Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area Elementary School Programs
A description of the academic standards correlated with each program is available. Links to lesson plans are found within the program descriptions.
Programs
Exploration Wild (Pre-K - 2)
Mammals of Wisconsin (K - 4)
Intro to Insects (K - 4)
Avian Adaptations (K - 4)
Pond Exploratory (K - 4)
Tricky Tracks (2 - 4)
Web of Wonder (3 - 4)
Hunt for Habitats (3 - 4)
Birding Basics (4)
Winter Programs (K - 4)
Exploration Wild
Grades: Pre-K - 2
Sensory games and activities form the backbone of this exciting program. Designed to help your students begin to explore their natural environment, the program will take the students into Horicon Marsh to learn about the amazing plants and animals that live here.
Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Mammals of Wisconsin
Grades: K - 4
Explore the exciting world of mammals as your class learns the identities of some Wisconsin native residents. By looking at their adaptations, students will learn how they survive in a state with a wide array of temperatures and ecosystems. This program can be conducted at Horicon Marsh, or right in your own classroom.
Time: 30 minutes
Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F.4.1
Intro to Insects
Grades: K - 4
Begin the program with a review of what makes an insect. Then with sampling nets in hand, your class will get the opportunity to catch insects around the marsh. By comparing their behaviors and adaptations, they will learn how these creatures survive as well as play an important role in the food chain.
Time: 1 hour
Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F.4.1, F.4.3
Avian Adaptations
Grades: K - 4
When an owl eats its prey whole, where does it go? How does a hawk track rodents through tall grass? Learn the answer to these question and more when your class examines the different ways birds deal with everyday life, whether through adaptation or behavior. This program is available at Horicon Marsh or in your own classroom.
Time: 1 hour
Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F.4.1
Environmental Education: B.4.6
Pond Exploratory
Grades: K - 4
Students will take a hands-on approach to explore the world beneath the water in this activity. Examining the creatures they catch, your class will learn about the adaptations these animals have that allow them to survive in this harsh environment. They will also look at the interactions that occur between plant and animal below the surface of the pond.
Time: 1 - 1 ½ hours
Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F.4.1, F.4.3
Tricky Tracks
Grades: 2 - 4
Mud and snow are fantastic places to find signs of those animals we don t always see. In this program, your class will learn how to identify the tracks of some common Wisconsin animals. Finish up the program by making a plaster cast of a track to take home. In winter months, when snow is on the ground, your class can go on an adventure as they identify tracks and discover activity signs left behind by Horicon s resident wildlife.
Time: 1 - 2 hours
Web of Wonder
Grades: 3 - 4
In this activity, students will learn how all living things in an ecosystem are connected in some way. By building their own "web" your class will be able to look at energy flow through the food web system and how environmental changes disrupt the system. This program can be conducted at Horicon Marsh, or right in your own classroom.
Time: 30 minutes
Academic Standards Addressed:
Environmental Education: B.4.1
Hunt for Habitats
Grades: 3 - 4
What is a habitat? After a quick review of what components make up a habitat, our Naturalists will take you on a hike around the Horicon Marsh Goose Pond to find out what animals live in the marsh. They will also learn how everyone can co-exist together in this relatively small place and still manage to raise a family.
Time: 1 - 1 ½ hours
Academic Standards Addressed:
Environmental Education: B.4.4, B.4.5, B.4.6
Birding Basics
Grade: 4
Your class can learn a great new skill while enjoying the great outdoors. The program begins with an introduction on how to identify birds by sight and sound. After a quick lesson on binocular use, they re off! This tour takes place in Horicon Marsh where they can practice what they learned on the area's residents and migrants.
Time: 1 ½ - 2 hours
Winter Programs
Winter Adaptations
Grades: K-4
Students will learn about the adaptations many animals have to help them survive harsh Wisconsin winters. They will discover how and why animals make insulating shelters, store food, hibernate and migrate in order to live. Come experience winter education in a whole new way with this guided interpretive program at Horicon Marsh.
Time:Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F.4.1, F.4.3, F.4.4
Contact Information
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area
N7725 Hwy 28
Horicon, WI 53032
(920) 387-7860
Questions for Wildlife Management
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