Home Study 2023

Our programs are designed to provide experiential and inquiry-based learning opportunities. Students explore big ideas, i.e., understandings that endure long after the details are forgotten. Programs span across our 412 acres which encompasses wetlands, streams, meadows, forests, ponds and vernal pools. Students practice skills such as asking relevant questions, making careful observations, communicating outcomes, and reflecting upon results. Next Generation Science Standards are incorporated into all offerings. 

Please Note: Unless otherwise noted, all programs will meet in the Youth Education Center. 

CLICK HERE to register

The following will be available to homeschoolers for the Fall 2023 season:

September 11:
Mighty Monarchs 10:00am - 11:30am
Sheep Sense 12:30pm - 2:00pm, Meets in the Dene

October 16:
Splendid Spiders 10:00am - 11:00am
Pond Critters 12:00 - 1:30 pm

November 13:
Wild and Wary: Vermont's Turkeys 10:00am - 11:30am
Secrets of Seeds 12:30pm - 2:00pm

 

Mighty Monarchs: educational programming at Hildene Mighty Monarchs

Grades: K-3 • Length: 1.5 hours
SEPTEMBER 11, 10am - 11:30am
Monarchs are the only butterflies to migrate north and south each year, yet no single insect completes the round-trip journey. Students explore the conservation of this butterfly, while learning about its habitat, life cycle and migration, including tagging and releasing a monarch. BIG IDEAS: Interdependence; Cycles; and Structure & Function. NGSS

sheep at Hildene Farm in the dene youth education programming Sheep Sense

Grades: K-1 & 2-4 • Length: 1.5 hours
SEPTEMBER 11, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Students interact with the sheep at the dene animal barn while exploring their life cycle, anatomy, and behavior. In helping with chores, students gain an appreciation for the care that goes into these animals. The special characteristics of the sheep’s fiber is also investigated, and a fiber item is created by the students to take home. BIG IDEAS: Cycles; and Structure and Function. NGSS 

spider web field hildene youth education programs Splendid Spiders

Grades: K-3 • Length: 1 hour
OCTOBER 16, 10:00am - 11:00am
In our gardens, forests, fields and homes, spiders can be found, quietly focused on their important ecological role—capturing and eating insects. Students observe live spiders and build model spiders from their observations, discover the process of spiders capturing prey in a web, and go on a guided hunt to observe spiders, webs and record observations. We also examine the life cycle of these terrestrial predators. BIG IDEAS: Interdependence; Cycles; and Structure and Function. NGSS

pond critter study with Hildene's Youth Education department Pond Critters!

Grades: 1-2 & 3-4 • Length: 1.5 hours  
OCTOBER 16, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Pond dwelling critters are remarkable for their diversity of size, shape and adaptations for finding food, moving and breathing. Students explore the pond critters in Hildene's pond to make observations and to identify how they are adapted to live in a watery world. Students also become familiar with the differences between the young and adult forms of their critters and build a pond food web. BIG IDEAS: Diversity; Interdependence; and Structure & Function. NGSS

Vermont-Turkeys Wild & Wary: Vermont's Turkeys

Grades: K-2 & 3-4; Length: 1.5 hrs
NOVEMBER 13, 10:00am - 11:30am
Unlike earlier times, the turkey we enjoy today isn’t a wild bird, but rather farm-raised. While tasty, the domestic turkey is not nearly as fascinating in behavior or development as its wild cousin. With interactive activities, students explore the history, habitat, life cycle and behavior of Vermont’s wild turkeys. BIG IDEAS: Interdependence; Cycles; and Change Over Time. NGSS

Secrets of Seeds_Hildene Educational Programming Secrets of Seeds

Grades: 1-2 & 3-4 • Length: 1.5 hours
NOVEMBER 13, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
How are animals, catapulting, and the forces of wind, water and gravity linked to seeds?  Students explore this and other questions during our investigations of seeds. Students examine how seeds are formed, identify the parts of a seed that grow into a new plant, and inspect selected seed bearing structures to look for evidence of how the seeds travel. BIG IDEAS: Interdependence; Cycles; Reproduction; and Structure and Function. NGSS