Lower Level Homeschool Programs
The registration fee for the full semester is $80. You can download the lower level registration form (76kB, PDF) for mailing.
4/15 + 4/17Spring in the Forest
Spring is a great time to observe and learn about the natural world. In this lesson we’ll learn about the transformations taking place in the plants and animals living in New Jersey forests. At the end of our class students will have a greater understanding of plant growth and natural energy flow.
4/22 + 4/24Tracks and Scat
The best way to learn about animal behavior is to watch and follow them. While we may not come face to face with a fox, we can surely find some tracks and scat to tell us where they’ve been and what they ate. (Instructors will be the only ones actually handling scat).
4/29 + 5/1Mosses and Lichens
Moss and Lichens are very old organisms and New Jersey has a wide variety in our forests. We’ll explore every corner of the farm looking for mosses and lichens, learning what makes them successful and take a microscopic look at their different structures.
5/6 + 5/8Country Wisdom
This class is a step back in time. We’ll do a little outdoor cooking, use some old fashioned tools to accomplish everyday tasks and learn a few tricks about how to survive without electricity (can you imagine a life without video games?). This class is designed to demonstrate the differences and similarities between life now and what it may have been like one hundred years ago.
5/13 + 5/15Aquatic Plants
This class is a culmination of the first and third class in this semester. We’ll head to the pond and creeks to observe and collect aquatic plants including sphagnum moss, and algae. Again we’ll examine the structures of these magnificent plants under microscopes.
5/20 + 5/22Gardening Basics: grow food in your back yard
Students in this class will expand on their knowledge of plants needs and learn how to plant and care for vegetable and fruit bearing plants. Each child will select their own seeds to start in our green house to take home at the end of the semester for their garden.
5/27 + 5/29 Hydrology and Stream Assessment
In this class students will conduct a stream flow experiment determining the flow rate of two of our creeks as well as learn to assess the health of a stream through visual observations of the banks and the insects collected in the water. Dress to get wet!
6/3 + 6/5 Field Trip to Batsto Village
A trip to the Pine Barrens! We’ll again take a step back in time to learn about life in the Pine Barrens 150 years ago. This class will focus on the fascinating industry taking place in the Pine Barrens 150 years ago. We’ll take a guided tour of the gristmill, sawmill and the blacksmith shop.