Preschool Group Programs

Leave No Child Indoors! Add outdoor discovery days to your curriculum.
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Childhood and the outdoors
​are a natural fit!
​
​Take advantage of a child’s natural curiosity about the outdoors while building on basic early environmental education themes. Rancocas programs are a great supplement to your traditional classroom curriculum. Engaging youngsters in outdoor discovery ensures that they are exposed to the natural world at a young age. It’s never too early to begin to develop an understanding of the environment around us.
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ALL ON-SITE PROGRAMS
INCLUDE ​A TRAIL HIKE

​Call 609.261.2495 or email 
education@rancocasnaturecenter.org for more info and/or to schedule a program

On-Site Programs ​at Rancocas Nature Center
​$150.00 for an hour-long program
​for up to 15 students
School groups larger than 15 can also be accommodated for an additional fee. Chaperones are welcome.

​Off-Site Programs at Your School or Facility
$155.00 for one 30-45 minute program
for up to 15 students
$85.00 for each additional 30-45 minutes
of same program for up to 15 students

Off-Site Discount:
Book four or more repeat programs and get $40 off!

​The program fee is due two weeks prior to program date. To facilitate scheduling please have several possible dates and times in mind. ​Spring & Autumn dates fill up quickly so make your reservations early. Many programs are taught outside, rain or shine, so please dress appropriately. Our instructor(s) will contact you a week in advance with specific program details.

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Meet the Rancocas Reptiles
The Rancocas State Park is home to thirteen species of reptiles. They are year-round residents that are readily seen spring to fall, and they hibernate in the park during the colder months. A visit to our center offers children the chance to explore reptile habitats and learn about their characteristics. In addition, this interactive program gives children the opportunity to “meet” several of the species that live in our Visitors Center and are part of our educational presentations.

A Froggin’ We Will Go!
Join us on a frog expedition. Children will visit six stations as they hike through several Rancocas habitats looking, listening, and sampling for this elusive amphibian. Each station features an interactive activity focusing on different aspects of a frog’s biology, life cycle, and interesting characteristics.

Making “Sense” of Nature
Children are aware of their five senses at an early age. Using touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing as central themes, this program introduces students to the fascinating world of nature and animals. Children will use each of their five senses during hands-on activities that teach them about how animals sense the world around them through their eyes, ears, nose, mouth/ tongue, and body covering. And students will learn how the senses are important for survival in the wild.

The Fabulous World of Insects
Will we find a caterpillar, a butterfly, a chrysalis, or an egg? Is it a beetle or a fly, a dragonfly or a moth? Young learners are naturally curious about the critters we find hiding in fields, nectaring on flowers, crawling on the ground, and burrowing under a log. Insects and their relatives are an amazingly diverse and important component of our environment. Through hands-on discovery, students will also learn basic concepts about the cycle of life, plant/insect associations, and decomposition while having fun exploring the Rancocas preserve.

Museum Madness
Our Visitors Center is the centerpiece of our preserve. In addition to our colorful classroom with its seasonal displays, the center features a New Jersey live native reptile room, a wildlife viewing area, and an interactive museum. With a wealth of environmental education materials as a hands-on stimulus, students will learn about the animals of Rancocas, their skulls, nests, nutritional needs, and how they adjust to the changing seasons. This program includes a live animal demonstration.

Nature Scavenger Hunt
The wonders of the natural world are all around us. While looking for clues along the trail, students will learn about the Food Chain, metamorphosis, animal homes, and the decomposition process as we explore our meadow, dragonfly pond, streams, deciduous/ coniferous woodland, and the forest floor. At each stop along the trail, children will stamp their scavenger hunt booklet as a record of all they’ve seen.