Francis Malcolm Science Center
2023-2024 Educational Program Offerings
Welcome to the Francis Malcolm Science Center Outdoor Program. Bring your class, alternative education groups, homeschool students, scouts, clubs or afterschool programs to the Science Center. We offer a variety of outdoor programs designed to provide your groups with an opportunity to get outside to enjoy nature, and learn more about the natural world around us. Learn more about space and planet Earth's role in our universe by watching a full dome presentation that augments your curriculum and do an activity designed as a follow-up to reinforce what is presented. You have three options from which to choose: Outdoor hike, Full Dome Show, or a combination of both. Come for a morning or afternoon session , or come for the entire day.
The Francis Malcolm Science Center's Educational Philosophy is as follows:
- To work with educators to develop programming to fit their curriculum needs.
- To create programs that are not just "fun" but educational as well that can be used before, during, or after units of study teachers are pursuing in their classrooms.
- To create within our programs activities that are hands-on and involve the senses of touch, smell, sights and sound.
- To offer professional development in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) subjects, as well as topics in outdoor education and enhancing pedagogy.
- To gather feedback from educators and students through Exit Tickets and email communications to improve our programming.
*The 2024 Great Solar Eclipse:
Prepare your class for this once in a lifetime solar eclipse event happening on April 8, 2024! Bring your class to the Science Center to learn more about solar eclipses. Get to know the what, how, why, when and where of burning questions about eclipses by watching the full done show, Totality (created and produced by HMNS in conjunction with Rice University and ePlanetarium) and doing hands-on activities. Learn how to safely observe the solar eclipse and make a simple eclipse viewer.
Outdoor Programs
Our outdoor programs are designed to be adapted to each grade level attending as well as to the season of the hike. All programs include a Scavenger Hunt or similar activity for students to complete while at the Science Center or on the hike. Students and teachers will be asked to complete Exit Tickets upon returning to school to let us know what students have learned or found interesting about their experience. Our programs typically run for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
New programs for the 2023- 2024 school year
Take a Hike:
Come hike with us! Enjoy and learn about the natural environment, as well as get some exercise, too. While hiking one of our trails, we will talk about Leave No Trace Ethics. Using the senses of smell, touch, sight, and sound, we will identfy cool things in nature while completing a Scavenger Hunt and maybe create a piece of nature art. (Number #1 most requested program for 2022-2023)
Discovering a Forest Ecosystem:
Our Tree Plantation provides a unique ecosystem for the plants and animals who live here. Our first mini-lesson will to be to watch the full dome video, Ecosystem. The second mini-lesson will to be to review what makes up a forest ecosystem. The final mini-lesson will be to hike through the forest to determine what elements there are here to provide a suitable habitat for our birds and animals to survive. (It is helpful if students have some previous knowledge of what an ecosystem and food chains are.). This program may take longer than two hours to encompass all the activities listed above. (Second most requested program for 2022-2023)
Birds! Birds! Birds!:
How have birds adapted to survive in our forest ecosystem? While in the Science Center, students will learn about bird adaptations. After making bird feeders, the students will hike in and around the bird sanctuary to leave their feeders and to look more closely at the forest habitat and determine whether or not it has the necessary elements to support bird life. (Third most requested program for 2022-2023)
Weather Forecasting:
Have you ever asked, "What is the weather for today?" Let's try to figure out our own weather forecast by examining weather equipment used by meteorologists. From there we will go on one of our trails to collect weather data that include: temperature, barometric pressure, rain or snow amounts and cloud cover. Upon returning to the Center we will write our own FMSC Weather Report.
Follow the Signs:
Everyday, we follow signs designed to give us information. We can use signs that animals and birds leave as well to determine what lives in our Tree Plantation. After a brief introduction in the Science Center, let's hike the trail looking for some of these signs. We'll look for animal tracks, scat, feathers, hair, or other signs of animals. We'll also listen and watch for actual sightings. Using all this information, determine what animals or birds you have seen.
(Recommended for the winter when the signs are more visible in the snow.)
Learn to read a Map:
Learning to read a map is very important in becoming an avid outdoor adventurer. Using maps of the area, learn the symbols on maps and how to read them. Test your new-found skills, by using a map of the Science Center to discover hidden surprises.
*Trees, Trees, Trees, and more Trees:
Trees play a vital role in helping prevent climate change. Join FMSC's volunteer Maine Forest Ranger, Randy Legasse, to learn to identify trees found at the Science Center and the role they play. The first part of the program will include a slide show presentation to help identify the trees. With tree identification books in hand and Forester Randy's help, the students will identify trees found on a hike while completing an inventory of them. Allow 2-4 hours for this program.
*Phenology Challenge:
Become a citizen scientist by hiking the same trail three times, once in the fall, winter, and spring observing signs of change. What happens to the plants, trees, birds, and animals as the temperatures drop and then rise again? Keeping a nature journal, small groups of children will observe the same plot of land each season in which to draw what it looks like and record the temperature, snow conditions, colors, animal signs, and other signs of the seasons. On the last visit, draw conclusions about the changing of the seasons and celebrate spring with us! (This is a long-term program requiring three visits to the Science Center.)
We also design specific programs at teachers' requests. Here is a list of other programs we hosted last year and are delighted to present if you would like one of these: Weather Scenarios, Donn Fendler Day, Dive to the Depths of the Ocean, Celebrate Earth Day, and Tale on a Trail Literacy Day.
Other programs are currently in development in relationship to our work with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute: Vernal Pool Exploration (in the spring only) and The Emerald Ash Borer and its Effect on Northern Maine Woods.
To schedule a program contact:
[email protected] or Elaine Hendrickson, Volunteer Program Coordinator at [email protected]
Full Dome Programs
Full Dome programs are available upon request. Contact the Science Center at [email protected] or Elaine Hendrickson, Volunteer Program Coordinator at [email protected] for a list of the full dome shows that the Science Center owns. There will be no rental fee charged for any of these. If the shows we own do not meet your curriculum needs, go to Full Dome on Demand, https://fulldomeondemand.com/shows_ato.html. If the cost to rent the dome show is more than $5, you will be asked to pay the rental fee.