Assateague State Park
2008 Environmental Education Programs
Maryland DNR Park Service and Maryland Conservation Corps offer the following field trip opportunities at Assateague State Park beginning Spring 2008. We welcome you and your students to discover the unique ecology of a salt marsh and barrier island and the abundance of creatures that inhabit them. Through a series of rotating stations, lasting approximately 30 - 45 minutes and selected by you in advance from the following descriptions, we can set up a program schedule to meet your needs. We can generally accommodate student groups up to 100 and scheduling dates and times are flexible, but are reserved on a first-come first-served basis. A picnic area is available for bag lunches, and accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request.A service charge for Assateague State Park fieldtrips of $2.00 per student covers costs of materials and supplies and supports Assateague Interpretive Programs.
Please call or e-mail for more information or to schedule a field trip program for your school group. E-mail is suggested for fastest reservation confirmation.
Contact Information: Angela Baldwin
Phone: (410) 641-2120 x 20
Email: abaldwin@dnr.state.md.us
or
Sarah Knipe
(410) 641-2120 x 13
sknipe@dnr.state.md.usIf you reach voice mail, please leave a message including your name, school name, phone number or e-mail, grade, number of students, program/s requested, and potential dates.
Program: Castles in the Sand
Location: Nature Center Beach
Age Range: Activity can be adapted for grades 1-8
Description: Barrier islands are dynamic ecosystems whose sands are always shifting and moving, eroding in some places and accumulating in others. Winds, tides and storms are constantly reforming their shapes. In this activity, students will construct “developments” on a strip of barrier island. Simulations will demonstrate to students the effects of coastal storms and the importance of a well-vegetated dune line.Program: Beach Scavenger Hunt
Location: Nature Center Beach
Age Range: All grades
Description: Students explore the beach at Assateague in search of its natural treasures. Using a “Common Shells and Artifacts Discovery Guide,” students are challenged to find examples of the shells and artifacts pictured, then return to a sharing circle to learn about and share their finds. A Shape and Texture Scavenger Hunt for younger students (pre K – K) is also available as well as an advanced version, Biological Beach Combing, for grades 5 - 8.Program: Critter Talk
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: All grades
Description: Meet some of Assateague’s most interesting inhabitants. Check out our Nature Center exhibits and aquariums and observe horseshoe crabs, whelks, snails, turtles, fish and more. Get a close-encounter animal program and learn more about the special features that allow these amazing creatures to survive on and around Assateague Island.Program: Backyard Habitat
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: All grades
Description: Parks aren't the only places for students to see wildlife - where else can you see many of Assateague's critters? We'll introduce you to some local reptiles and amphibians and discuss their importance in the ecosystem. Demonstrations will show simple ways to create inviting homes for wildlife and ideas for students to build habitats to attract animals to their own backyards and schoolyards.Program: Water Safety
Location: Nature Center Beach
Age Range: All grades
Description: Join us for an interactive learning experience on our Assateague beach (participants will not be permitted to enter the ocean) covering many components of water safety including basic water rescue, the use of safety equipment, ocean and wave ecology, and marine life.Program: Critter Storytime and Craft
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Pre-K to grade 3
Description: Horseshoe crabs, whelks, turtles, fish… Sit back and enjoy a story about one of the critters residing in our Nature Center. Students will learn about a fascinating local animal, where it lives, what it eats, and how they can help to protect their habitat. After getting a closer look, each student will create his or her own critter craft to take home.Program: Can You Be an Assateague Animal?
