Our programs are interdisciplinary and include an outdoor component, weather permitting, so students should always be prepared to go outside. Schools typically select one of our standard programs for a field trip; however, some schools request two different programs during one visit. For more information on the cost per option, please visit our Fees Page.
If interested in one of our special request programs, please call 201-460-4623 for availability and assistance. We will do our best to complete all components during the length of your visit. All programs include a 30 minute lunch recess.
School Programs 2024-2025 (PDF)
School Programs 2023-2024 (PDF)
Marsh Muckers * (Grades: K-1)
Visit the salt marsh and meet the animals that make this amazing habitat their home. Students will learn about the unique water here and interact with live specimens, collecting and sorting them based on the observations they make. They will also be introduced to a salt marsh food chain, a concept that will be reinforced with a take home craft. This program includes a guided field hike, weather permitting.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: KLS1-1, KESS3-1, KESSS3-3, K-2ETS1-2
Nature’s Course (Grades: K-1)
Follow the course of an uneaten apple from its beginnings as a fragrant flower to its end as part of the soil beneath the tree it came from. Students will learn the story of Adam, an energetic first grader anxious to help with chores on his family’s orchard. Along the way they will discover how nature’s waste is recycled and interact with live decomposers including composting redworms.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: KESS2-2, KESS3-1, KESS3-3
Shell Stories and Scale Tales (Grades: K-1)
Animals display an amazing array of adaptations and the wildlife inhabitants of the Meadowlands salt marsh habitat are no exception. Interactive storytelling and cooperative learning stations fully engage students in this exciting topic. This program includes a take-home craft.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: K-LS1-1, KESS-2-2, KETS-1, 1LS1-1
Story of the Sun (Grades: K-1)
Follow Emile the Egret on his journey from his evening roost just outside the “big city”, to his daytime feeding grounds in the salt marshes of the Meadowlands. By hearing Emile’s story students will learn about the Sun’s apparent motion across the sky and understand the important role this illusion plays in the life cycles of animals. This program includes a take-home craft.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: KPS3-1, KPS3-2, 1ESS1-1
Incredible Insects (Grade: K-3)
Come learn about the most numerous group of animals in the world and see for yourself the astonishing diversity of insects that live in the Meadowlands. Classification, life cycles, physical characteristics, and the role insects play in their local habitats will all be investigated. Observations of live insects will be included in the lesson, many collected by the students, weather-permitting. This program includes a take-home craft.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 1LS1-1, 2ETS-1, 2LS4-1, 3LS1-1, 3LS2-1, 3LS4-2, 3LS4-3
Paws and Claws, Beaks and Feet (Grades: 2-3)
Which birds have feet designed for swimming? Whose beak is best for eating insects? In what ways is a shell useful to a turtle? Students will discover the answers to these and many other questions. Through cooperative learning and hands-on investigation, students will learn how animals’ adaptations enable them to survive in the salt marsh. This program includes a guided field hike to look for plant and animal adaptations, weather permitting.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 2LS2-1, 2ETS-1, 2LS4-1, 3LS4-2, 3LS4-3
Marsh Explorers * (Grades: 2-3)
This program is not offered December through March.
Get immersed in the salt marsh habitat. Following an introduction to this unique wetland community, students will act as field biologists, collecting and identifying live specimens. Working with the live specimens, students will learn how to make observations and how to record these observations through sketching.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 2LS4-1, 2LS2-1, K-2ETS1-2, 3LS2-1, 3LS4-2, 3LS4-3
Starry Faces in Faraway Places (Grades: 2-3)
This program will have your students reaching for the stars! Through kinesthetic activities, students will experience the depth and dynamic nature of the solar system with an emphasis on the Sun and familiar constellations. Included in the program will be an investigation of the Earth’s movement and how this movement affects what we observe in the sky.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 3ESS2-1, 3ESS2-2
Water Watchers (Grades: 2-3)
If water is one of Earth’s most abundant resources, why do we need to conserve it? This program answers this question. Students will learn good water use habits and participate in kinesthetic activities that help to convey several take-home methods for water conservation.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 2ESS2-1, 2ESS2-2, 2ESS2-3
In TOO Deep (Grades: 3-5)
Beyond simply recognizing the reality of climate change, In Too Deep helps students identify ways this reality might affect them, their families, and the communities they live in. After using historic weather data to identify several climate types, students will investigate how potential changes in future weather resulting from climate change will impact locations differently based on local topography.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2, 3-ESS3-1
Astounding Adaptations (Grades: 4-6)
What helps animals and plants survive in the wild? Students will be able to answer that question after investigating movement, protection, and feeding simulations that include live animal interaction, tool manipulation and cooperative work. Includes field hike, weather permitting.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 4LS1-1, 4LS1-2
Sustainable Design (Grades 4-6) By Request Only
This program addresses the concepts of sustainable materials and water conservation, and why they are important in our lives. Students will investigate alternative energy and renewable resources by touring our LEED platinum certified building. The students will then be challenged to demonstrate their knowledge by selecting materials and constructing a model of their own “green” building.”
