Allow us to come to you with our Traveling Environmental Education Programs. These exciting live animal presentations take place in your classroom and include programs such as Sea Creatures with Amazing Features, Traveling Turtles, Plankton: Bugs of the Sea, Aquatic Adaptations and Saltwater Gene Pools. All traveling environmental education programs are aligned to New Jersey Academic Standards and the North American Association for Environmental Education K-12 Guidelines for Learning, and are tailored to the needs of our host teachers and schools.
Both In-Person and Virtual Traveling Environmental Education Programs Available for the 2024-2025 Academic School Year!
Sea Creatures with Amazing Features (PreK – 6th grade)
Let us share our little animals with your little animals. Students will use all of their senses and their imagination to discover the wet world of water animals. Following a fun and interactive explanation of the local sea animals we bring, students will get hands-on time with them. Habitats, food chains, and anatomy are some of the topics covered. Animals include sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs, spider crabs, green crabs, clams, sea snails, and a horseshoe crab.*
Virtual Option Available!
Traveling Turtles (PreK –8th grade)
These ravishing reptiles elicit awe from students of all grade levels. Students will get a chance to meet a variety of turtles that are native to New Jersey, as well as explore various hands-on turtle artifacts. Your group will dive into topics such as: turtle anatomy, natural history, behaviors, adaptations, life cycles, and more. Students will also learn about our Diamondback Terrapin Conservation Project and get some quality time with live adult terrapins and even some hatchlings. Although students do not touch the live turtles, there are plenty of opportunities to view these amazing animals, as staff walk around with them to ensure a closer look.
Virtual Option Available!
Plankton: Bugs of the Sea (2nd-8th grade)
We will cover all things crustacean. Students will get an introduction into the “Secret Lives of Plankton”, take a closer look at a live plankton sample, then delve into those crustaceans which start their lives as plankton (hermit crabs, blue claws, green crabs, spider crabs, shrimp, lobsters).* Students will get hands-on time with the animals and use kid friendly microscopes to check out their own plankton samples. A major focus of the program is life cycles but there’s more than that once you break through the shell.
Virtual Option Available!
Aquatic Adaptations (4th-8th grade)
By first observing, then touching, then picking up the animals, students will be challenged to discover the special adaptations of the sea animals involved. Student volunteers, with the guidance of our instructor, are then asked to explain their findings with the rest of the class. The program concludes with plenty of time for all of the students to explore all of the animals. The main topic is animal adaptations but predator prey relationships, food webs, life cycles, anatomy, and classification are also discussed. Animals include; sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs, spider crabs, clams, sea snails, mummichogs, and oyster toadfish. *
Virtual Option Available!
Saltwater Gene Pools (6th-12th grade)
Using observation, prior knowledge, and problem solving, students will work in teams to sort live marine animals into their “family gene pools”. Then, after an interactive and informative explanation session about the animals, the groups will have an opportunity to affirm or change their decisions. Ample hands-on time with the animals concludes the program. Classification, anatomy, genetic relationships, and adaptations are some of the topics covered. Animals normally include; green crabs, spider crabs, hogchoker, oyster toadfish, clams, whelks, hermit crabs, and sea squirts. *
Virtual Option Available!
*The types of animals involved may change due to availability.
Time: All Traveling Environmental Education Programs are between 45-60 minutes per session. Up to 6 sessions per day can be scheduled.
Prices: Pricing is based on the number of sessions and includes the program fee plus travel fee.
Traditional In-person Program Pricing
- Summer Program Fee: April 1st- October 31st. $250 for one session, $95 each additional session.
- Winter Program Fee: November 1st -March 31st. $125 for one session, $95 each additional session.
- Travel Fee: $1 per mile, calculated as round trip from us to you and back.
Virtual Program Pricing
- Virtual Summer Program Fee: April 1st- October 31st. $190 for one session, $70 each additional session.
- Winter Program Fee: November 1st -March 31st. $95 for one session, $70 each additional session.
- Travel Fee: Not Applicable.
Registration Procedure: Reservations are made by email (preferred) or phone on a first come first served basis. Please email erawls@wetlandsinstitute.org to book a program.