting in early December, Spring, and September. Classes Mondays or Fridays from 12:45-2:15. Rain or shine, each 1 1/2 hour class will focus on a specific theme and include a combination of hikes, games, crafts, and outdoor and indoor activities. They have a 3 or 4 year cycle of classes. $25 per child per semester for Schiff members and $50 per child for nonmembers. Winter Topic: Food Webs, Animal Signs & Tracking, and Animal Territories.
Individual sessions for all are also scheduled year-round.

Pyramid Mountain Programs are on the parks calendar and sent as a pdf file via email. Homeschool classes and hikes and sessions for all ages. You may want to join their mailing list.

• Homeschool Science: Nature's Classroom: three times a year, Fall session 5 weeks, Tuesday or Thursday), Winter session (4 weeks, Thursdays). “Fun-filled science classes for ages 8-12.”
  >http://gryphonacademy.blogspot.com/2007/08/pyramid-mt-natures-classroom-fall.html
  http://gryphonacademy.blogspot.com/2008/01/pyramid-mt-natures-classroom-spring_13.html
  
  
• PSA - Other programs.

Great Swamp Programs are on the parks calendar and sent as a pdf file via email. You may want to join their mailing list to learn details of their Mommy & Me hikes, Homeschool Science for 4 - 6 year olds, Scavenger Hunts, family events, Maple Sugar Festival, Hikes and Education programs.

Science Barge in NYC, is a sustainable urban farm designed by New York Sun Works, an environmental nonprofit organization, powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water. You can visit and they have an "active public education program, with school groups from all 5 boroughs of New York City visiting during the week, and the general public on weekends." (For groups, they are booking about a year away!)