Current Programs

One Day Programs

Amazing Arthropods!

Arthropods represent over 80% of all known animal species. Students will get to see all the shapes, sizes, colors, and adaptations that make these some of the most unique animals on earth! Give your students a chance to handle the wide variety of arthropods that Village Edu has to offer! Students will learn about the vast services arthropods provide to ecosystems. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

All demonstrations of animals include an overview of unique traits developed through evolution, and a chance for every student to see the function of certain body parts up close! Live specimens include: curly hair tarantulas, Madagascar hissing Cockroaches, giant rainforest scorpions, giant African millipedes, Vietnamese centipedes, vinegaroons and more!

Insect Evolution

This program focuses on insect evolution and unique traits! Students will be able to see first hand the many weird and bizarre ways nature has responded to challenges. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Insects have been crawling around the soil for almost as long as it’s been around. Their internal systems have a multitude of mind blowing functions that would never exist in humans! We center our demos on a central question: Why do insects operate and live so differently than us humans? Each specimen is specifically chosen to highlight things insects do that are completely out of the realm of humanity! This program features: stink bugs, cockroaches, beetles, bees, mantids and more!

Venom VS Poison

Through examples of creepy & terrifying insects brought to your doorstep, this program takes you through evolutionary history & shows how these formidable defense mechanisms have changed over time. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Highlighted in the program are the advantages and disadvantages of the wide variety of defensive and offensive capabilities insects have. We even talk about some insects like the vinegaroons that develop defenses that are considered to be completely different than venom or poison! We will be looking at: scorpions, tarantulas, millipedes, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and more!

Invasive Species

This community-driven program introduces the idea of invasive species and the profound impact they have on ecosystems-specifically Maryland’s! Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Invasive species are primarily spread through human activity, but can also spread by other, natural means. Students will get take home pamphlets that highlight some of the 200 known invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay Area so they can help their community ecosystems! Students will observe and learn about spotted lantern flies, stink bugs, and many more!

Nature Walk

Have Village Edu educators guide you and your students though the surrounding ecosystem. On the walk students will be able to observe and learn about native and invasive plant species, insects, vertebrates, and more. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Through educational background and up to date research, our educators are experts in the local flora and fauna, and will be able to give on the spot lessons about them, including the wide variety of beautiful and unique native flowers. We will also be covering the unfortunate circumstances that many of these creatures face due to increased human activity, and the recent trends recorded by researchers in the fields.

Pop Up Zoo

The Pop Up Zoo displays the full range of animals that Village Edu has to offer! Our educators will showcase a variety of species and share about how they evolved over time, some unique identifying traits that they have, and how human activity may be impacting them. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Every student will get a chance to handle some of our creatures, and observe them up close. Animals include: bearded dragons, tarantulas, scorpions, cockroaches, millipedes and so much more!

Ecosystem Services

Students get a chance to build their own ecosystem full of real, live critters! As they do, they can witness producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers at work becoming moving factors in the circle of life! Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Students will consider how interconnected all the species that they place into their ecosystems are. Topics covered in this program include abiotic and biotic factors, and energy movement through each stage of a food chain. This program gives chances to handle and learn about: bearded dragons, snakes, mantids, crickets, beetles and more!

Camouflage

Explore the mind boggling ways nature has learned to protect itself! In this program, students will get to look at and handle live specimens of animals that use camouflage, and learn how the ability has been unlocked and adapted by various species. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

This program connects to core life science concepts of evolution and beneficial physical traits. A hands on and interactive approach is the best way for students to see the effectiveness of physical traits in animals, especially camouflage. Animals that will be showcased: bearded dragons, snakes, mantids, beetles and more!

Multiday Programs

Pollinator Patch

In our pollinator patch program, students will engage in a unique opportunity to learn about pollinators and their importance through live specimen, real native plants, observation and data collection. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Over the course of 9 days, the students will put together a native garden and observe and collect data on the pollinator visitors they see. They will learn to identify these pollinator species through viewing preserved specimen and hands on education with live specimen. In addition to learning to identify the pollinators, they will also learn the crucial importance of these species, as well as the differences between them and how they have all evolved over time.

Students will learn about the evolution and adaptation of both the native pollinator and plant species through activities and presentations, focusing on things like different mouthparts of the pollinators as well as different flower shapes.

At the end of this program, students will compile and analyze their data into final projects that will allow them to be a part of the larger discussion of pollinator importance and the challenges our native pollinators face today. Our goal is that children finish this program with an understanding of what they can do in their community to help their pollinator populations.

Detritivores

In our Detritivore program, students will have the unique opportunity to learn about detritivores, or, decomposers, superheroes of our earth! Through observation & handling of our detritivores, students will learn about decomposition, ecosystem services, food cycles, & more! Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

Over the course of 4 days, the students will learn about decomposition and its stages. They will get to build detritivore containers in order to observe decomposition in action and collect data. This program features demonstrations and handling of our detritivores, including our Giant African Millipedes, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, and more!

Vectors of Disease

Students will engage in community-driven research and data collection in this 6 day program series, culminating in a large, class-made sculpture to represent their learning! Students will also participate in a community clean-up, while considering the idea of how trash contributes to the rates of certain diseases like malaria. Each program will be tailored to Next generation science grade level specific standards.

The goal of this program is to not only teach students about mosquitoes and the dangerous diseases they can carry, but also how to help prevent large populations of them in their community.