Education > Programs >

School and youth programs

Ecotours

Homeschool programs

Winter speaker series

Resources of the Earth and Agriculture Discovered and Shared (R.E.A.D.S.)

Winter and Summer Earth Adventures

Avian Art Contest

Teacher workshops

B'Earthday Parties

Aullwood Adventure Preschool

Here is a listing of Aullwood's current offerings for school programs:

• Artist in Residence: Art
• Artist in Residence: Music
• Aullwood Adventures School Program
• Aullwood R.E.A.C.H.E.S. (Real Experiences Arouse Curiosity Helping Everyone Succeed) assemblies
  
  
  Aullwood R.E.A.C.H.E.S. is a dynamic outreach program that provides exciting, entertaining and educational assemblies for elementary students. Aullwood R.E.A.C.H.E.S assemblies feature the musical and artistic talents of naturalist-teacher Chris Rowlands. Chris is a nationally recognized performer, teaching children about nature through innovative programs. Chris creatively blends music, art, comedy and education to create high energy, fast paced shows, which teach and inspire young people. The Environment Magazine honored Chris by awarding him its first E Award for his environmental education programs.

  

  Click here to hear a song written by Chris and his students!

  Birds, Flight, and the Wrights: A Celebration of Flight

  Birds of Prey

  Candle Dipping

  Classroom Visits

  Comparing Communities: A Study of Ecology

  Enchanted Forest (click here for additional information)

  Farm Visit: self-guided tour

  Farmyard Adventures

  Feathers and Flight

  Geology and Fossils

  Geology Explorations: self-guided tour

  Maple Syrup

  Nature Center Visit: self-guided tour

  Nature Explorations

  Ohio: Visions of the Past

  Scales and Cold Blooded Tales

  Scouting and Home School Programs (click here for additional information on Scouts)

  Special Focus on Birds

  Special Focus on the Farm

  Udder Delight

Please click here for a complete catalog of our 2010-2011 school program offerings, with detailed descriptions of each of these programs. You may also pick up a copy at the Nature Center, or call (937) 890-7360 to request one, or for any additional questions you may have.

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Take an exciting eco-trip with Aullwood! Past trips have included Point Pelee, and the Florida Everglades - great places for birding and enjoying other exciting sights, smells, and sounds.

This 2010, Aullwood will take you to Ohio's Spring Birding Foray. Have you ever dreamed of seeing 150 species of birds in a weekend? Spring is a fantastic time to be outdoors enjoying the natural world. Beautiful wild flowers, trees leafing out, and returning migratory birds are part of the magic of spring. If you are interested in observing and learning abou the spring birds, this is a perfect trip for you.

Join Tom Hissong, Education Coordinator, for three exciting days of watching birds. On the first day we will start in southern Ohio at Shawnee State Park and Forest and in the afternoon we will travel to Scioto Trails State Park near Chillicothe.

The second day will begin with an early visit to Tar Hollow State Park and Forest and then a journey north to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. On Sunday we will watch birds across Ohio's Lake Erie Marsh Region.

The goal of the trip is to see 150+ species of birds. We will also enjoy other beauties of spring that we encounter. Binoculars and field guides are required.

Pick up a copy of Aullwood's newsletter and find more information in the Center for Lifelong Learning insert. Please call Tom Hissong at Aullwood Audubon Center, (937) 890-7360 for more information and for registration.

Reserve your space now and join this one-of-a-kind birding experience right here in Ohio!

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Enhance your child's learning experience with a visit to Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm! Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm hosts Homeschool Field Days, specifically designed for homeschooled children. Explore the prairie, learn about trees, enjoy a tour of the educational center or our organic farm.

Aullwood has planned a special day for homeschool students. Homeschool Winter Natural History Field Day for 3rd through 6th grade students will be held at Aullwood Farm, 9101 Frederick Pike, on Friday, February 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Studetns will learn about the changes in the land that have happened to Aullwood Farm through the years. We will visit an area near Wiles Creek where stone was quarried for the foundation of the barn; compare the plant cover in young woods that were pasture half a century ago with older woods.

As we walk the woods we will do some Winter Tree ID. We will explore the sugar bush and taste the sweetest product that comes from the farm - maple syrup.

This program is guided by John Wilson, Aullwood Environmental Education Specialist, and will be limited to 25 students. Plase contact John Wilson for more information on this Field Day, as well as for subsequent Homeschool Days, at (937) 890-7360.

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Every Winter, Aullwood hosts a series of Speaker events on a variety of topics set to inspire and enrich your understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the diverse forms of life our planet hosts.

