‘Science in Nature’ Education Program Reaches 2,000 Students In Its First Year

Fourth graders from Putnam Elementary in Meriden gauge the wind in a Science in Nature class at the Center at Glastonbury. Photo copyright Connecticut Audubon Society.

July 2013 – Connecticut Audubon Society’s Science in Nature program, inaugurated just nine months ago, has already brought more than 2,000 students from Bridgeport, Meriden and Fairfield to our sanctuaries for outdoor conservation education designed to complement their classroom studies.

These students are the first to participate in Science in Nature, which is the foundation of our education work and is supported by generous grants from the Perkin Fund, the Horizon Foundation, PTM Charitable Trust and the 3M Corp.

“We loved it, and so many of my students came back saying it was the best field trip they had ever been on,” Becky Pavlick, who teaches in Meriden’s Nathan Hale Elementary School, told us. “The staff was very knowledgeable and excited about what they were presenting, so that really engaged the students.

“They loved — and I mean loved — being able to use the compass, wind gauge, and field computer! Those hands-on experiences really kept them engaged in each site and eager to see the difference in the habitats.”

The 2,000 students – from Meriden Public Schools; Unquowa School in Fairfield; Barnum, Park City and Discovery Magnet, and Curiale schools in the Bridgeport public school system, and Trumbull High – collect and analyze life science and environmental science data about weather and climate, geology and biological adaptations.

Our team of first-rate teacher-naturalists provide the lessons and also train each school’s teachers, to ensure that the fieldwork carries over to the classroom.

What makes Science in Nature different from every other outdoor education program in Connecticut is that it is curriculum-based and fully integrated into classroom work. Science in Nature is designed to close Connecticut’s academic achievement gap between low-income students and those from higher-income school districts. The payoff is the recognition and participation of both school districts and funders.

Through Science in Nature, we are implementing the goals we set out in our Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report, Where Is the Next Generation of Conservationists Coming From?

The program is also the key to carrying out our mission of conserving Connecticut’s natural habitats through science-based education.

Science in Nature is the only program of its kind in Connecticut. To learn more, contact Education Director Michelle Eckman: meckman@ctaudubon.org or 203 259-6305 ext. 107.