register here
Fall 2008
Elementary Program Options
School groups can select from the
following programs. Be sure to read the registration information. Call
(605) 362-2777 for more information.
K – 1st Furry Animals
What kind of furry animals live in South Dakota? We’ll sing a
song, feel some animals’ furs, play a critter game and go outdoors to
look for animals and their homes. (1 hour)
K –
1st Terrific Trees
Learn about our largest plants—trees. Through games and hands-on
activities, discover what kind of trees grow in South Dakota, what they
need to survive and why they are good for us. ( 1 hour)
K – 2nd Slithering Snakes
Are they slimy? Why do they shed? Play a game,
make a craft and get up close to some of our native crawlers! (1-1.5
hours)
K-2nd
Bats! Bats! Bats!
Discover the world of bats. What bats live in
South Dakota? Are they blind? Play some games, make a craft, and see a
puppet show. (1-1.5 hours)
K-5th Animal Architects
Discover amazing animal builders. Investigate
nests to lodges, play a game, and take an animals homes’ hike.
Experience the interactive ‘Animals as Architects’ exhibit.
(September only) (1-1.5 hours)
1st-2nd Leave It To
Beaver
Meet South Dakota’s master dam builder. Enter the
wet world of the beaver. Take a hike and find traces of this fascinating
aquatic mammal. Discover the beaver’s special adaptations and
skills through the use of skins, skulls and fun activities. (1.5
hours)
1st-2nd What’s for
Dinner?
What’s on the dinner plate of critters that live
in South Dakota? Learn about food chains and food webs through hands-on
activities and games. (1.5 hours)
2nd-3rd Fun With Amphibians
Can frogs sing? Do toads give you
warts? Discover amphibians that live at The Outdoor Campus through
games, a hike and hands-on activities. Learn about the life cycles
of these unique creatures. (1.5 hours)
2nd-3rd Wonder of Seeds
Discover the magical world of seeds, where they
come from and how they travel. Go on a seed finding hunt, play a
seed identification game and plant a seed of a common South Dakota plant
to take home. (1.5 hours)
2nd-3rd Wet and Wild
Discover the wonders of the prairie wetlands.
Play a game, make a craft and experience the importance of this prairie
pothole region. (1.5 hours)
2nd-3rd Life on the Prairie
Come and explore the prairie habitat. Learn what lives and grows on the
prairie. Play some games, take a hike and enjoy prairie life. (1.5
hours)
2nd-3rd Going, Going, Gone
Who’s disappearing from our planet and why? What’s meant by the
different classifications—threatened, endangered and extinct? Play
a game and do activities that highlight some of South Dakota’s
disappearing wildlife. Learn what you can do to help. (1.5 hours)
3rd-5th Beaks, Feet, and Feathers
What makes a bird a bird? Learn how different
birds use their beak, feet and feather adaptations to survive in their
unique habitat. Meet Flopper, our resident blue jay, and learn about her
story of survival. Make a bird feeder to take home and go on a nature
hike to discover some of the different birds that live around the oxbow.
(2 hours)
3rd-5th Home is Where the Habitat Is
Get to know some of our wildlife and what habitats they call home with
games and fun hands-on activities. Learn what wildlife and people need
to survive. Feed our fish and go on a hike outdoors to discover signs of
wildlife habitats. (1.5 hours)
4th-5th Radical Reptiles
Enter the world of South Dakota’s reptiles. Learn about their special
adaptations. Play a game and make a reptile craft. Get up close and
personal with some of these fascinating, cold-blooded creatures.
(2 hours)
4th-5th Bloomin’ Botonist
Learn through games, hands on activities, and outside explorations all
about the plants that grow throughout South Dakota. Plant a prairie
flower and learn about the grasses and other amazing plants that live in
this special ecosystem. flower(2 hours)
4th-5th Going Batty
Are bats blind? Can they get caught in your
hair? How do they communicate? Learn the answers to these questions and
a lot more through games, activities and a hike. (2 hours)
4th-5th Prairie Partners
Through games and hands-on activities discover what lives and grows on
the prairie. Take a hike and play a game to identify prairie plants and
animals. Learn about the wonders of the prairie ecosystem as it was long
ago and as it is today. (2 hours)
4th –
6th Owls: Who Gives Hoot
Enter the world of the owl—modern day raptor. Learn about food chains
and dissect an owl pellet to determine what was eaten. (2 hours)
4th-6th Lewis and Clark Adventures
Two hundred years ago, Lewis and Clark made
their way along the Missouri River through today’s South Dakota. Come
along with “Capt. Lewis” and “Capt. Clark” to learn the history and some
of the skills it took to be an early explorer. Make a nature journal,
learn to navigate by magnetic compass, describe plants and find out
about the animals the Corps of Discovery encountered as they discovered
what President Jefferson bought with the Louisiana Purchase. (2
hours)
4th –
8th Tracks and Traces
Using actual pelts, skulls, antlers and other artifacts, learn about the
critters that call South Dakota home. Learn to identify animal tracks
and about predator-prey relationships. Hike the trails to look for signs
of animals and make a plaster cast of an animal’s track to take home. (2
hours)
4th-8th Dakota Fish
Get to know our fishy neighbors. We will meet The Outdoor Campus fish at
feeding time. Practice casting and learn to tie fishing knots and the
other skills and information you will need to have a fun and successful
fishing trip. Finish up by trying your luck in our very own fishin’ hole
out back. (2 hours)
5th-8th Wetland Ecology
South Dakota’s wetlands are special habitats
important to wildlife and humans. Play a fun game to learn all about
sustainable use of this vital natural resource. Explore the ecology of
our very own wetland environment, the Big Sioux River oxbow, with
collection nets and specimen jars. (2 hours)
5th-8th GPS Adventure
Students will learn the basics of
GPS operation, satellites and their location. They will explore uses of
the GPS and get hands-on experience with a GPS unit. (2 hours)
5th-8th Orienteering Adventures
Orienteering is a fun, challenging, healthy activity that stresses map
reading skills and decision making. Learn how to use the information
shown on a map together with a simple-to-understand magnetic compass to
run an orienteering course. Experience the thrill of completing one of
the many orienteering courses set up around The Outdoor Campus. (1.5
hours)
|
 Creep
Fest!