Location: Nature Center Beach
Age Range: Pre-K to grade 2
Description: Younger students will learn about the animals that live on and around Assateague Island. Using pantomime and body poses, students will imitate some of the common critters found on the beach and in the water to learn about their unique body shapes and sizes, behaviors, and adaptations. Learn the sign language for some sea creatures and hear the sounds they make.Program: Whale Tales
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades K to 3
Description: Whales are often seen from the beaches of Assateague. Sometimes their bones even wash up onto the shore. Learn fascinating facts about whales during this exciting program. Touch and see real whale bones found at Assateague Island. Hear songs sung by whales while learning about echolocation and how whales use it to communicate.Program: Rescue Me! Treasure Hunt
Location: Nature Center Beach
Age Range: Grades K to 3
Description: Discover the importance of keeping beaches clean when you receive a message in a bottle from one of Assateague’s animals telling us there is trash buried somewhere on the beach! To solve the mystery of its location, you will be led on an interactive treasure hunt while exploring ways to protect the island’s wildlife.Program: A Day in the Life...A Waterman's Work
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 1-5
Description: See what’s on the menu and how it got there by experiencing a day in the life of a waterman. Gain appreciation for the work it takes to be a waterman by dressing up and acting out the parts of oyster shuckers, skipjack captains, crabbers, and more. They will also hear a narrative story of a true waterman and begin to understand how deeply the culture of Maryland is connected to our waterways.Program: Assateague 101
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Is it a horse or a pony? A dolphin or a porpoise? Learn the answer to these and many other questions about Assateague’s famous as well as not-so-famous inhabitants and the ecology of the island during an interactive slide show. Pay close attention for the trivia challenge at the finale!Program: Footprints in the Sand
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Explore the two- and four-legged animals of Assateague by examining the tracks they leave behind. Learn techniques that biologists use to preserve and identify animal tracks using field guides and other tools. By reading the footprints in the sand, can you and your students figure out who has visited the island?Program: Saltmarsh Exploration
Location: State Park Marina - Bayside
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Not afraid of getting muddy? Come with us to discover the other side of Assateague Island. Students explore the complexities of a saltmarsh, one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Use seining and clamming equipment to collect mollusks, small fish and shrimp for observation and identification and investigate the differences between salt, fresh, and brackish water. (For this activity, students will wade into the saltmarsh. We recommend wearing old clothes/bathing suits, and closed-toe shoes are required for all participants.)Program: Wetland Jeopardy
Location: Bayside or Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Challenge students to demonstrate and analyze the numerous functions of wetlands such as filtering pollution, reducing flood damage, preventing soil erosion, and providing critical habitat. In addition, learn how wetlands are impacted by human activities. We'll wrapt it all up when two teams compete in a Wetland Jeopardy game to test their knowledge.Program: More Than Moccasins-Assateague Native Americans
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Learn about Assateague through activities that illustrate how the nature of a barrier island and its wildlife resources shaped the culture and history of Eastern Shore American Indians. How did their young people entertain themselves long before television? Engage students with artifacts, demonstrations, and stories answering just this question!Program: Water Quality Monitoring - Is this Bay Okay?
Location: State Park Canoe Launch - Bayside
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Between Assateague Island and the mainland is the Sinepuxent Bay. Learn about the role of our coastal bays, what kinds of life they contain, and the special qualities of this shallow estuary. Students will use scientific monitoring equipment to collect data about the health of the bay and will discuss what is being done to reduce the pollution affecting the coastal bays.Program: Killer Trash
Location: State Park Beach
Age Range: Grades 3-8
Description: Want to include a service project with your visit? How about a coastal cleanup? Not just about picking up trash, this lesson teaches students specifically about marine debris, how long it takes common trash items to decompose, and its danger to seabirds, fish and marine mammals. Armed with this information, a data collection sheet, and some Hefty bags, students comb the beach and collect debris, tallying their finds on Ocean Conservancy’s Coastal Cleanup Data Cards.Program: Sea Turtle International
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: Grades 9-12
Description: All the world's sea turtles are listed as endangered or threatened species. How do laws protecting these species work when sea turtles migrate between countries with different policies? Students will role play to learn about human factors affecting sea turtle protection and the conservation of wildlife and habitats both locally and worldwide.Program: Scales and Tales**
Location: Nature Center
Age Range: All grades
Description: By presenting live animals to students, this program emphasizes human interaction with nature and wildlife and encourages students to practice responsible stewardship in parks and nature everywhere. Live birds of prey such as owls, hawks and vultures, as well as reptiles will be used to introduce students to native species of Maryland, their habitat, diet, and unique adaptations for survival.** This program is offered through the Maryland Park Service Scales and Tales program and has a separate service charge. Service charges collected are used to support the care, feeding, and maintenance of the non-releasable captive birds of prey and rehabilitated animals housed at Pocomoke River State Park. Please call for more details.
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In addition to the programs offered above, if you would like to request a special program to correspond with your specific curriculum topics, please contact us and we will make arrangements to fit your needs. Thank you for choosing Assateague State Park.
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