Preschool Prowl -- Ages: 3-5 -- Length: 1.5 hours
Join us for a sensory adventure through the wetlands as you hike the boardwalk trail out to Mercer Slough from the Overlake Blueberry Farm. Spot ducks and herons, get up close and personal with Spy Scopes, test your senses during "dozen touch" and hunt for colors of the rainbow. One adult participant must accompany each group of five preschoolers. The Preschool Prowl program starts at the Overlake Blueberry Farm located at 2380 Bellevue Way SE. We also offer a Preschool Prowl Outreach where we will bring a Preschool Nature program to your facility. Call (425)450-0207 for details.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | $80 |
| 11-20 | $145 |
Preschool Seekers -- Ages: 3-5 -- Length: 2.5 hours
Discover what kinds of creatures live around the wetland as you descend from a forest to the Mercer Slough marsh. Use nets and special tools to meet the baby insects and other creatures that start their lives UNDER the waters of our pond. Act out the travels of wetland creatures and the life cycle of a dragonfly. Spend half your time on the trail near our Education Center and the other half investigating water samples in the lab. The Preschool Seekers program requires one adult participant for each group of five preschoolers and occurs at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center at 1625 118th Avenue SE.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | $110 |
| 11-20 | $170 |
Explore bog, marsh, pond, slough and forest habitats with a half field-based and half lab-based fieldtrip from September - June. Use scientific equipment to examine wetland life including looking at macroinvertebrates on "Bug TV" with our video microscope. Field Study Programs require one adult participant for each group of fifteen K-8th grade students. Adults are free of charge. All programs address the revised →Washington State K-12 Science Standards for 2009 (131 KB PDF). We have also included a link to the →OSPI Science Standards page for your convenience. Call (206)443-2925 to register.
Habitat Wonderers -- Grades: K-2 -- Length: 2.5 hours
Ever wonder what makes a habitat? Search the wetlands for wildlife and compare them to animals in a forest habitat. Become an animal and figure out what kind of habitat you need to survive. In the lab, examine aquatic life in pond samples with a variety of magnifying tools. This program is compatible with the Insect and Tree FOSS kits, along with the Organisms STC Kit.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $135 |
| 16-30 | $225 |
| 31-45 | $315 |
| 46-60 | $405 |
Soil Adventurers -- Grades: K-2 -- Length: 2.5 hours
Roll up those sleeves - it is time to explore soils! During the wetland hike, examine the characteristics of different soils, using soil probes and your senses. In our lab, use magnifying lenses to identify the recyclers that live in wetland soils and experiment with a sedimentation tube. Discover the recipe for soil soup and find out why we should conserve this resource. Program developed to enrich the Soils STC kit, but can be taken without the kit.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $135 |
| 16-30 | $225 |
| 31-45 | $315 |
| 46-60 | $405 |
Wetland Naturalists -- Grades: 3-5 -- Length: 3.5 hours
Experience the secrets of a bog and make the earth move under your feet. As a naturalist, compare wetland soils and take pond samples to study in the lab. Encounter the challenges of a migrating bird and the importance of wetlands. Use microscopes and other scientific tools to study and learn about the organisms collected from the pond.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $155 |
| 16-30 | $270 |
| 31-45 | $385 |
| 46-60 | $500 |
Salmon Stewards -- Grades: 3-5 Length: 3.5 hours
Use dichotomous keys and microscopes to examine samples of pond water for living salmon food. Analyze pH levels to determine suitable salmon habitat. Hunt for watershed components as you hike through forest and wetlands. Become part of the salmon lifecycle and use the skills of a fishery scientist to evaluate a restored stream. A Salmon Stewards curriculum is also available for purchase. There is limited availability for this program at interim site. Call 425/450 - 0207 to get more details.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $155 |
| 16-30 | $270 |
| 31-45 | $385 |
| 46-60 | $500 |
Ecosystem Explorers -- Grades: 4-5 -- Length: 3.5 hours
Come to the Slough and explore how a wetland ecosystem works. Collect pieces of the wetland food chain and hunt for plants and animals that keep the wetland healthy. Play a game to learn the differences between an ecosystem and a community. Using microscopes, examine the sun's energy flow through the pond's organisms. This program compliments the STC Ecosystem kit.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $155 |
| 16-30 | $270 |
| 31-45 | $385 |
| 46-60 | $500 |
Wetland Ecologists -- Grades: 6-8 -- Length: 4.5 hours
Identify wetland plants using a dichotomous key, delineate wetland habitats and compare wetland soils using a soil probe. In the lab, collect pond organisms and determine their pollution tolerance levels. Test pond water for pH and dissolved oxygen levels. Program is great with the FOSS Diversity of Life and Chemistry kits.
| No. of Students | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | $175 |
| 16-30 | $310 |
| 31-45 | $455 |
| 46-60 | $580 |
We thank the Bellevue Red Lion Hotel for their generous
support of our programs by offering parking for our school
bus groups.
OUTREACH
PROGRAMS
Soil
Investigators -- Grades: K-3 -- Length: 1
hour
Investigate the world under your feet. Use scientific tools
to collect creatures from samples of soil. Then use our
Scope on a Rope (portable microscope) to examine soil
organisms up close and to learn about their secret
underground lives. Use sedimentation tubes to investigate
the layers and textures of soils and discover why soil is a
precious resource. Lab designed to enrich the Soils FOSS
kits but can be taken without the kit. $200 per program
plus .555/mile for mileage, if outside of Bellevue city
limits. Up to 30 students per program.
Wetland Waters --
Grades: 3-5 -- Length: 1 hour
Explore pond dips from the Mercer Slough with various
scientific tools. Use tolerance levels to identify the
aquatic creatures and infer the health of the pond. Choose
an aquatic organism and use your observations and research
skills to record data. Share your findings with our video
microscope. Discover the function and value of wetlands as
you explore wetland metaphors. $200 per program plus
.555/mile for mileage, if outside of Bellevue city limits.
Up to 30 students per program.
Boneheads -- Grades:
1-4 -- Length: 1 hour
View, hold and feel the skulls and bones of various
animals. Explore questions like how can you tell the
difference from a predator and prey by their skull? What do
their teeth tell us about their diet? Then explore and
disassemble an owl pellet that gives you a rare peek into
what an owl eats. $200 per program plus .555/mile for
mileage, if outside of Bellevue city limits. Up to 30
students per program.
SNOWSHOE
SCIENCE GROUP EXPEDITION
Animal
Tracking -- Grades: 4-12 -- Length: 4 hrs.
Take your class into the
winter wonderland of Snoqualmie Pass for an exciting
snowshoe adventure. Meet at the lodge at Snoqualmie Pass
Nordic Center then follow the trail of a snowshoe hare,
ground squirrel or raven. Look for signs of animal life,
including tracks, scat, fur, burrows, and more. Learn how
animals adapt to winter environments. Participate in
introductory activities, then strap on snowshoes and hit
the trail! Prior snowshoeing experience is not necessary!
This
program requires 15 - 25 participants with one adult per
five students. $25/student, participating adults that
maintain required ratio are free (1 adult per 5 students).
Additional adults are charged $25/ea. The fee includes
snowshoes, trail pass and interpretative guide. Program is
offered December - March or as long as good snowshoeing
conditions prevail.
School Group Assistance at Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center is provided by the Russell Family Foundation.