This winter, the wonder and beauty of the natural world can be studied in the nearness of our own backyards or nearby woodlands or on exciting trips to distant parts of the world. The programs presented on Aullwood's 2010 Winter Speaker's Series, Nature Near and Far, will deepen your appreciation for the fascinating planet on which we live. Mark your calendars and take a weekly Sunday afternoon break from the homebound winter doldrums with this six-week series of great programs. All programs will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Maris S. Aull Education Center, 1000 Aullwood Road.

Admission fees are charged for the public; Friends of Aullwood and National Audubon Society Members are admitted for free.

Check out the Newsletter for a list of our current Winter Speaker Series Schedule.

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Aullwood READS is an innovative program linking students enrolled in an after-school program with volunteers and/or employees from area businesses and Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. This model initiative, for twenty children in 2nd – 3rd grades, integrates reading and writing skills with hands-on experiences in nature and farming. Children who are enrolled in an after-school learning program visit Aullwood once a week for 90-minute sessions during a four-month period.

Aullwood naturalists provide hands-on learning experiences for the children at Aullwood’s nature center and organic farm. Caring adult volunteers tutor children, helping them read books on nature or farming that relate to that day’s hands-on, outdoor activities in order to improve their reading skills and attitudes toward reading.

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Aullwood’s Earth Adventures Programs offer exciting hands-on activities that enable children to explore the world of nature and farming. Classes explore the many natural habitats at Aullwood including woodland, marsh, pond, stream, prairie and farm. Classes fill quickly so register early!

Winter Earth Adventures

Experience the wonder of winter with Aullwood’s Winter Earth Adventures classes! Come on an adventure with us by searching for fresh tracks in the snow, tapping a maple tree or learning more about winter. Classes take place on Saturdays in February and March at the Center and Farm.

Summer Earth Adventures

  

Join us for a fun filled summer by exploring Aullwood’s natural habitats in Summer Earth Adventures classes. Children might meet a hawk, assist with farm chores, search for water critters or watch a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. Summer Earth Adventures are week-long half day programs that take place in June, July and August at the Center and Farm.

Read our current Winter Earth Adventures offerings.

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The Aullwood Avian Art Contest is a contest like no other! Where else can students receive money for art supplies, learn about bird biology, find out the importance of birds and why they should be protected, see birds in their habitat, receive school assemblies or field trips to a nature center, make beautiful artwork and receive great prizes?

Each year five local schools are involved in the contest. Kindergarten through sixth grade students work from January through March to complete two-dimensional pieces of artwork relating to Ohio birds, endangered birds of Ohio, or neo-tropical birds that migrate though Ohio. The Aullwood Avian Art Contest would not be possible without the generous support of it’s sponsors, Robert and Annette Marquardt. This contest is sponsored in memory of Robert’s mother Enid Marquardt, a teacher who taught for 30 years in the Dayton school system and loved birds. Come out for a visit in March, April and May to see this colorful and exciting student art exhibit.

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Aullwood hopes to enrich and instill a "sense of wonder" in teachers who are looking to expand their knowledge in natural history topics, environmental education, and nature interpretation and teaching. Programs in the past have included "Birds, Flight, and the Wrights", a program about the natural history of our feathered friends and how Ohio's own Wright brothers may have been inspired by them.

Contact Aullwood's Education Coordinator, Thomas Hissong, at (937) 890-7360 for information on current offerings or for future workshops.

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If you’re looking for an exciting place to host your child’s next birthday party, look no further! A B-Earthday party is a fun and educational way to celebrate! Parties last two hours and can take place at the Nature Center.

Please note that Farm-based parties are currently UNAVAILABLE during construction at the farm. Look for them to return when the new Farm Discovery Center opens in 2012.

For a party at the Nature Center, your child will select a special guest to visit--a turtle, rabbit, or snake. Activities include learning about the animal, touching it, and even feeding it! After meeting the special guest, the party will head outside for an exploration of Aullwood’s trails.

After the guided activities, which last 60-75 minutes, groups will have the rest of the party time to celebrate! In a private room, you can serve refreshments, play games, and open presents.

B-Earthday parties cost $125/FOA member or $150/non-member, for up to 15 children. The fee for additional children is $2/child. For more information, or to begin planning your party, contact Mike Kloeters, Environmental Education Speciaist, at 890-7360 ext. X.

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Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm is in the planning stages of the feasibility of launching an Aullwood Adventures Preschool. Check back soon for more information about this exciting possibility!

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