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School Programs
School Programs

Whether you teach preschool or middle school, we have a school program to fit your needs. All programs are carefully crafted around South Carolina Science Academic Standards and are developed to involve your students in active, inquiry-based learning.

Cost: A program fee of $55.00 is charged for each program reserved.
Capacity: Each classroom can hold up to 25 students, plus 2 additional adults (teachers and/or chaperones).
Levels: Pre-K to Kindergarten | 1st-2nd Grade | 3rd-4th Grade | 5th-6th Grade
7th Grade - High School | College-Level | Teacher Workshops

SCHOOL PROGRAMS NOW ONLINE
Riverbanks is pleased to offer an exciting and secure way for authorized school personnel to sign up for school programs,
order school group admission tickets and purchase Jungle Meals—all from the convenience of a computer.

Log on to sign up for a school program now or have your school administrator create a School eStore account.

Programs may also be reserved in advance by calling the Education Department at 803.779.8717 x1113 Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 4:30pm.

If you have any questions, please email rreeves@riverbanks.org.

PRE-K TO KINDERGARTEN:
I’ve Got You Covered
Fur, feathers, or scales? You can tell a lot about animals by looking at the skin they’re in. Explore the prickly, fuzzy and slippery world of animal classification through biofact exploration and live animal encounters.

Kindergarten standards: K-1.1, K-3.1*, K-5.1 (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
Hop, Slither, Crawl
Do the bunny hop, the snake shimmy and the caterpillar crawl with some of the Zoo’s movers and shakers. Discover the how and why of animal movement through role-play.

Kindergarten standards: K-3.1*, K-5.1 (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
It All Makes Sense!
Can you taste with your feet? Hear with your hair? See in the dark? Sensational animals can! Examine the 5 senses of humans and other animals through interactive games and hands-on activities.

Kindergarten standards: K-1.1, K-2.1*, K-3.1 (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
Bringing Up Baby
The animal kingdom is full of working parents and wild children. Sound like your house? Some animal parents stick around while others lay eggs and then leave town. Investigate the cycle of life and the parents who make it possible.

Kindergarten standards: K-1.3, K-2.3, K-2.4, K-2.5, K-5.1
Field Trip Resource Pre-K packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource Kindergarten packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
1ST-2ND GRADE:
African Adventure
Get swept up in the Great Migration through wild Africa! This safari adventure winds through grassy plains of Serengeti, into tropical rainforests of the Congo and along sandy desert paths of the Sahara. Discover how amazing animals survive in this world within the world.

1st grade standards: 1-2.5, 1-2.6
2nd grade standards: 2-2.3, 2-2.4
As Different As Night & Day
Night owl or early bird? Animals act differently in daylight or star-shine. Seek the shifts in the sky that create changes on the Earth. From temperatures to animal attitudes, some things are as different as night and day. Meet featured animal visitors who are adapted to rise and shine at different times.

1st grade standards: 1-2.5, 1-3.1, 1-3.2, 1-3.3
2nd grade standards: 2-2.1, 2-2.3, 2-4.2
Circle of Life
Food fight! Animals must eat to live. Figure out who is eating who and find out where all that energy goes. Dig into the food web through biofact exploration and live animal encounters. Follow an animal’s life cycle from beginning to end in the circle of life.

1st grade standards: 1-2.1, 1-2.5, 1-3.2
2nd grade standards: 2-2.1, 2-2.3, 2-2.4, 2-2.5
Dining Out: Rainforest Café
Eating out tonight? What about eating outside?! Some plants and animals dine in the rainforest café every day. Venture to the tropical rainforest to discover how jungle plants and animals survive in the forest’s layers. Meet live animal visitors from this misty realm.

1st grade standards: 1-2.1, 1-2.5, 1-3.2
2nd grade standards: 2-2.1, 2-2.3, 2-2.4
Field Trip Resource Grade 1 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource Grade 2 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
3RD-4TH GRADE:
Can’t Live Without ‘Em
Outplay, outwit, outlast; for animals, survival is not just a game. In the world’s harshest places, animals must use more than their heads to carry on. Adaptations let some creatures take the lead to become wild survivors. Observe animal visitors that are specially adapted to life in tough places.

3rd grade standards: 3-1.1, 3-2.2, 3-2.3, 3-2.4
4th grade standards: 4-2.1, 4-2.2, 4-2.4
Fact or Fiction? (Coming January 2010)
Is it true that an elephant never forgets? Are snakes slimy? Can vampire bats turn humans into creatures of the night? Separate fact from fiction through live animal encounters and hands-on experiences. It is time you learned the truth!

3rd grade standards: 3-1.1, 3-2.2, 3-2.3, 3-2.4
4th grade standards: 4-1.4, 4-2.3, 4-2.5
Animal Faces, Wild Places: South Carolina
From Piedmont to Palmettos, South Carolina is home to a wide variety of plants, animals and habitats. Discover which animal faces and wild places are right in your backyard with this visit to wilds of Carolina.

3rd grade standards: 3-2.1, 3-2.3, 3-2.5
4th grade standards: 4-2.2, 4-2.5, 4-4.3* (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
Nature Versus Nurture
Maybe they’re born with it? Animals depend on their adaptations to survive. Some get skills by their own wits and some get them from their parents. Which animals are a “chip off the old block”? Distinguish inherited from acquired adaptations through animal encounters and active learning.

3rd grade standards: 3-1.1, 3-2.2, 3-2.3, 3-2.4
4th grade standards: 4-2.2, 4-2.4, 4-2.5
Field Trip Resource Grade 3 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource Grade 4 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
5TH-6TH GRADE:
CSI: Coat & Skull Investigation (Coming January 2010)
Follow the clues to solve a wild crime! Try your hand at forensic science to observe and categorize evidence about animals. Interactive scientific skill stations and animal encounters can help you provide wild justice.

5th grade standards: 5-1.4, 5-1.6, 5-2.4* (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
6th grade standards: 6-1.2, 6-3.7
If I Ran the Zoo…
Do you belong in a zoo? How could you get involved? What do zoo workers do? Learn all of this and more in this tour-based class! Take a walk behind the scenes, become involved in animal enrichment and meet someone who works in the wildest office in town!

5th grade standards: 5-1.1, 5-2.2
6th grade standards: 6-1.2, 6-1.4, 6-3.3, 6-3.7
You Snooze, You Lose
Outplay, outwit, outlast; for animals, survival is not just a game and if you snooze, you just might lose! Animals in an ecosystem depend on each other to survive. What happens if one piece of the habitat puzzle goes missing? Find out as we explore ecosystem dynamics and meet animal visitors.

5th grade standards: 5-2.2, 5-2.4, 5-2.5
6th grade standards: 6-3.2, 6-3.4, 6-3.5
Variety Is the Spice of Life
We share the planet with millions of animals! Can you name them? Can anyone? Many biologists study biodiversity, the many forms of life on planet Earth. Through live animals, photographs and biofacts, learn how animals meet basic needs in a variety of habitats around the world, while discussing the impact that people can have on the wild.

5th grade standards: 5-2.4, 5-2.5, 5-3.6
6th grade standards: 6-2.1, 6-3.1*, 6-3.2 (*Indicates partial completion of the standard.)
Field Trip Resource Grade 5 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource Grade 6 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
7TH GRADE - HIGH SCHOOL:
Field Trip Resource Grade 7 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource Grade 8 packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
Field Trip Resource High School packet (*requires Acrobat Reader)
COLLEGE-LEVEL:
If you are interested in college level programs or teacher training programs, please contact the Education Department at 803.779.8717x1113.
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