New Half Day Field Trip Format
3 – 4 hour programs for school groups include lab and field components. Half of the field trip is spent in one of our labs, followed by a 30-minute break for the students to eat a picnic lunch. The other half of the program will focus on place-based field studies out in the park.
Bird Beak Buffet
Kindergarten
2.5 hours, including a 30-minute picnic lunch
Students will explore how shape is related to function as they explore the wonderful world of birds! They will do hands-on activities in our labs and go birding in the park—perhaps even seeing some baby ducks!
In the Field
Students will go for a “hike” in the park to look for birds and observe how their different shapes help them to be good at different things.
In the Lab
In the lab, students will do an activity to explore how the shape of a bird’s beak might relate to the food it eats. Then, students will build their own birds out of felt and explain how the shape of the bird helps it to survive.
Forces and Motion
Grades 3 and 4
4.5 hours, including a 30-minute lunch
Students explore the principles of motion and forces through hands-on lab activities, a curling demonstration, and ice skating at our Cohen Skating Center. Ice skating lessons are not part of this class. Students are encouraged to try on their own with skate aids.
Grant funding for this program may be available; inquire for more information.
In the Field
Through three hands-on investigations involving friction, mass, and speed, students will analyze the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object, observe patterns of motion, and construct explanations about the changes in energy when objects collide. Time on the ice also reinforces the concepts they learn in the lab in a fun, active way while giving students a special opportunity to skate* and bond with their peers.
In the Lab
In a brief demonstration of the sport of curling, students will observe the principles of forces and motion in action. They will relate the scientific phenomena that occur during curling to what they learn in the lab about friction, mass, and speed. The students will experience these principles firsthand as they skate at our Cohen Skating Center.
Habitat Hunters
Grades 3 – 5
3 hours, including a 30-minute lunch break
Students will observe, discuss, and examine how different animals are adapted to their different habitats. Students will discover how changes in a habitat directly affect what animals can live there.
In the Field
Students will hike through the park and hunt for signs of a healthy habitat and the animals that call it their home. They will hear the incredible story of the river’s restoration and explore how restoring a landscape brought life back to a lost habitat and improved the urban environment.
In the Lab
In a brief demonstration of the sport of curling, students will observe the principles of forces and motion in action. They will relate the scientific phenomena that occur during curling to what they learn in the lab about friction, mass, and speed. The students will experience these principles firsthand as they skate at our Cohen Skating Center.
Bird Bonanza
Grades 1 and 2
2.5 hours, including a 30-minute picnic lunch
Help us save fuel to ship your favorite eco-friendly toy by finding the best wings for gliding long distances. We’ll look at the structures of birds and decide the best wings for the job! In the end, we’ll test your plane model to determine the best wings.
In the Field
Students will observe the structures of animals and plants and discuss the functions of each structure.
In the Lab
In the lab, students will use the observed structures of birds to create planes that glide long distances.
Resilient Communities
Grades 6 – 8
4 hours, including a 30-minute picnic lunch
In this interdisciplinary field trip, students will delve into the realms of science, engineering, and sustainability as they design and construct solar ovens to simulate renewable energy generation in our labs, as well as build personal resiliency skills, strengthen the student’s sense of community, and foster an understanding of climate resilience through hands-on exploration.
In the Field
The outdoor portion of this field trip heavily focuses on Social-Emotional Learning while building on the grade-appropriate extension activity in their lab. All students will participate in team-building activities customized to each group’s unique dynamic needs and abilities. They will hear the powerful story of Mill River Park’s Cherry Trees and the love, forgiveness, and new beginnings they represent that make the community more resilient. Students will then help water the trees to give back to the community and be part of the trees’ story.
In the Lab
Students will work in groups, engaging in the engineering design process, data collection and analysis, communication through group work and formal presentations, and deepen their understanding of energy transfers and conversions and chemical and physical changes. Solar ovens are an example of renewable energy, which is vital in the discussion of environmental resilience. After completing worksheets, students will take their completed group solar ovens outside to heat up s’mores. During this time, students will engage in their grade-appropriate follow-up activity.
Environmental Engineers
Grades 5 – 7
4 hours, including a 30-minute lunch
Environmental Engineers are important in solving the problems that are facing our environment.
In the Field
In the Field
On the hike, we will examine the ways our parks, meadows, and wetlands act as natural engineers while designing some solutions to keep them healthy.
In the Lab
In this class, students will become engineers to learn about the design process and how it can be used to clean up water, restore habitats, and provide healthier places to live.
at Mill River Park
Mill River Park Collaborative has partnered with Henkel North America to bring their Researcher’s World initiative for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to the Whittingham Discovery Center. The program aims to spark curiosity in young minds about science and show that science and research require collaboration. The holistic approach of Researchers World combined with Mill River Park’s experiential and place-based methodology provides a powerful learning experience for students. For more about our partnership, click here.
Generous support from the Henkel Corporation has reduced the transportation and cost barriers to participation in the following programs for local public schools. Contact us for more information about pricing.
Sticky Situation
Grade 2 – 3
3 hours including a 30-minute lunch break
Students will be charged with the mission of helping us solve a simple problem in the park. The class will look to nature for inspiration as they help us figure out how to “naturally” hang signs in the park.
In the Field
Students will hike the park loop, searching for and examining organisms that have evolved to naturally stick to things or stick things together in a variety of ways.
In the Lab
Students will make and test different materials to see which is stronger. They will compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each substance performs.
Nature’s Perfect Packaging
Grades 3 – 5
3 hours, including a 30-minute lunch break
We are in the Plastician era, marked by an abundance of plastic waste. In this class, we will look to nature for lessons on how to package items without waste. Students will act as design engineers working to remove waste from a simple manufacturing process.
In the Field
Students will hike through the park searching for some of the packages that nature has designed, from seeds to shells to egg casings nature knows packaging.
In the Lab
Students will examine packaging form, function, and material as they act as design engineers working to remove waste from a manufacturing process.
All About Energy
Grade 3 – 5
4 hours, including a 30-minute lunch break
In this class, students will learn about the conservation of energy, Stamford’s first energy source, hydropower, and explore renewable energy sources such as solar.
In the Field
In the park, we will discuss other renewable energy sources and the pros and cons of the first energy source harnessed in Stamford, hydropower. First, students will see the site where Stamford’s first dam and grist mill once stood. Then, they will explore how hydropower is generated by designing, building, and testing water wheels in the river.
In the Lab
Students will do a fun activity to understand the conservation of energy and build a circuit using solar cells.
Winter Class Adaptation
During the winter months, the outdoor portion of our classes may be substituted for free skate time on the ice rink. Contact us for more details.