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Outdoor/Environmental Education
Paula H. Klingelhoefer, Program Admin.
631/595-6815
Douglas Schmid, Program Coordinator
631/360-3652
Outdoors.wsboces.org
Peggy Unger, Enrichment Excursion Coordinator
631/360-3652
As an integral and essential part of a comprehensive curriculum, the BOCES Outdoor/Environmental Education Program utilizes the natural environment in a multi-disciplinary approach to promote more efficient and effective learning. The program strongly supports the New York State Science Core Curricula and supplements, strengthens, and gives new dimensions to the existing school curriculum by means of direct observations and hands-on learning experiences outside the classroom. The O/EEP also fosters the rational use and preservation of the natural environment by laying the foundations for responsible action.
Note: Districts must arrange their own transportation
Day-Use Programs
Program #402
Teacher Inservice Training
Because teacher participation is the most important factor in the success of this program, teachers are required to participate in a 4-day intensive environmental education training program during the summer. Teachers are involved in activities relating to marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecology, math in the out-of-doors, orienteering, language arts, natural history interpretive techniques, and strategies for enhancing and revitalizing the elementary classroom curriculum. Teachers receive a Curriculum Guide of discovery learning activities all of which are correlated to the NYS Math, Science and Technology standards. (Each guide contains specific activities, resource information, background information about various habitats to be explored and investigated during the program, suggestions for logistics and management, pre- and post-trip activities, and a host of other materials pertinent to the successful implementation of our program.)
Learning at the Labs
In three to five school days, teachers make use of the equipment, resources and instructional staff at the outdoor learning laboratories to provide instruction to their class. Most often classes are assigned two days in the fall, one in winter and two in the spring. Come experience what many successful teachers have learned that the out-of-doors is a truly exciting and effective place for learning.
Caleb Smith Outdoor Learning Laboratory
Located in the 543-acre Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, the laboratory contains numerous displays and serves as a stepping-off point for exploring the deciduous woodland and ponds.
Sunken Meadow Outdoor Learning Laboratory
Located in a secluded section of Sunken Meadow State Park, the lab offers a wealth of interpretive displays and aquaria. The 1,266-acre park provides a unique learning environment containing a salt marsh, beach and dune habitat.
Connetquot Outdoor Learning Laboratory
Located in the Connetquot River State Park Preserve, this laboratory is housed in the historic Snedecor Inn. The Pine Barrens ecosystem of the park contains freshwater streams and a working trout hatchery.
Residential Programs
Program #402
Teachers and students live together at sites on or off L.I. for several days where they focus on the natural environment and traditional curricula. This is preceded by in-service training and planning guidance.
On Long Island
Baiting Hollow
Suffolk County Council, Boy Scouts of America, Calverton
Features: borders Long Island Sound, is surrounded by a magnificent salt marsh, and contains a freshwater pond.
Facilities: rustic platform tents.
(Fall/Spring)
Camp DeWolfe
Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
Wading River
Features: 27 acres of wooded waterfront on Long Island Sound.
Facilities: residential cabins, 8 of which are heated, 1/4 mile of beachfront. Challenge course with high and low elements. Arts and crafts building, and modern dining hall.
(Fall, Winter, Spring)
Dorothy P. Flint
Cornell Cooperative Extension/4H Division, Riverhead
Features: woodlands, a working farm, and a boardwalk/trail to the seashore.
Facilities: science center, open-air arts and crafts building, and over 40 cabins.
(Fall/Spring)
Camp Quinipet
United Methodist Church, Shelter Island
Features: woodland property on Peconic Bay
Facilities: 7 heated guest houses, indoor recreation and arts/crafts facility, meeting rooms, modern dining hall.
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
Peconic Dunes
Suffolk County Parks, Southold
Features: dune, woodland, freshwater, and marine habitats adjoining Long Island Sound.
Facilities: cabins and modern dormitories.
(Fall/Spring)
Off Long Island
New York
Ashokan Field Campus
SUNY New Paltz, Kingston
Activities: Pioneer Homestead, Indian Village, Blacksmithing, Forest Ecology.
Features: 372 acre campus in the Catskill foothills.
Facilities: bunkhouses, dining hall.
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
Frost Valley Environmental Education Center
Frost Valley YMCA, Oliverea
Activities: Project Adventure, geology, and orienteering.
Features: 4,500-acre Catskill Forest Preserve.
Facilities: winterized facilities, two program centers, 45 cabins and 9 lodges, dining hall.
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
Greenkill Outdoor/Environmental Education Center
YMCA-YWCA Camping Services of Greater New York, Huguenot
Activities: wildlife studies, Project Adventure, forest ecology.
