Students explore nature in seasonal programs

Spring has sprung! Mace Ranch Park is full of new life. Explorit is now offering Nature Safaris and Nature Labs to schools and other groups. Several groups have already visited our Mace Park Branch, and many more hold reservations for the programs.

Nature Safaris provide an opportunity for students to get outside and experience nature hands-on. The program begins indoors as the students define an ecosystem. The safari then moves outdoors for a walking tour of Mace Park. Students receive an Explorer Backpack filled with binoculars, bug catchers and viewers, identification cards and trowels. They’re encouraged to make observations, collect insects and to begin identifying the wildlife they see. One visiting student explains what she collected: “ I found a spider, some aphids, and saw a larva.”

Once back at the Explorit building, students use microscopes and hand lenses to observe any of the specimens they brought back. This portion of the programs gives students the chance to observe close up what they caught, and also an opportunity to share their Nature Safari experiences.

Explorit’s Nature Labs complement the Nature Safaris. This indoor program has two parts. First, students have free exploration time in the gallery. Among the things they’ll find is a bird-spotting scope set up for viewing along with an identification guide of local birds. Students will have the opportunity to dissect a seed and identify all its parts, and to observe an incredible worldwide sand collection. A popular activity is the Live Animal Observation, where students have the chance to see Explorit’s animals close-up. Other activities include investigations into adaptations, food chains and energy cycles.

Second, a Nature Lab educator leads an activity on worms and compost. Groups of students first receive a sample of active compost. Without being told what it is, students quickly point out food scraps and lots of life. Finished compost is then presented to the students, and the question of how the food items were broken down is asked. When the conclusion that worms complete the composting process is reached, students then move onto experimenting with a worm. The challenge is to determine what conditions a worm prefers. Dark or light, warm or cool, and damp or dry? Through the use of lamps, wet paper towels, a heating pad and an ice pack, the students conduct simple experiments to help determine the preferred habitat of a worm.

Nature Labs and Nature Safaris may be booked together or separately. The Dean Witter Foundation sponsors these programs.

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/Explorit// Science Center// is open to school groups by reservation and to the general public from 2-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is $4 general, free for teachers and ages 3 and under Explorit is at 2801 Second St., Davis. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or www.explorit.org <http://www.explorit.org>