Living Science Center Field Investigations

Facilitated by Living Science Center naturalists, Field Investigations take a look at the plant and animal life and environments of River Legacy Parks. Investigations are developed for specific age groups (kindergarten through sixth grade), as naturalists help students meet and explore the plants and animal architects that form the environments of River Legacy Parks.

Early Childhood Field Investigations

Early Childhood Field Investigations are for children ages Pre-K through 2nd grades. Each Field Investigation will include age appropriate indoor and outdoor components allowing children to further investigate, explore and observe the plants and animals, seasons or cyclcs studied in the classroom.

Let's Explore Fall!
During the outdoor component of the fall field investigation, students will search the woods of River Legacy Parks for places that an opossum and other animals (squirrels, skunks, owls, raccoons) might make their homes, find their food, hide from a predator or raise their young. Indoors, they will observe a live opossum and learn about its unique physical and behavioral adaptations. Additional activities – outdoors and indoors – will provide students with the opportunity to discover first-hand what these woodland animals do during the ever-shorter days of fall to prepare for the extremes of the winter months to come.

Let's Explore Winter!
During the outdoor component of the winter field investigation, students will search the woods of River Legacy Parks to observe its many leafless trees and catch a glimpse of the animals that remain active during the cold, short days of winter. Indoors, they will observe a variety of animals with different body coverings and rate their usefulness in helping these animals survive the cold. Additional activities – outdoors and indoors – will provide students with the opportunity to discover first-hand the amazing ways that plants, animals and people successfully cope with winter's chilly challenges.

Let's Explore Spring!
During the outdoor component of the spring field investigation, students will search our woods for bird nests, scan the pond for clumps of frog eggs and peek beneath new green leaves for clusters of ladybug eggs – all the while hoping to catch a glimpse of the young hatchlings that may have just emerged. Indoors, they'll observe a variety of River Legacy Parks' live, egg-laying animals and explore the similarities and differences among their amazing eggs. Additional activities – outdoors and indoors – will provide students with the opportunity to discover first-hand how springtime babies are cared for by their parents or instinctively begin to fend for themselves.

Investigations are offered from 9:30 to 11 am or from 12 to 1:30 pm. Early Childhood Field Investigations are limited to a maximum of 44 students, with one adult chaperone required for every 10 children. Fee is $8 per child, with adult chaperones free.

General Field Investigations

Let's Explore River Legacy Parks Habitats
(Grades 3-4. Maximum number of students is 66)
Along the trails of River Legacy Parks (RLP), students search for wildlife and evidence of wildlife while discussing how the riparian forest ecosystem meets the habitat needs of those animals. Indoors, they will engage in a live animal observation of two RLP animals observing and identifying their physical and behavioral adaptations. Additionally, students actively investigate a smaller animal species looking for behaviors and physical structures that would aid in their survival in the forest. During the indoor and outdoor explorations, students draw conclusions and record collected data to analyze later.

Let's Explore River Legacy Parks Aquatic Ecology
(Grades 5-6. Maximum number of students is 60)
Through authentic investigations, students explore three of the four categories that determine water quality: water chemistry, physical habitat and biological community. Using dip nets at the pond, students collect invertebrates that reside there as well as gather water samples to further explore in the lab. Indoors, they take a closer look using microscopes to identify and tally the invertebrates living in a water source. This data gives students a better understanding of the long-term health of the water. In addition to the physical habitat and biological community, students perform various chemical tests on the pond water and discuss what could alter the results and how changes to the pond affect the inhabitants.

Young Scientists Program
(AISD 4th grade students)
All AISD 4th graders participate in the Living Science Center's Young Scientists Program. Before coming to the Living Science Center, AISD teachers receive a kit with materials necessary for their students to undertake a hands-on exploration of their own schoolyard ecology. Later, students come to the Living Science Center for outdoor and indoor field investigations. This allows them to hone the science process skills they've developed at school and deepen their understandings of basic biological and ecological concepts as they compare the ecology of River Legacy's woods to that of their own schoolyard.

2009 - 2010 Field Investigations for Grades 3 through 6 cost $8 per student, with adult chaperones free.

2010-2011 Field Investigations for Grades 3 through 6 cost $9 per student, with adult chaperones free.

To schedule any of our Field Investigations, call Cindy Almond at 817.860.6752 or e-mail registrar@riverlegacy.org.