Geology
Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall for grades 5-7
Students learn about the rock cycle and develop an understanding of the historical geology of the region. Students explore how to classify metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. Learners investigate land areas that are weathered, eroded, and are a result of deposition.
Native, Non-Native, and Pioneer Plant Species
Offered: Year Round for grades 5-7
What does it mean to be a non-native species? What are native and pioneering plants? Understand the benefits that plants have in shaping our environment and the drawbacks some plants pose. Students work together to learn how plant communities interact within our environment. Field techniques are explored to identify and survey plant biodiversity and why that is important for the greater ecosystem.
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall for grades 5-7
Students learn how to identify species of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay, develop an understanding of their importance, and determine what makes them unique among plants. Students will leave this program with a working understanding of SAV in our area and how they impact the entire Bay.
Watershed & Wetland Study
Offered: Year Round for grades 5-7
Students investigate their local watershed and wetlands, and learn how these ecosystems interact and connect among the Earth’s hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere. Students learn why watersheds and wetlands are essential while documenting their biological, chemical, and physical characteristics. Students will conduct a series of water parameter tests, discover some of the microscopic life found in the Chesapeake, and understand why this data matters. The data students collect becomes part of an ongoing monitoring project at the Environmental Center.