Science Classes – 2026
Chairperson: Jerry Dievendorf
S01 Bugs and Slugs … Advanced!
Weeks: 4, 5
Grades: 3 – 6
Bugs are everywhere! Want to learn the major insect groups and how they differ from spiders and other small creatures? We will use scientific methods to discover things about them using simple experiments, microscopic observation, and creation of an insect zoo.
Instructor: Jerry Dievendorf
S02 Science Fun
Weeks: 1, 2
Grades: 2 & 3
Do you know why certain animals live where they do? Explore the forest with us, probe the pond and swamp, examine evidence of deer activity and learn how to find salamanders, snakes, frogs and insects. Recognize animals from their tracks. We’ll conduct chemical tests of water and berries to make deductions about what certain animals eat and where they live. We will also examine stream beds to find fossils of ancient life, and we’ll try to guess what our environment might have been like in those earlier times. Come and have fun with us!!
Instructor: Jennifer Hess
S04 Early Birders
Week: 1
Grades: 3 – 7
Join us on an adventure through the Heldeberg fields and forests to learn about our amazing and elusive feathered friends! We will walk through streams, hike to the swamp and climb around boulders to see what birds we can hear and see, while we try to understand why we find them in these special places. We will have plenty of hands-on activities and play games to explore and learn about bird songs, nest building, bird behavior and more!
Instructor: Ruth Brooks
S06 Rocks & Fossils
Weeks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Grades: 4 & up
Dig into the world of rocks, minerals and fossils. Learn about earthquakes, glaciers, volcanoes and much more! We go on hikes to various fossil-collecting sites, create model volcanoes, and learn to navigate the woods 7with ease (an essential life skill!) using a map and compass. We’ll complete the week with a “treasure” hunt!
Instructor: George Pafumi
S07 Junior Naturalist
Week: 4
Grades: 4 – 7
Are you curious about the natural world around you? Search and discover the animals, insects, tracks, plants, rocks and fossils found on The Land! Get your hands and feet muddy as you explore the trails, scope the forest canopy, and traipse over the creeks and foothills of the Helderberg Mountain Front. Learn how to document your scientific findings and observations like a professional naturalist! Come discover the natural wonders of the Heldeberg Workshop!
Instructor: Susan Green
S08 Wee Beasties
Week: 3
Grades: 4 – 6
Explore the hidden microscopic universe of Heldeberg Workshop. Through the use of microscopes, we will learn just how different things look under powerful magnification. There are thousands of different forms of microbial life in the wilderness. We will search the entire Workshop for as many of these “wee beasties” as we can find. We will figure out how to protect ourselves from bad microbes that can harm us. And we will experiment with other microbes to do fun things, like make yeast bread. We will also learn how microscopes can help us solve crimes and study molecules like DNA.
Instructor: Dan Chaize
S09 Fossil Hunting
Weeks: 3, 6
Grades: 3 & 4
Find the remains of organisms that lived here hundreds of millions of years ago! Learn about the prehistoric environment where these creatures lived. Discover how to search for fossils in an area known forits geologic richness. Get your hands dirty identifying fossils such as trilobites, bryozoans, ancient corals, and many, many others as we talk about their significance.
Instructor: Susan Green
S10 Wonderful Trees
Week: 2
Grades: 3 – 6
Come learn all about the trees native to this area and make drawings, paintings and plock prints to illustrate your findings on our daily walks in the forest. You will also look at paintings of trees and leaves in art history. Then you’ll mix shades and values of greens and browns to make your own beautiful paintings.
Instructor: Dagmar Frinta
S11 Budding Scientists
Weeks: 5, 6
Grades: 2 – 3
Learn observation skills to find and identify the residents of the Workshop by visiting stream beds, fields, and the forest. You will see what’s flying around the pond or hopping into it, have fun with interesting games, tell stories, do crafts, and have adventures that will inspire a lifetime of appreciation of nature.
Instructors: Jordan Bein & Jessica Doerr
- Registration is anticipated to open March 10, 2026
- Mailing list families will be notified first
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