Investigate real animal homes and various habitats of Tifft. Through hands-on explorations and a guided tour, students discuss interdependent relationships between animals and plants while working together to match animals to their proper habitats and construct animal homes from natural materials.

NGSS Standards: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-1, 2-LS4-1

Explore the needs of seeds, plant parts and species diversity. Through hands-on activities and a guided tour, students investigate the shape and function of real plant seeds, create an imaginary seed designed for dispersal and plant seeds in pots to take back for observation.

NGSS Standards: K-LS1-1, 2-LS2-1, 2-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1

Compare winter animal survival adaptations. Students will use weather monitoring instruments, conduct an experiment, and search for evidence of animal survival on an outdoor hike. Indoor activity alternatives to the tour may be offered in the event of inclement weather. Snowshoeing may be requested ($2 per person), weather permitting.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS4-2, 3-ESS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, MS-LS1-4

Examine the real physical features and living organisms of our ecosystem on a guided tour of the Preserve. Inside, students investigate bird biofacts to learn about adaptations up-close and work in groups to design their own imaginary species and how it can survive.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS4-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, MS-LS1-4

Discover our essential connection to water and water habitats of the Great Lakes region. Through hands-on water quality testing and macroinvertebrate sampling, students will discuss watersheds, aquatic biodiversity and human impact.

To include fishing, add $2 per student. This informative program is ideal for older students interested in an immersive study of the waters of the Great Lakes region.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-4, HS-LS4-6

Embark on a journey through Buffalo’s past to present through indoor hands-on exploration and a guided tour. Explore early settlement, industrial heritage, and the environmental movement that inspired the Preserve’s creation by investigating maps, artifacts, and current invasive species and conservation issues.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS4-4, MS-PS1-3, MS-LS2-5, HS-LS2-7

Discuss survival needs and venture on a guided journey indoors and outdoors in search of shelter, water, food, and fire building materials. Students can implement team-building skills while constructing a survival shelter, as well as learn knot-tying, the importance of fire and wayfinding techniques.

NGSS Standards: 3-ESS3-1, 4-ESS3-2, HS-ESS3-1

Compete in a guided bioblitz on the trails in search of different wildlife species, from invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, fish, mammals, and birds. While indoors, students observe distinguishing traits and play games to model classification skills and survival strategies.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS3-1, 3-LS4-2, MS-LS4-4, HS-LS4-3

Witness the food web in action! Search the preserve for real world evidence of how energy flows through different trophic levels. While indoors, students simulate the food web of local ecosystems through games and hands-on investigations.

NGSS Standards: 5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, 5-PS3-1, MS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-5