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INVISTA Wetlands

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1. Nature Walk – Take a 1– 2 mile hike through the wetland. Learn proper use of binoculars and observe plants and animals. Learn about birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals. Learn about predator/prey, camouflage, mimicry, and parasites. Observe plants, birds, insects, alligators, turtles, frogs, fish, birds and mammals.  Practice field safety. 4.1A, 5.1A, 6.1A, 7.1A, 7.12A-D, 8.1A,  BIO.1A, 8A  (1-1.5 hour) 

2. Animal track casts – Create your own cast of an animal track. Find and identify tracks during a nature walk. Predator-Prey Relationships, Habitat, Niche, Food Web/Chain, Field Work, Field Safety, Tie in: Earth Science how fossils are made. Measurements with beakers and graduated cylinders. 4.1A, 4.4A, 4.5A-B, 5.1A, 5.4A, 6.1A, 6.4A, 7.1A, 7.4A, 7.12A-B, 8.1A, 8.4A, 8.6C,  BIO.1A-B (2 hours) 

3. Food Chain – Make a tracing of a food chain. Build and decorate a frame to hang the tracing. Predator-Prey Relationships, Flow of energy, Consumer, Producer, Habitat, Niche, and Food Web/Chain.  8.6C, 7.12A-B (60 minutes)

4. Bird watching with binoculars – Identify birds during a nature walk. Scientific Tools, Observation Skills, Classification, Field Guides, Predator/Prey, Camouflage. 4.1A, 4.2B, 4.4A, 4.5A, 5.1A, 5.6C, 5.10A, 6.1A, 7.1A, 7.12A,  8.1A, 8.6C,   BIO.1A  (1 hour) 

5. Aquatic life Zooplankton and Protists – Use nets to collect aquatic life forms. Look at pond water with a microscope. Identify organisms and draw the view with colored pencils – Field Collection methods, Microscope Skills, Lab Tools, Systems, Cycles, Niche, Food Web, Classification/Identification, Observation Skills, Microscope skills. 4.1A-B, 4.2B, 4.4A, 4.5A-B, 5.1A-B, 5.4A, 5.5A-B, 6.1A-B, 6.4A-B, 6.8B, 7.1A-B, 7.4A-B, 7.5A-B, 7.12A, 8.1A-B, 8.4A-B, 8.6C,   BIO.1A-B, 4, 8A, 9D,  IPC.1A (1-2 hours) 

6. Calcium Carbide lantern – Use a chemical reaction to release hydrocarbons from rocks and water to fuel a lantern. Learn what hydrocarbons are and what forms they come in i.e. coal, oil, gas. - Fossil Fuels, Solar Energy, Coal, Earth Science, Chemical Reaction, Lab Safety, Periodic Table, Hydrogen, Sun and Stars, Universe. 3.11D, 4.1A-B, 4.11C, 5.1A-B, 5.6C, 5.8A, 5.11C, 5.12B, 6.1A-B, 6.9A, 6.9C, 7.1A-B, 8.1A-B, 8.13A,   IPC.1A-B, 8A-B, Chem 11A (0.5 hour) 

7. Exothermic and Endothermic – Use thermometers to observe chemical reactions. Calcium Chloride for exothermic reaction (mix with water). Ammonium Nitrate for endothermic reaction (mix with water to make an ice pack.). - Lab Safety, Lab tools, measurement – grams and milliliters, chemical energy, periodic table, temperature conversions 0C - 0F. 6.2B, 6.8A, 6.4A-B, 7.2B, 7.4A, 7.7A, B, C 8.2B, 8.4A, 8.10C,   IPC 1A-B, 2B-C, 8A-B, 8E,  CHEM.1A-B, 2B, 11A-B (1 hour) (Ready for groups up to 45, Grades 6-12 Only)

8. Leaf Rubs – Rub leaves with colored pencils to create a picture of the leaf margin and veins. Learn to identify leaf margins. Build and decorate a frame to hang the leaf rub. Classification, identification, observation skills, field safety. 4.1A, 5.1A, 6.1A, 7.1A, 8.1A, 7.12A,   BIO.1A (60 minutes) 

9. Slime with PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) - Prepare slime from scratch. Polymer, Lab Safety, Lab Tools, Measurement - grams and milliliters, Viscosity. Compare unsaturated, saturated, and supersaturated solutions. 4.1A-B, 4.2B, 4.4A, 5.1A-B, 5.4A, 6.1A-B, 6.4A, 7.1A-B, 7.4A, 8.1A-B, 8.4A,   IPC.1A-B, 7A Chem 4B, 8C (1.5 - 2 hours) 

10. Insect Collection – Locate, capture and identify insects. – Field safety, tools, predator/prey, camouflage, mimicry, parasite, field guides, food web/chain, niche, ecosystem, pollution, measurement, use of field guides, fieldwork tools. 4.1A-B, 4.2B, 4.4A, 4.5A-B, 5.1A, 5.10A, 6.1A-B, 7.1A-B,7.5B, 7.12A-B,  8.1A-B, 8.6C,   BIO.1A-B, 8A, 9D (1-2 hour Aug. Nov. and April-May) 