Features: deciduous and coniferous forests, fields and ponds.
Facilities: activity lodges, modern dormitories, dining hall.
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
Sharpe Reservation, Fishkill
Activities: hiking, camping, fresh-water studies.
Features: 2550-acre site in southern Dutchess County
Facilities: self-contained residences, dining hall.
(Fall/Spring)
Special Services
Program #402
At sites on and off Long Island, O/EEP staff and consultants teach specialized courses for grades 1 through 12. Individually mentored programs for secondary students involve original research and domestic and international travel. Outdoor Education Specialists can also design programs customized for individual school districts.
Challenge Course
To instill group cooperation skills and team building abilities as part of your school's Character Education efforts, make the Challenge Course experience a part of your curriculum! The Challenge Course at the Sunken meadow Outdoor Learning Lab allows students to work in small groups under the guidance of an instructor/facilitator. During the experience, students progress through a series of increasingly difficult group tasks. These may begin with team building/confidence building activities and move to more challenging tasks that the group must solve together. Immediately following each acitvity, the facilitator leads the group in a discussion and debriefing of the decision-making process and problem-solving styles employed.
Native New Yorkers
Through hands-on activities and an exploration of the natural envirionment of Caleb Smith State Park, this activity-based program teaches elementary students about Long Island Native Americans. The program supports the elementary-level Science and Social Studies Core Curricula.
In-School Science Programs
Eleven programs, specifically designed to take place within a school, will allow students to participate in activities about a variety of science subjects. Programs include astronomy in a portable planetarium, reptiles and amphibians, mirocoscopy and food webs, Long island geology, and navigation. All programs strongly support the elementary or intermediate level Science Core Curricula.
Conservation Biology
Whether through a box tortoise reintroduction and tracking study, or with bobwhite quail and ecosystem management, several options for exciting, engaging real-world science projects are available.
Grades 1 - 3
Ecology Awareness: 8 days
Introduces basic ecology principles and concepts through the investigation of woodland, freshwater, and marine environments.
Marine Studies: 1-5 days
Students explore, investigate, and compare marine habitats, flora and fauna, and Long Island nautical heritage.
Nature Discoveries: 5 days
Activities emphasize an inter-disciplinary approach to geology, botany, reptiles and amphibians, insects, and mammals. Students learn about the availability of natural materials, how they are used, and how to use them in crafts and hobbies.
Grades 4 - 6
Bay Investigations: 1 day
Conducted in Gardiner's Bay from the Montauk Dock on board the Viking Fleet or in the Great South Bay from Captree Boat Basin on board the Yankee III. While on board, students use a variety of nets and sampling equipment to analyze the physical and biological environment of the bay.
Exploring Long Island's Secret Wilderness: 5 days
Acquaints students with the Pine Barrens through field excursions, classroom and field exercises, a canoe trip, and guest lecturers. Students develop an understanding of groundwater, watershed, fire climax forest, and plant and animal competition.
Field Natural History: 8 days
Students learn the geology, biology, and history of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments by studying the Nissequogue and Carmans watersheds.
Fire Island Ecology: 1 day
Focused on interpreting Long Island's barrier beach environment.
Introduction to Intermediate Level Science:
3 - 5 days (grades 5 - 6)
In this exciting program, students investigate either a freshwater ecosystem or compare two different biological communities. Students will employ process skills required by the ILS Core Curriculum including transect studies, use of dichotomous keys and microscopy.
Marine Studies II: 2-5 days
Students will explore, investigate, and compare marine environments, including estuary/salt marsh, rocky intertidal, and seashore. Conducted at Sunken Meadow State Park, and Flax Pond in Stony Brook.
Studies in Long Island History: 5 days
This program incorporates the DBQ and field work to support the NYS Social Studies Standards. Includes field trips, guest speakers, and a written research project focusing on Long Island's history.
Grades 7 - 12
Exploring Long Island's Fisheries Resource: 5 days
Students investigate fish anatomy, physiology, and ecology, explore fishery habitats, and learn about the socio-economic factors affecting fisheries.
Farming the Sea: A Mariculture Project: 5 days
Students learn about a new type of agriculture- mariculture-by growing hard-shelled clams under controlled conditions. The clams will be seeded in Long Island Sound to help restock coastal waters. Includes field work.
Insects: 6 afternoon sessions + 3 Days
Focuses on Long Island's insects, their adaptations, anatomy, morphology and diversity. Each topic contains an associated "hands-on" activity.
Marine Mammals: 2 - 5 days
Students will work with a researcher to conduct a postmortem on a porpoise, dolphin, or seal in their classroom. Includes a slide/lecture necropsy.