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3
The Meadowlands is For the Birds! (Grades: 4-6)
Why do so many birds migrate through New Jersey and the Meadowlands? Students will examine the geography of the Garden State and participate in a simulation to understand this phenomenon. We will also use map skills and math to understand the science of one bird’s migration. Be prepared to take a hike to find our feathered friends and the resources they depend on.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4
Peek at the Past (Grades: 4-6)
Come discover how the early settlers lived in the Meadowlands. Students will become junior archaeologists as they uncover and analyze artifacts. This interpretive journey will allow students to identify natural resources from the past and present. Activities are adjusted seasonally.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 4ESS1-1
Solar Energy: Living with the Sun (Grades: 4-6)
This program illuminates the various ways our nearest star affects life on Earth. Students will learn about the apparent motion of the Sun and how we use that motion to heat and/or cool our habitats. The tilt, rotation, and orbital pattern of the Earth around the Sun, along with the reasons for seasons, will also be discussed. Weather permitting, students will view our star with safe solar viewing equipment.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 4-PS4-2, 5-ES1-2
Down and Dirty with Decomposers (Grades: 4-6)
This program introduces you to the inhabitants of our compost bin and the benefits of composting. Students will conduct experiments to investigate how decomposers react to changes in their environment and while doing so, discover how these organisms convert kitchen scraps and yard trimmings into nutrient rich soil. The important role decomposers play in our local habitat will also be addressed.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 5LS2-1, 5ESS3-1
Estuary Explorers * (Grades: 4-8)
This program is not offered December through March.
Come discover the salt marsh! Field experiences will have students testing water samples, collecting live specimens and examining plant life. Students will also practice microscope skills in observing live plankton. Food chains, adaptations and wetland values will be discussed.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: 4LS1-1, 5PS3-1, 5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Climate Change Conundrum (Grades 6-8)
After reviewing the evidence of climate change distilled from the National Climate Assessment, students will consider their own contribution to global warming by conducting a brief carbon footprint survey. This, along with a simple climate-modeling tool, will transition to a debate-style discussion of potential solutions to climate change with concerns of various interest groups being considered.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: MS-ESS3-5, MD-ESS3.D
Biodiversity Basics (Grades: 7-8)
What would we do if tuna fish were to become extinct? Humans depend heavily on the Earth’s biodiversity. Join us as we discover what biodiversity is, its importance for humans and what we can do to preserve it. Students will participate in a bird survey in DeKorte Park as well as a hands-on demonstration of a disrupted food chain and the consequences it brings to the ecosystem.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8
Eco-Engineers (Grades 7-8) By Request Only
This program on sustainable building challenges middle school students to contend with some of the complex questions that confront (and confound!) real-world professionals. Which building materials are best for the environment? Can we afford these materials based on our budget? Utilizing resources and our LEED platinum certified building as an example, students will answer these questions and more while designing a model home, the culminating project for the program.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: MS-ESS3-3, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-4
Studying Stars Near and Far (Grades: 7-8)
This program will introduce students to our closest star (the SUN!) and the energy it emits. Activities related to the electromagnetic spectrum, spectroscopy and telescope optics will demonstrate how we currently study the Sun and other stars. Students will visit our observatory and its research-grade telescope. Weather permitting, we will also safely view the Sun.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: MS-PS3-3, MS-PS4-2
Biodiversity: Birds as Barometers (Grades: 9-12)
Students with a basic understanding of biodiversity will enjoy this program where they will learn how to conduct a biodiversity survey here in DeKorte Park in order to estimate the “health” of the salt marsh habitat. We will also demonstrate through a hands-on activity how the disruption of different trophic levels affects the entire ecosystem. Concepts such as food chains, food webs, trophic levels and keystone species will be discussed.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-4
Fish Murder Mystery (Grades 9-12) By Request Only
In this challenging program, students are charged with solving an environmental scenario. We will introduce various water quality parameters and go outside to collect and test water samples from the park. Back in the lab, students will combine water testing, current events, and map resources to gather and present evidence to support a hypothesis for what caused a massive fish kill.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6
Urban Estuary Ecology * (Grades: 9-12)
This program is not offered December through March.
Explore the interactions of the local tidal community. Through field collections, water chemistry and other observations, students will be exposed to the food web of an estuary and examine how humans have impacted the Meadowlands. There will also be a special lab focusing on the osmotic challenge of living in such a dynamic ecosystem.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-LS1-2, HS-LS2-3
Heavy Metals: Up Berry’s Creek Without a Paddle (Grades: 9-12)
This program will introduce some of the toxic metals of concern in the Meadowlands. Students will conduct a bioassay lab, getting a first-hand look at the impacts of these substances on living organisms, as well as how scientists attempt to quantify toxicity. Self-guided activity stations also address the properties of metals and bioaccumulation.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: MS-PS1-4
Power Trip: Exploring Renewable Energy (Grades: 9-12)
Take a real-world look at sustainability in the human environment, using our science building as a working model of green design principles. Hands-on activities will have students gathering data to analyze the factors that affect photovoltaic performance. Self-guided activity stations also allow students to experiment with wind turbine models in a challenge to engineer the best blades.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-PS3-3
Estimating Local Carbon Capture (Grades: 9-12)
Students will appreciate the potential role of trees in atmospheric CO2 capture and perform an outdoor field survey of trees. With three pieces of information, students will calculate estimated carbon capture in local specimens. Conditions permitting, we may also hike additional park trails or discuss other carbon capture strategies. OPTIONAL: To expedite field data collection, we can provide background info in advance and recommend smartphone apps for download prior to the session.
NGSS & NJSLA-S: HS-ESS3-4 ; HS-ETS1-1 ; HS-ETS1-3
Note: During the winter months or in severe weather, portions of programming will be primarily indoors with alternate activities.
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