For almost 50 years, Pine Jog has provided the teachers and students of Palm Beach County with unique learning experiences in the natural world. Engaging learners in rich, interactive, first-hand exploration is Pine Jog’s hallmark.

Pine Jog’s educational programs for kindergarten through fifth grade are designed to use environmental themes and concepts as the context for learning academic standards while building the learner’s appreciation for the natural world. Pine Jog offers both schoolyard inquiry programs and field-based programs that take place both in the classroom and at Pine Jog.

All of our programs are designed to meaningfully address Florida Sunshine State Standards. This year, our kindergarten through second grade programs have been aligned to the Big Ideas of the new Science Standards.

Our inquiry-oriented programs emphasize student-directed learning facilitated by our highly skilled education staff and actively involve students in collecting information to answer questions about the world around them. A variety of teaching strategies are used to maximize learning for all students.

To schedule an inquiry or field trip program please contact Karen Aubry at (561) 686-6600 ext. 420 or kaubry@fau.edu.

SCHOOLYARD INQUIRY PROGRAMS

What do scientists do? What tools can help us collect data? Which senses help us make observations? How do scientists record data? What does data tell you?

Students answer these questions and more as our schoolyard inquiry programs turn them into schoolyard scientists!

When Pine Jog comes to you, we bring all the equipment and materials needed to engage every student in science inquiry. These programs focus on the nature and practice of science through a series of six different inquiry-based lessons that are offered within three grade level categories. Through the process of science inquiry, math skills such as taking measurements and organizing data into graphs are addressed as developmentally appropriate and science vocabulary is constructed through real world experiences. Two Pine Jog staff team-teach each lesson for a low student to instructor ratio.

Kindergarten-First Grade:

Looking at Leaves: How are the leaves in our schoolyard different and how are they the same?

Students answer this key question and more as they take to their schoolyard to conduct field research on different leaves they find. Through this exploration, they will observe using scientific tools, analyze their results, and make conclusions.

 

 

Camouflage Chase: Why are animals different colors?

Students use their science skills to explore the amazing adaptation of camouflage through a simulated experiment. Students record their findings on data sheets and use this data to make conclusions. Students also use a scientific tool, the magnifying glass, to find examples of camouflage in action in their schoolyard.

Second and Third Grade:

Litter Patrol: In our schoolyard, is the litter mostly paper, plastic, or mixed material?

Students become schoolyard scientists who form a hypothesis about the litter in their schoolyard. They then venture out into the schoolyard and, working in teams, investigate the different types of litter that can be found in the area by collecting, sorting, and weighing their litter. Using quantitative data, students create graphs to interpret their data and determine whether they proved or disproved their hypothesis.

 

My Survival Toolbox: What tools do I have for survival? What tools does a snail have for survival and how do they compare with mine?

Students use their science skills to investigate how different adaptations help humans and animals breathe, get food and water, move, and protect themselves. With live snails brought into the classroom, students explore the snail adaptations and record their observations. They then use both qualitative and quantitative data to draw conclusions about how snails are adapted for survival.

Fourth and Fifth Grade:

Hitching a Ride: How do plants in our schoolyard spread their seeds?

As schoolyard scientists, students explore their schoolyard for examples of how seeds travel. They conduct an outdoor experiment to simulate how certain seeds travel via animal fur, and compare and contrast the seeds found in two different types of schoolyard habitat (mowed and unmowed). Students then interpret their results by constructing a graph of the class data.

Cool it Lizard: How does a lizard maintain its body temperature?

Students formulate a hypothesis to address the key question and then conduct and outdoor experiment to investigate the effects of temperature on lizards. Using thermometers to simulate a lizard, students collect data on how changes in its surroundings change the body temperature of lizards. Students then analyze their data through graphing, revisit their hypothesis, and address questions about their conclusions.

Program Length: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cost: $100 for the first class of the day and $50 for each additional class

For more detailed information about our schoolyard inquiry programs (including which standards are addressed in each program) please download the school program brochure here.

