School Programs at Fairfield Nature Center
Connecticut Audubon Society’s Science in Nature programs are designed for K-12 students and consist of hands-on, inquiry-based activities that relate to earth and life sciences, ecology, conservation, and civic engagement. Each program is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and can take place at our center, your school, or a local park.
Experiential learning in nature is exciting and impactful, making complex science concepts more accessible for students than in traditional classroom settings. In the field, students engage with real-life phenomena, applying math and literacy skills while utilizing various science technologies.
Fairfield School Programs
Adaptable to All Ages
Seasons and Weather
While studying our center animals and those we find on our sanctuary, students observe their external structures and learn about their functions. Students see the patterns that all organisms have similarities and differences.
- NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea – 1-LS1.A
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- NGSS Cross Cutting Concepts – Patterns, Structure and Function
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
- Full Day (4 Hour programs): $780/classroom
- One program: $165/classroom plus travel fee
- Two or more: $ 160/classroom plus travel fee
- Assembly Style (3-4 classes): $300/program plus travel fee
- $300/program plus travel
Adaptations: Structures & Function
While studying our center animals and those we find on our sanctuary, students observe their external structures and learn about their functions. Students see the patterns that all organisms have similarities and differences.
- NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea – 1-LS1.A
- NGSS Science and Engineering Practices – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- NGSS Cross Cutting Concepts – Patterns, Structure and Function
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
- Full Day (4 Hour programs): $780/classroom
- One program: $165/classroom plus travel fee
- Two or more: $ 160/classroom plus travel fee
- Assembly Style (3-4 classes): $300/program plus travel fee
- $300/program plus travel
or email Tricia Kevalis at
tkevalis@ctaudubon.org
Kindergarten
All About Birds
Students will explore the amazing world of birds through hands-on activities. Students will build bird nests, examine feathers, and discover how different bird beaks help them find food.
Students will:
• Identify key characteristics of birds including feathers, beaks, and nests, and explain how these features help birds survive
• Understand that different birds have different adaptations based on where they live and what they eat and recognize that not all birds eat the same foods or build the same nests.
- Cognition: C.48.1; C.60.1
- Early Language, Communications, and Literacy: L.48.1; L.60.2
- Early Mathematical Discovery: M.60.4;
- Early Scientific Inquiry: S.60.4; S.48.5; S.60.7; S.48.7
- Contact hkordula@ctaudubon.org for info
Exploring Weather
Students will discuss the term weather and describe different types of weather using their five senses. Students will observe their local weather conditions and record their findings. Additionally, students will conduct an observation and experiment on how clouds “make” rain.
Students will:
• Observe and predict what happens to the natural elements of their local habitat
• Learn the process of setting up and carrying out an experiment
- Cognition: C.48.1; C.60.1; C.60.7
- Early Language, Communications, and Literacy: L.48.1; L.60.2
- Early Mathematical Discovery: M.60.4; M.60.11
- Early Scientific Inquiry: S.60.2; S.60.4; S.48.10
- Contact hkordula@ctaudubon.org for info
1st - 5th Grade
Adaptations: Structures & Functions
Students explore the idea of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
- Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment, 1-LS1-A
- Science & Engineering Practice – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Cross Cutting Concept – Patterns, Structure and Function
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
Habitats and Life Cycles
Let’s explore how some living things change forms throughout the year in our local environment! Students will have a hands-on experience exploring the life cycles of the plants and animals that we discover in different habitats.
- Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment, 1-LS1-A, 1-LS1-B
- Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits, 1-LS3-A
- Science & Engineering Practice – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Cross Cutting Concept – Patterns
- Common Core Literacy Connections – W.1.8
- Common Core Math Connections – MP.2., K.CC.A
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
6th - 8th Grade
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
Students observe, collect data, and use models to examine various geological phenomena. They “solve” the puzzle of the shape of our land via weathering, erosion, and deposition of sediments. Students gain a broader understanding of geologic processes and how they influence our daily lives.
- Earth's Systems, MS-ESS2-C
- Science & Engineering Practice – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Developing and Using Models
- Cross Cutting Concept – Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
- Off-site programs will include a travel fee.
Competition for Resources
Students collect field data, make observations, model phenomena, and analyze historical maps, photos and graphs. While examining the presence and abundance of organisms, they consider the roles of resource limitation and interactions among those organisms.
- Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, MS-LS2-A
- Science & Engineering Practice – Developing and Using Models, Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- Cross Cutting Concept – Patterns, Cause and Effect
- Common Core Literacy Connections – RST.6-8.7
- Common Core Math Connections – MP.2
- 60 minutes: $165/classroom
- 90 minutes: $230/classroom
- 120 minutes: $500/classroom
- Off-site programs will include a travel fee.