An
Opportunity for Third and Fourth Graders
What:
Creep Fest is a day designed to educate students and
teachers about the “creepy” creatures that inhabit South Dakota.
Students will rotate through stations, learning about such creatures
as bats, spiders, snakes and many more!
Who:
Creep Fest is geared to third and fourth graders. Up
to 60 students will be able to attend.
When:
Creep Fest will be held Friday, October 31 from
10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
What
will we learn at Creep Fest?
Through hands-on activities, games and
crafts, we will explore life cycles, adaptations and unique aspects
of things that go “bump, day or night.” All sessions are aligned
with the science standards.
Students will experience Creep
Fest through fun games, songs, exhibits, and lots of hands-on
activities.
What
do I need to bring?
Each student, teacher, and chaperone should bring a sack lunch.
There will be time for lunch between the morning and afternoon
sessions.
How
do I register for Creep Fest?
Fill out a regular school application. Write Creep Fest on
the “program requested” line. |
Application
Procedure for School Programs
We will be offering
programming four days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
for the weeks of September 9th-November 21st.
Fill out the application form completely. You can
drop it off at The Outdoor Campus in person; mail it to 4500 S. Oxbow
Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57106; fax it to (605) 362-2704; pull
up our web site at www.outdoorcampus.org and complete it online; or
simply call and we will take the information over the telephone. This
must be done by
5:00 p.m. on August 22nd to get in the first drawing. Any slots
still open will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Each teacher must apply for his/her own classroom. In
the event that you are bringing two classrooms on the same bus, teachers
will need to plan alternative activities for one of the classrooms for
part of the time since Outdoor Campus staff can accommodate only
one class at a time. Please indicate this exception on the application
form.
Each
teacher is allowed to attend one program per school year.
On
August 25th, beginning at 8:00 a.m., Campus staff will select name
randomly and number them in the order drawn. The fall schedule will then
be filled in, beginning with application number 1 and continuing until
all slots are filled or all applications are scheduled. Any remaining
slots will be filled on a first-come/first-serve basis.
If the
schedule fills before everyone has been scheduled, those remaining will
be put on a waiting list for that season.
Everyone will be contacted within the next week
concerning registration. Confirmation will come via mail.
Keys to
Success:
In filling out the form, select 3-4 possible dates in case someone ahead
of you has chosen your first date. If you are riding on a bus,
applications can be filled out for a maximum of two classrooms. You may
apply for only one program and one time slot per classroom per school
year.
Group Size: To provide quality programming, the
maximum class size for most programs has been set at 30 students. The
minimum number of students is 10.
Cost: There are no fees for these programs.
Thank a hunter or angler for supporting these education experiences.
Cancellations: Please
notify us of all cancellations or adjustments to numbers as soon as
possible so we can plan accordingly.
Chaperones: We encourage chaperones’
participation to assist with supervision of students. We request a 1 to
10 ratio for all field trips.
Additional Sertoma Park Opportunities:
While visiting Sertoma Park, there are several other
opportunities for your students. The park has an excellent
multi-age playground, sound tubes, whisper dish and geodome. There
are also over two miles of trails for hiking. In addition, the
Sertoma Butterfly House is available at reduced student rates of
$1.50/student for the flight room experience or $2.00/student for flight
room and program. (334-9466)
On Your Own Visits
School and preschool
groups may visit our museum and grounds on their own. This option is
popular with groups who are unable to schedule a field trip led by our
staff.
The following
guidelines will make your trip successful:
Please
call and schedule your group in advance. This prevents conflicts with
other groups and programs at The Outdoor Campus. Plan 15 to 20 minutes
for visits to the museum. Groups that use the grounds must remain in
designated areas and on the trails. A touch table containing furs,
skulls, and other artifacts for younger students is available near the
front of the museum. You may request scavenger hunt cards for younger
children to use in the museum or out on our trails.
How we meet state and national science standards:
http://www.outdoorcampus.org/classesschopre.htm
Borrow
These Teaching Tools
The Outdoor Campus has crates of pelts, skulls, tracks, books, and
activities available for use in classrooms, libraries, camps, Scout and
church groups, or after-school programs.
Mammal
Crate A
Mammal Crate B
Endangered Species Crate
Grasslands/Sod Box
Prairie Crate
Tree Trunk
Elk
Crate
Bat Crate
Beaver Crate
Coyote Crate
GPS
Crate
In-town Crate
Wetlands Crate
*Means the crate must be picked up and cannot be shipped.
A $75 deposit in the form of a check or money order to The Outdoor
Campus is required for each crate requested and will be held until the
crate and contents are returned are returned in good condition. The
deposit will then be returned or shredded. Contact information is below.
Contact information
The Outdoor Campus
4500 S. Oxbow Ave.
Sioux Falls
SD 57106
(605-362-2777)
Fax (605) 362-2704
Email:
toc@state.sd.us
Web site:
www.outdoorcampus.org