Ornithology: 3 afternoon sessions + 3 days
An introduction to the avian world through bird-watching. Students observe and learn first-hand how birds function through field work and readings.
Whales, Study and Research: 2 days
Students learn about marine mammal behavior, adaptations, and their role in the ocean's ecosystems. Includes an ocean excursion aboard the vessel Viking Fleet.
Field Research Expedition Program
Develops critical thinking skills as students investigate environmental issues and conduct independent research projects. Involves international and domestic travel and research, and publication projects.
Program #402
Summer Science Institute
Grades 4 and 8
This program is an Academic Intervention Service for students who will be entering the 4th and 8th grades the following fall. Science concepts that will be tested on the state assessments will be taught through an inquiry science approach that addresses both The Living Environments and The Physical Environments Standards. Students will utilize the Outdoor Learning Laboratory and the diverse natural habitats found within Caleb Smith State Park Preserve as they are guided through an exciting three weeks of multidisciplinary activities in the out-of-doors.
Program #402
Students can use summers to study the local environment in three enrichment programs. The 60-hour programs begin approximately the second week of July and conclude by the first week of August. Districts may enroll a maximum of 15 students, with 5 students in each of the 3 component programs.
Grades 1- 3
Nature Discoveries
Youngsters explore, discover, and observe Long Island's varied natural world.
Grades 2 - 6
Camp Invention
A week-long summer enrichment program offered in your local elementary school. Students are immersed in five different hands-on activities that foster creativity, teamwork and inventive thinking skills. Offered in conjunction with the Long Island Science Center.
Grades 4 - 6
Adventure Education
Through lectures and audio-visual presentations, students learn the necessary skills to enjoy the out-of-doors. Two backpacking/camping experiences and one canoe trip are taken.
Grades 7 - 9
Long Island: Past, Present and Future
Students explore and analyze geological, ecological, and historical development of Long Island in day and overnight trips.
Marine Studies Enrichment Program
An intensive 5-day residential program for high school students offered June through August. Students learn about physical and chemical oceanography, marine ecology, invertebrate zoology, mariculture, wetlands conservation, and man's impact on the marine environment.
Summer Marine Biology Consortium
Three week program in July designed for academically able students who have completed biology. Students collect water samples throughout Long Island and study them under laboratory conditions in the classroom.
Enrollment is limited and requires special permission.
Cooperative Programs
Program #402
Atlantis Marine World, Aquarium and Research Facility, Riverhead
Self guided tour or BOCES staff member will lead students through 80 exhibits. Programs can be combined with the Atlantis Explorer and the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.
Atlantis Explorer, Riverhead
Two and a half hour environmental education program aboard the Atlantis Explorer. The Explorer navigates down the Peconic River and Flanders Bay. Students will study the geological history of the Peconic Estuary System as well as the local flora and fauna.
Colonial Life and Technology (Hoyt Farm): 1 day
Students investigate historical archeology, mapping and surveying, architecture, and colonial technology.
Cultural History Workshop (School Site): 1 day
Long Island Native American history is taught with audio-visual materials and discussions. Often used as preparation for the Native Life and archaeology program. Includes pre-and post-visit materials
Club Invention (Grades 2-6)
After school program that fosters creativity, teamwork and inventive thinking skills in the areas of science and math. Offered in conjunction with the Long Island Science Center.
Technology Workshop (School Site): 1 day
Students appreciate human ingenuity through the invention of simple machines and their evolution from Stone Age to today. This workshop can be used separately or in conjunction with the Colonial Life Technology program.
Native Life and Archaeology (Hoyt Farm): 1 day
Suffolk County Archaeological Association personnel teach students about Long Island's history through archaeology, ethnobotany, and native technology.
Science Enrichment Excursions (School year and Summer)
Program #402
Grades K through 12
Excursions from Manhattan to Montauk...and beyond. BOCES staff will discuss and offer assistance with all science-based excursions. We work with museums, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Riverhead Foundation, Liberty Science Center, and aquariums. The Long Island Rail Road and the Sayville Ferry can be contracted through this service.
State University at Stony Brook
Grades 7 through 12
Biotechnology Teaching Laboratory - SUNY Stony Brook
12 work stations, accommodates 24 students. By performing DNA restriction enzyme analysis, transformation of bacterial cells, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), students can use state-of-the art techniques and equipment utilized in many research laboratories around the world. Flexible hours.
Since school districts have their own unique curricula needs, the Outdoor Environmental Education Program staff is available to work with district staff to create innovative and customized programs and projects. These programs allow students to practice authentic science, meet the district's science education scope and sequence and gain the content and skills necessary for mastery of the NYS Core Curricula.
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