Science 2019
Chairperson: Jerry Dievendorf
S1 Bugs and Slugs … Advanced!
Week: 6 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
S2 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: Week 1: Jennifer Hess; Week 2: Diane Betzwieser
S3 Habitat Adventurers
Weeks: 4, 5, 6 Grades: 2 & 3
Gear up for adventure throughout forests, fields, swamps, the pond, and much more! Learn how to recognize common species within each habitat and how they interact with one another and their surroundings in order to thrive! We’ll be rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty catching minnows at the pond and looking for salamanders on the forest floor. Also, we’ll get in tune with our creative sides, crafting habitats of our very own and drawing critters that we find in our journals. Through interactive guessing games, we’ll learn a bit of their anatomy too! Get ready to learn, create, share and explore!
Instructor: Dan Perez
S4 Early Birders
Week: 1 Grades: 3 – 6
Forget the worm! Early Birders will explore the Land seeking out over 30 species of birds, learning to use binoculars, spotting scopes and field guides to identify them by sight and sound. We will learn techniques for spotting birds, feeding birds and luring them in for a closer look. Games and activities enhance our understanding of the world of birds and what makes them such unique animals. We will also discover the best ways to feed birds so we can watch them in our own backyards. Early Birders learn the basics for a lifelong hobby.
Instructor: Chris Keefer
S5 Junior Naturalist
Weeks 1,2,3 Grades 3 & 4
Join us for a combination of art, nature, and adventure! We will explore their natural surroundings and learn to observe and record our findings. We will learn about the plants and wildlife of the Heldebergs, conduct fun experiments and create our own art with things we find while exploring the Land.
Instructor: Emma Bidell
S6 Rocks & Fossils
Weeks: 1, 2, 3 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 with ease (an essential life skill!) using a map and compass. We’ll complete the week with a “treasure” hunt!
Instructor: George Pafumi
S7 Swamping
Weeks: 2, 4 Grades: 2 – 4
Different plants and animals live in different parts of our swamp. We’ll spend the week discovering who lives in all that mud!
Instructor: Dee Strnisa
S8 Wee Beasties (new class)
Week: 5 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
S9 Fossil Hunting
Weeks: 4,5,6 Grades: 3 & 4
Find the remains of organisms that lived here hundreds of millions of years ago! Learn about the prehistoric environment that these creatures lived in. Discover how to search for fossils in an area known for its 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: George Pafumi
S10 Forest Ninjas
Week: 2 Grades: 3 – 6
When a ninja enters the forest, nothing moves without the ninja noticing – and yet – the ninja can move silently and unseen. How does the ninja do it? The birds are always communicating about who is moving around, and the ninja knows their language. The ninja has also practiced moving like animals so many times in martial arts classes that the ninja can move silently and unseen like the bobcat. Learn the ways of the ninja in the forest through stories, fun, games and – of course – sneaking around! Never again will your sibling be able to sneak up on you!
Instructor: Steve Young
S11 Advanced Forest Ninjas (new class)
Week: 6 Grades: 4 – 7
Just what is the secret of the Forest Ninjas that allows them to travel undetected over the landscape? They befriend the birds of course! The birds tell a ninja who is coming long before they arrive, giving her plenty of time to disappear into the thicket undetected. And a ninja is careful to respect the birds and blend into the forest, so that the birds never give away his presence. Join us as we learn the language of the birds and practice moving undetected over the landscape even with hundreds of kids and adults here for our summer programs. As our skills grow, the birds will allow us to see their private lives as they work hard to feed their babies and keep them safe. They might even tip us off to the location of the ferocious songbird eating machine otherwise known as the Coopers Hawk.
Instructor: Steve Young
S12 Plants and Butterfly Gardens (new class)
Week: 5 Grades: 4 – 7
Explore the world of plants and gardens! We will explore plant biology, morphology, and ecology through walks, talks, and a greenhouse visit! Join us for discovery and appreciation of the vast plant world.
Instructor: Paul Steinkamp
S13 Forms in Nature (new class)
Week: 5 Grades: 3-7
Discover your inner artist and enjoy the beauty of your natural surroundings by creating art transferred from found nature: leaves, rocks, wood and anything else that catches your eye! Discover new meanings in natural patterns, shapes and colors of woodland found objects to assemble small and/or large earth works/sculptures. The forest and fields will be your art supply store, providing you with all of the things that you will need or want to use on your creations. Practice being an Art-in-Nature detective!
Instructor: Chris Bergere