School Programs

Poricy Park Conservancy (A Non-Profit Organization)

School Programs

SCIENCE & HISTORY AT PORICY PARK!!! THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO YOUR CLASSROOM CURRICULUM........ Poricy Park is a great place for your next class trip. We offer a variety of fun, hands-on programs in Science, Nature, and History for grades Pre-K through 5th. Our schedule fills up quickly, so call today to make reservations!! If your class cannot take a trip to Poricy Park, let us bring our programs to you. See our "Outreach Programs" for more information. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR FOSSIL PROGRAMS TOO!!!! SEE "FOSSIL BEDS AND FOSSIL HUNTS" FOR MORE INFORMATION!!!

Colonial Programs The programs listed here are for school classes only. Call for registration and fees. Rebecca Murray's Children 2-Hour Program, 9:30am-11:30am, Pre K thru 1st Grade Twentieth-century children travel back in time to the eighteenth century. They'll participate in colonial chores and learn about the daily life of the four Murray children who once lived in the Park's now restored farmhouse. Life on the Murray Farm 4 Hour Program, 9:30am-1:30pm, 4th Grade and Up Children spend the morning participating in 18th century activities such as baking cookies over the open hearth, carding wool, doing farm chores or school lessons and playing games of the period. A discussion of local colonial history and the Joseph Murray farmhouse will be included. The class will be divided into two groups because of the size of the building. Two history interpreters dressed in colonial costume will provide instruction to each group in turn. After lunch and shopping in the Old Colonial Shoppe, the whole class will participate in activities, such as fence building at the barn.				Nature Programs The programs listed here are for school classes only. Please note: All programs marked with an asterisk () can travel to your classroom. Call for registration and fees. Two Hour Programs* For children Pre-K through 2nd Grade. 10:00am -12pm. All programs include hands-on indoor and outdoor activities. Class sizes are limited to 25 students. For more than 25 students, please call us for special arrangements at 732-842-5966. Animal Architects* September thru June The children will investigate animal homes and their builders. Depending on the season, we'll examine bees, birds or groundhogs. After an outdoor hunt for examples of homes, we'll end with a story indoors. Buzzing Bees* Call for Availability Our indoor observation hive allows us to look at bees and talk about their roles. We'll examine different types of bees and wasps and their products, taste honey, and learn the dance of the honey bee. Creepy Crawlies* Year-Round Kids love bugs! We'll discuss invertebrates and learn how to identify an insect. With an emphasis on ants, we'll play games that reinforce why insects are so successful as a group. Next will be a trip outdoors to collect and identify some specimens, then back inside for a "creepy crawlie" tale. Feathers, Beaks, and Claws* Year-Round We'll take a look at birds and their adaptations, with particular focus on owls. An outdoor search for bird habitats is followed by a dissection of an owl pellet. An Introduction to Pond Life April thru October 1st & 2nd Grades Students will learn about the fascinating food web of the pond. Next, we'll learn aquatic adaptations by transforming one student into a "pond creature". Then we'll take a trip to the pond where everyone can use nets to discover tadpoles, turtles, and dragonflies! Winter Habitats* November thru March How are animals and plants adapted to survive the winter? On an outdoor walk, children will search for animal homes and clues. Then, back indoors, we'll do hands-on activities and end with a story Four Hour Programs, 3rd Grade and Up All programs include an outdoor activity. Geo-Exploration January thru March We'll study the different kinds of rock and minerals, fossils and soils, the effects of weather and water and the forces that shape the land. Students will learn how ancient seas preserved a record of the life that once lived in them. Concepts will be reinforced with field experiences and hands-on experiments and activities. Forest Ecology September thru November How are trees important? The discussion will focus on the importance of trees to the forest habitat and the creatures living there. We'll talk about the carbon cycle, photosynthesis and how plant and animal communities are created within a forest. A nature hike, and hands-on activities will reinforce these concepts. The Pond Community April thru June Students concentrate on what makes up a pond community. A study of the life in the Murray Pond includes identification of species, seasonal and human impact on the pond community, the water cycle, and acid rain. A comparison with other fresh water communities will be made. PROGRAMS ARE HELD RAIN OR SHINE SO PLEASE HAVE STUDENTS DRESS ACCORDINGLY. Contact the Nature Center for more information at 732-842-5966.



School Program registration forms can be found on the Registration Forms page