Classroom Naturalists

Nearby Nature hosts classroom naturalist visits for grades K-5 on a variety of topics. Each 45-minute ineractive, age-appropriate program includes a unique mix of games, models, music, discussions and stories. Flexible programming schedules are available to meet your classroom's needs.

Below is a description of each available program, as well as important details about group size, space needs, and Oregon Educational or Teaching Benchmarks addressed. Recommended grade levels are also provided for each program. Activities will be modified as needed to be age-appropriate for your group.

Each visit will last approximately 45 minutes and will be led by a trained Nearby Nature staff person or volunteer. Each will include a hands-on activity, and in some cases, written activities that students can complete on their own time. Teachers should plan to stay in the classroom for all activities and may be asked to assist as needed.

Classroom visits cost $60 for the first visit (for one classroom) and $30 each for the second and third visits on the same day. Multiple visits on one day must be back-to-back, with a short time for prep between presentations. Nearby Nature will do its best to visit at a time convenient for your classroom. Topics and specific dates/times, however, are subject to staff and volunteer availability.

To arrange a visit, please click Registration Forms and Scholarship Information, call 687-9699, or email us at info@nearbynature.org. Please let us know which topic you are interested in, how many kids are in your classroom, what grade you teach, and what days/times are good for presentations. If you have specific dates in mind, let us know that as well.

 School Visit Topics

Who’s Polluting the River: (recommended for grades 1-5)

In this group activity, children will take turns “polluting” an imaginary Willamette River with a variety of materials that have dirtied the water over time. Kids will each dump an imaginary pollutant (a non-toxic household material) into an imaginary river (water in a plastic tub) while the activity leader reads a script describing the river’s 20 million year history. Students will discover we all play a role in polluting rivers and we can all take actions to help keep them clean. The class will do this activity as one group.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment), 5th grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials), 3rd and 5th grade Economics (limited resources, economic trade-offs), 3rd and 5th grade Geography (people and environment are interrelated), 5th grade Geography (physical features of Oregon places), 3rd and 5th grade History (chronological relationships, state and local history) 5th grade History (cause and effect relationships, change/continuity over time), 3rd and 5th grade Social Science Analysis (identify, analyze, resolve an issue)

Race for the Pond (recommended for grades 1-5)

In this game-style activity, kids will attempt to hop their Pacific treefrogs (plastic “jumping” frogs) safely to and from an imaginary pond. Along the way, they will encounter a variety of dangerous obstacles including predators, pollution, and people. Also along the way, they will find “safe” logs and lily pads as well as insects to eat. Kids will learn to appreciate the many “limiting factors” that impact the lives of aquatic wild animals. For this activity, the class will be divided into two groups.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment)

Mountain Melt (recommended for grades 1-5)

In this relay-style group activity, kids will act out the water cycle from our Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean using ping-pong balls as water drops. Students will learn how water cycles through our environment by playing the roles of snow, river, ocean, and clouds. The class will do this activity as one group. NOTE: For this activity we must have access to a large playing area such as a gym or the playground.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th Grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials, changes in Earth “spheres”), 5th grade Geography (physical features of Oregon places)

Dress for the Water (recommended for grades 3-5)

In this activity, students will “dress” different aquatic creatures (role-played by the kids) for life in or near the water using household items and clothing (representing various adaptations). Students will learn about the many different adaptations animals have that prepare them for life in or near the water. For this activity, larger classes will be divided into two groups to play two simultaneous games.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (organisms, relationships among living things/between living things and environment)

Model Watersheds (recommended for grades 3-5)

In this activity, children will look at maps of our local watershed and rotate among three stations that each feature a different watershed model. They will make “crumpled paper” watersheds to foster an understanding of how water moves from peaks to valleys. They will experiment with our marble maze watershed to see how pollution in one part of a watershed impacts the whole watershed. They will also use our clay watershed model to examine the role of wetlands in regulating runoff in a watershed. For this activity, the class will be divided into three groups.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 5th grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials), 3rd and 5th grade Geography (spatial concepts, maps, physical characteristics of places, people and environment are interrelated), 3rd and 5th grade Social Science Analysis (identify, analyze, resolve an issue)

River Walk (recommended for grades 1-5)

In this activity, children will go on a pretend “river walk.” The activity is a bit like a cake walk—as water-themed music plays, children will walk in a circle, stepping on laminated pictures of riparian plants and animals as well as elements of the water cycle (rain, river, mountains, clouds, the sea, etc.). When the music stops, a riddle-like clue will be given and one child will discover that he/she is standing on the answer to the riddle. Through this game, kids will learn about the water cycle, different aquatic food chains, and riparian plant and animal life. The class will play this game as one group.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th grade Geography (spatial concepts, maps, physical characteristics of places), 3rd and 5th Grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials, changes in Earth “spheres”), 5th grade Geography (physical features of Oregon places), 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment)

Conservation Walk (recommended for grades 1-5)

In this activity, children will go on a “conservation walk.” The activity is a bit like a cake walk—as nature-themed music plays, children will walk in a circle, stepping on laminated pictures that represent ways nature conserves water and energy as well as ways humans conserve resources. When the music stops, a riddle-like clue will be given and one child will discover that he/she is standing on the answer to the riddle. Through this game, kids will learn all about how nature reuses and recycles resources. They will also be introduced to ways that humans can use nature as a model for conserving resources. The class will play this game as one group.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th Grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials, changes in Earth “spheres”), 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment); 3rd and 5th grade Geography (people and environment are interrelated), 3rd and 5th grade Social Science Analysis (identify, analyze, resolve an issue); 5th grade History (cause and effect relationships, change/continuity over time), 3rd and 5th grade Economics (limited resources, economic trade-offs)

Living Lightly (recommended for grades 3-5)

In this group activity, children will help build a mini model “eco-home.” The home will start out as a simple cardboard box cut to look like the framed skeleton of a house. In a cooperative game, kids in turn will add pretend “earth-friendly” building elements to the house (all made out of recycled, reused, or natural materials): solar panels, insulation, native plant landscaping, energy efficient light bulbs, recycled floorboards, etc. Through this game, kids will learn about how humans can work with nature to make lifestyle choices that conserve energy and other resources. The class will play this game as one group.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th Grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials), 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment); 3rd and 5th grade Geography (people and environment are interrelated), 3rd and 5th grade Social Science Analysis (identify, analyze, resolve an issue); 5th grade History (cause and effect relationships, change/continuity over time), 3rd and 5th grade Economics (limited resources, economic trade-offs)

Green the Scene (recommended for grades 3-5)

In this group activity, children will help re-model a pretend grass and pavement play area into an earth-friendly schoolyard. With conservation in mind, they will make choices about what to include in their landscape: pavement vs. permeable ground covers, native vs. ornamental plants, sprinklers vs. drip irrigation, weedless grass vs. an “eco-lawn,” etc. They will also get to think about adding a variety of other “earth-friendly” elements to the school yard: compost bins, plants that attract butterflies and other beneficial insects, recycling bins, vegetable gardens, trees, rain barrels, etc. The different elements of the landscape will be large physical objects (a tablecloth lawn, model vegetation, various plastic containers, pretend ground covers, etc.) that the kids can manipulate and arrange in their own unique design. Through this activity, kids will learn about how humans can create healthy landscapes that conserve water and other essential resources, attract beneficial wildlife, and reduce the need for harmful chemical use.

• OR Teaching Benchmarks Addressed: 3rd and 5th Grade Earth and Space Science (properties/limited availability of Earth’s materials), 3rd and 5th grade Life Science (relationships among living things/between living things and environment)