11. Insect, bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, or leaf casts – Pour cement on plates then color to make large cement artwork - Predator-Prey Relationships, Habitat, Niche, and Food Web/Chain. 4.5A-B, 4.9A, 7.12A, 7.5B, 8.6C (1.5 hours)

12. Wildflowers – Identify the spring wildflowers either by leaves or by their blooms. Classification, Common Name, leaf types, Genus/Species, Field Safety. Best time is March and April. 4.1A, 4.5A, 4.8A-B, 5.1A, 5.6C, 5.10A, 6.1A, 6.8C, 7.1A, 7.5B, 8.1A, 8.6C,    BIO.1A, 8A, 8C (1-2 hours – Feb-May but best in March & April) 

13. Bubbleology – The study of bubbles – Surface tension, metric measurement. This is a fun measurement lab! Students will come away from this lab knowing how to measure in centimeters.  4.2B, 4.4A-B, 5.4A,   IPC.7A (2.5 hour)  

14. Sodium Polyacrylate (baby diaper salt) – Experiment with three forms of this salt. - Lab Safety, Scientific Method, Problem/Hypothesis, Polymer. Periodic Table of the Elements, Physical vs. Chemical Change. Learn what three factors affect a salts ability to be dissolved.  3.7B, 4.1A, 4.4A-B, 5.1A, 5.7A,  6.1A, 6.7B, 7.1A, 8.1A,    IPC.1A-B, 7A, 9D-E,    CHEM.1A, 4C-D, 11A-B,12AB (1 hour) 

15. Snake questionnaire – Learn about snakes while dispelling myths. - Field safety, myth buster, food chain, habitat, and niche. 4.1A, 4.5A-B, 5.1A, 5.10A-B, 6.1A, 7.1A, 8.1A, BIO.1A (45 min) (Status: Ready for groups up to 50)

16. Surface Tension – use a pipette to place water on a penny. How many drops can it hold? Fill a glass full with water, and then add more drop by drop.  How many more drops can it hold? – Metric measurement and conversion, lab tools, pond life.   4.2B, 4.4B, 5.4B, 6.4B, 7.4B, 8.4B  (0.5 hour) 

17. Alka-Seltzer Rockets – Launch rockets prepared with sodium bicarbonate and water. Chemical Reaction, Scientific Method, Experiment, Variables, Measurement, Periodic table. Know the factors that influence the solubility of solutes in a solvent. Learn about Carbon Dioxide.  4.1A, 5.1A,  6.1A, 6.7B, 7.1A, 8.1A,    IPC.1A-B,   CHEM.12A-B, 15A (0.5 - 1 hour) 

18. Fossils – Learn about the various types of fossil preservations. (Examples will be examined of amber, teeth, petrified wood, casts, imprints, and carbonization). Create/construct modern replicates of dinosaurs skeletons, ammonites, trilobites and other extinct critters. Earth Science, Fossils, Preservation, Geologic Time, Erosion, Mt. Building, Rock Formation. New, if time allows we will spray the finished product with water based protective sealant to hold the sand in place.   4.2C-D, 4.3C, 4.8C, 4.10B, 5.2C-D, 5.3C, 5.10B, 5.11A&C. 5.12A-B, 6.3C, 6.10B, 6.11B, 7.3C, 7.14A-B, 8.3C, 8.13B  (3 hours) 

19. Separate iron powder from a mixture with magnets - Separate a mixture of iron from sand. 4.4A, 4.10A, 4.11A, 5.4A, 5.11A, 5.12A&E, 6.4A, 6.14A, 7.4, 8.4A (30 minutes)

20. Discover your own micrometeorites. View in a microscope. 4.4A, 4.10A, 4.11A, 5.4A, 5.11A, 5.12A&E, 6.4A, 6.13A, 6.14A, 7.4, 8.4A (45 minutes)

21. Soil Permeability - Use various types of soil to test for percolation times. Test properties of soils including texture and capacity to retain water. Graph results, Formulate Hypothesis, Draw Conclusions. 4.2A-E, 4.11A, 5.2A-E, 6.2A-E, 7.2A-E, 8.2A-E (1.5-2 hours)

22. Density - Find the mass and volume of an assortment of cylinders. Divide the mass by the volume to get the density. Great lab!  This is another great measurement lab!  It would be fantastic to help prepare for the 10-11th grade TAKS Test.  4.1A, 4.2B, 4.7B, 5.1A, 6.1A, 7.1A, 8.1A,     IPC.1A, PHYSICS.1A, 7A  (1.5-3 hour - class size up to 50 work with partner.) 

23. Convection of liquids in a tube – See a demonstration of how heat influences the flow of liquids in a convection tube. Learn about convection, conduction, and radiation. IPC 6B (20 minutes)