About the Homeschool Enrichment Series
(For info on SLNC’s Day-off from School Camps, please click here)
SLNC’s Homeschool Enrichment Series is an option for families who take a different approach to educating their children (ages 5-12). Our 4-week program provides an opportunity for children to get hands-on experience within the STEM disciplines, without the formal constraints. Each of the lessons are developed with the PA Standard Aligned System (SAS) in mind and ensure that children will excel in all settings.
There are FIVE sessions this year: Fall II, Winter, Winter II, Spring, and Spring II. The topics covered are relevant to each season. We enjoy all types of weather at SLNC and will encourage your children to feel the same way. It is important to make sure that your child dresses for the weather, including closed-toe shoes, and is always prepared to get dirty! Long pants are also recommended as we do explore in our forest, meadow, and marsh.
The program is a drop-off program run by SLNC’s Environmental Educators. We encourage parents to minimize interactions with the class in order to reduce distractions. Parents are not encouraged to stay on site, but are welcome to hike the trails on their own during this time.
Participants may sign up for either a morning (10:30am-12pm) and/or afternoon (1:30-3pm) session.
🌿 Eco Engineers: Hands-On Engineering Inspired by Nature
AM 10:30-12PM
Put your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills to the test in this hands-on engineering class inspired by the natural world! Children will explore how real engineers design, build, test, and improve structures using simple materials and big ideas.
Each week, children will take on a new engineering challenge such as building tall towers, strong bridges, and earthquake-resistant structures. While also learning about the importance of balance, stability, weight, and design.
🏗️ Week 1 (March 18th) : Strong Structures & Tall Towers
Focus: Strength, balance, and shape
Students will investigate what makes structures strong and stable by exploring different shapes and building techniques. Using a variety of materials, children will design and construct tall, free-standing towers and test how well they hold up.
Activities include:
- Exploring strong shapes found in nature
- Building and testing a free-standing tower using marshmallows & toothpicks
🌉 Week 2 (March 25th) : Bridges, Weight & Balance
Focus: weight distribution
This week focuses on how bridges support weight and span distances. Students will learn about different bridge styles and why spreading weight matters. Working in teams, they’ll build a bridge that must hold increasing amounts of weight while remaining stable.
Activities include:
- Examining bridges in nature and real life
- Designing and building a bridge out of popsicle sticks & recycled materials
- Testing how much weight a bridge can hold
🌍 Week 3 (April 1st) : Stability, Motion & Earthquakes
Focus: Stability and movement
Children will explore how movement, shaking, and motion affect structures. After learning why some structures fall while others stay standing, children will build a structure designed to withstand simulated “earthquakes” and test it.
Activities include:
- Learning what causes shaking and movement
- Building a stable structure out of recycled objects including cardboard, plastics, and other materials
- Testing designs during simulated earthquakes
🛠️ Week 4 (April 8th) : Roller Coaster Engineering & Marble Race
Focus: Motion, speed, gravity, and design
Children will explore how gravity, speed, height, and curves affect motion before designing and building their own roller coaster tracks using tubes, cardboard, and other materials.
Activities include:
- Building rollercoasters out of recycled materials
- Marble racing to test out designs
🌼Spring Into Nature: Life, Growth & Discovery
PM 1:30-3PM
In this four-week outdoor homeschool series, children will explore the wonders of spring through hands-on science, nature walks, creative projects, and real-world observation. Each week focuses on a different aspect of seasonal change. From identifying signs of spring and journaling field data, to investigating plant and animal life cycles, and discovering the important role of pollinators in local ecosystems.
Week 1: (March 18th) : Signs of Spring
Focus: Nature journaling, observations, and field data
This week, children will explore the trails in search of early signs of spring, using a scavenger hunt to spot buds, birds, insects, mud, and new plant growth. They will record their discoveries through drawings and notes in their very own seasonal field notebook, beginning their journey as young nature observers
- Nature walk scavenger hunt (buds, birds, insects, mud, new growth)
- Journaling observations with drawing at different locations around the park
- Start a seasonal field notebook
Week 2: (March 25th) : Plant Life Cycles
Focus: Seed dissection, planting seeds. and plant anatomy
This week, children will explore what’s inside a seed by dissecting soaked beans and learning about the tiny baby plant hidden inside. They will plant their own fast-growing seeds, compare dormant and sprouting plants, and discover the basic parts of a plant through hands-on activities.
- Seed dissection activity
- Start fast-growing seeds (beans or peas)
- Compare dormant vs. sprouting plants
- Simple plant anatomy lesson
Week 3: (April 1st) : Animal Life Cycles
Focus: Life cycles, art & craft, and nature walk
This week, children will learn about animal life cycles by exploring the stages of a frog or butterfly through hands-on activities, role-play, and creating their own life cycle wheel craft. During a guided nature walk, they will observe signs of animal life such as nests or eggs and connect what they see in nature to the life cycle stages they learned.
- Frog or butterfly life cycle activity
- Role-play life cycle stages
- Build a life cycle wheel craft
- Look for eggs/nests on a guided walk
Week 4: (April 8th) : Pollination & Spring Ecosystems
Focus: Pollination, native plants, and seed bombs
This week, children will explore how pollination works by playing an interactive simulation game and learning about native pollinators and their role in spring ecosystems. They will then create their own seed bombs to help support local plants and pollinators.
- Pollination simulation game
- Learn about native pollinators
- Make a seed bomb
Please note that we are no longer offering a member discount for the Homeschool Enrichment Series. The total cost for the four-week program is $80 per child. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to another wonderful session together.
Refund Policy:
If you have any questions, please contact Summer Camp Director/ Environmental Educator, Holly Hewchuk at v-hlhewchuk@buckscounty.org or 267-880-5021.