Pond Explorations
The Rose Garden Pond provides habitat for various aquatic plants and animals. This safe, hands-on exploration of an aquatic environment, introduces students to concepts of metamorphosis, adaptations, and ecological interactions.
Grade Levels, Program Length, and Season
- Appropriate for Grade Levels K-12
- This program lasts 1 1/2 to 2 hours and can be adapted to suit the needs of your group
- The program is offered from late-April to late-October
Program Description and Activities
Your students will be engaged in a multifaceted program experience that may include:
- Using dip nets and other aquatic sampling equipment to capture and examine various pond creatures such as dragonfly nymphs, predaceous diving beetles, backswimmers, leeches, tadpoles, snails, and much more.
- Examining some of the adaptations, life cycles, food webs of the various creatures in the pond in order to become aware of the diversity of life in an aquatic habitat.
- Using an aquatic life identification key to identify the creatures they find.
- Discussing and reflecting on the importance of healthy aquatic habitat to living things.