Mollusks

Those slimy, oozy, creepy suckers! Students look at real animals and learn about where they live, what they eat, how they use their features to survive, and how they interact with humans. There are thousands of mollusks all over the world, and lots right here in Rhode Island, too. This class is completed in four sessions, each session focusing on a near-shore group of mollusks. Live animals and dissections are included every week, and in the final session, students make squid ink bookmarks.

Sharks

Sharks have a way of capturing everyone's imagination, though they are not nearly as bloodthirsty as Hollywood seems to think. There are over 400 different species of sharks, from the 6-inch pygmy shark to the whale shark that is 40 feet or more! In four sessions, students learn about the amazing ways sharks survive in the wild oceans and investigate how sharks' anatomy, life cycles, diet, and other traits operate together and are suited for their environments.

Frogs

In four sessions, students learn about and observe in our own Little Nini Pond the amazing ways frogs survive and metamorphose! Students investigate how frogs' anatomy, life cycles, diet, and other traits operate together and are suited for their environments. The last session is a frog dissection.

Sea Turtles

These beautiful, ancient animals tell a great story about our planet's oceans. Students enroll in all four sessions, focusing on a new topic each week. They study sea turtles from their hatching on a beach under moonlight to their one hundredth birthdays to migration, species identification, adaptations for survival, threats to sea turtles, and much more. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a conservation project in their community.

Bees, Hornets and Wasps

Often cast as mean and nasty, bees and their brethren are actually fascinating and essential parts of their ecosystems. Students learn about life in a hive, the science of stings, and the importance of pollinators.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are certainly one of Nature's most powerful forces. With Hurricane Irene still very fresh in their minds, students learn the "lifecycle" of a hurricane, types of hurricane damage, a brief history of hurricanes in New England, and hurricane preparedness.

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are one of the most enchanting ecosystems on our planet. They are made up of complex relationships between animals, plants and environment . . . and corals account for all three! Students study, in four sessions, how corals survive and their impact our oceans.

Jellyfish

Jellies are largely misunderstood creatures and are fantastically diverse in appearance, habitat, and survival. Students learn about these "little stingers", including the most dramatic species, local varieties, how jellies sting, and the many places jellies are able to survive.

Turtles/Reptiles

Learn all about our resident turtles: Snappy, the snapping turtle, and Seamus and Patrick, the painted turtles. Students discover what makes a reptile and how these animals survive in the wild.

For more information about the Frosty Drew Homeschool Science Programs, please contact us at naturalist@frostydrew.org