Environmental and Science Courses

Nuhop’s environmental education and science classes emphasize learning through a hands-on approach to help students gain a better understanding of what they learn, retain it longer, and take charge of their own learning. Students will explore many topics and may find new interests.

Hikes (short, half-day, or full-day options available)

  • Students will spend some time out in the woods with their instructors exploring the wild areas of the Mohican State Forest. Deer, wild turkeys, bald eagles, and numerous other animals are abundant in the area, and seeing them in their natural habitat is often a highlight of this trip. Students will study the delicate balance of the various ecosystems and the human effect on them. They may travel to waterfalls, stop by some rock formations, trek across streams, and/or visit different areas that have limited human contact. Many of our other classes can be added to the hike for additional content.

Ornithology

  • In this class, students will learn about characteristics of birds through various games and activities. They can walk to various bird feeders set up around camp to observe live animals and try to identify them using the resources available. Hands-on games and activities will get them thinking about the different parts of a bird (ie. wings, beaks, etc.) and how they function. Emphasis will be placed on adaptations, anatomy, and environmental factors..

Rotten Log Ecology

  • Through this class, students will be able to see the interactions between rotting logs and nearby plant and animal populations. They will explore rotting logs with hand tools and their hands to find organisms living in and nearby the logs.  Emphasis will be placed on an understanding of consumers, scavengers, and decomposers. Games and activities in this class typically cover concepts including food webs and bioaccumulation. This class is best utilized on a hike. Students will be encouraged to make observations, including visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory sensations.

Stream Study

  • This is a big category of activities, so teachers will be asked to select their preferred focus for the class.

    For the Human Impact topic, students will create their own “streams” or “ponds” using different materials and then demonstrate and discuss what would happen if humans interacted with this environment. After exploring their theoretical bodies of water, they will visit a real stream or pond and use different tools to determine the temperature, turbidity, velocity, and pH level of the water. They will use the data they collect to make a hypothesis on the health of the stream and then discuss what effect pollution and other abiotic and biotic factors may have on the stream. They may also play a water cycle game to learn where water travels through our environment.

    For the Living Things topic, students will begin by discussing food chains and different types of living things. They will then visit streams or ponds and observe the creatures within them. They may also measure the water quality to figure out which kinds of creatures could thrive there.

Geology

  • This class focuses on grade-level appropriate geological processes like rock and mineral identification, weathering and erosion, the rock cycle, and the three major types of rocks. Students will use hands-on activities to learn these concepts and might visit a sandstone cave, or hunt for fossils in the limestone bedrock. Students can use rock hammers and field guides with the rock samples they find around camp to identify different types of rock. They may even make their own fossils or “rocks” using craft materials that represent real geological resources and processes.

Powering the Planet

  • Students will begin by learning or reviewing major types of energy, such as potential, kinetic, thermal, sound, light, and more. They will play modified versions of traditional games like “red light, green light” and “pictionary” to solidify these concepts.    Students will then have an opportunity to explore and demonstrate sustainable energy practices by using our bicycle-powered generator and solar-powered charging station. Other topics of discussion may include renewable vs nonrenewable resources and the concepts of “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

Hot Air Balloons

  • In this class, students will utilize the scientific method to prove that air is matter. They will go through a series of small experiments to demonstrate the different properties of molecules in a solid, liquid, and gas phase. They will expand on this knowledge with discussions and exciting demonstrations about pressure and temperature. Finally, they will construct and launch a small-scale hot air balloon, and apply the principles they studied to their understanding of how it flies.

Geodomes

  • In this class, students will study geodesic dome design and how it compares in strength and stress with other building designs. Using logs and ropes, students will work together to construct a geodesic dome. Skills learned in this class include identifying different types of triangles and tying basic knots and lashings. When finished, students can climb on the geodome and calculate the amount of weight the structure can hold.

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