FIELD TRIP PROGRAMS

Pine Jog’s 135 acres of natural area offers learners the opportunity to experience many of Florida’s beautiful habitats in a safe, structured learning environment. Pine Jog’s field trip programs immerse students in the natural world and provide them with a real-world context for exploring and understanding essential science concepts and practicing their science inquiry skills. At Pine Jog, students learn by doing, with activities designed to facilitate hands-on learning.

Individual thematic programs that combine a variety of instructional strategies and address specific standards are offered for each grade level. Each class of students is divided into two groups, each with a Pine Jog instructor to achieve a low student-to-instructor ration and maximize the learning experience.

All programs except kindergarten include a pre-visit or post-visit in the classroom. Field trips vary in length and cost. Please see the program brochure.

Kindergarten:

Using Our Senses in the Natural World: What can our senses tell us?

Students participate in a series of activities that highlight the use of four of the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, and touch. Learners use these senses as tools to make careful observations about objects found in the natural world. As a culminating activity, students are challenged to use all four senses to make detailed observations about the forest environment and to compare their observations with others.

First Grade:

The Art of Survival: How are living things adapted for survival?

Students investigate first hand the special adaptations that enable living things to survive in Pine Jog’s field and pinewoods habitats. This program includes a classroom visit prior to the field trip to introduce students to the concept of adaptation and its importance to all living things. During the field experience at Pine Jog, students net for insects in the field and make observations about their unique adaptations. In the pinewoods, students play Pine Jog’s original Plants Can game, to discover adaptations plants have for survival.

Second Grade:

Have to Have a Habitat: How do plants and animals meet their needs at Pine Jog?

Students discover the basic needs of all living things through first hand exploration of Pine Jog’s pond and pinewoods habitats. This program includes a classroom visit prior to the field trip to introduce the four essential components of a habitat: food, water, space, and shelter. During the field experience at Pine Jog, students investigate life in the pond and pinewoods habitats through dip-netting at the pond and making observations during a pinewoods scavenger hunt. Learners then apply their understanding of the concept of habitat through a simulation game in which they experience how animals meet their needs for food, water, and shelter.

Third Grade:

Interdependence: How do living things depend upon each other?

Students participate in special training to become Home Team members. Pine Jog Staff visit the class and lead the students in an interactive lesson that emphasizes teamwork. During the training at Pine Jog, students make observations and gather evidence to explain the concept of interdependence of all living things. After completing each activity, the students use a “master” decoder that allows them to solve the secret meaning of the mystery behind LOETT. Students are then invited to become MVP’s for the Home Team by taking personal action to help the Earth back at home and school. Pine Jog provide Home Team membership buttons to recognize the students for their efforts.

Fourth Grade:

Sunlight Energy Powers the Earth: How does energy flow through plants and animals?

Students explore the concept of energy by playing Pine Jog’s original Energy Game. During a classroom pre-visit, the Game Master hosts a series of games which introduce the idea that “energy makes everything go”. Through hands-on activities at Pine Jog, students collect evidence to trace the flow of energy from the sun through plants and animals. Along the way, they practice the photosynthesis recipe in the Green Kitchen and elaborate upon the concept through an exciting photosynthesis relay. As students complete each activity, they earn a bead for their “energy” bracelet. At the conclusion of the field trip, students learn how fossil fuels are formed. Their final reward bead can only be earned by meeting the Game Master challenge of saving energy at home and school.

Fifth Grade:

The Earth Recycles the Materials of Life: How do the water, air, and water cycles work? How can we determine the quality of our water and air?

This science FCAT prep program reviews Grades 305 GLEs. This program utilizes a pre-field trip “wanted” poster and an original comic book, The Home Team Meets the Cycle Busters, to arouse curiosity and invite student participation in an environmental investigation. During the field experience at Pine Jog, the students are sworn in as investigators and receive a special investigator badge. Inquiry-based activities help students gather evidence on the Earth’s water, air, and mineral cycles and explain how these cycles can be harmed. During a cooperative learning post-visit lesson in the classroom, Pine Jog staff facilitate learners using their newly acquired understandings to develop action plans to reduce pollution and conserve resources at home and school.