Education

Have you ever wondered why bees are so fuzzy? Or how they’re able to find flowers and then travel back to their nests? Or even wanted to know why bees are such good pollinators? Students will have the opportunity to explore the answers to each of those questions. Once students have a basic understanding of bee body parts, they can design their own bee based around a Zion habitat. Students can be as creative as they like—as long as they provide an explanation for how their bee can thrive in Zion!

Discover what insects are hanging around your town with Dr. Aimee Thomas. Download the application “Seek” or borrow an insect field guide from the library and use those to identify FIVE insects in or around your home! Take notes on what you see to help you identify them next time!

The students will investigate decomposers in a rotting log, and discover some of the organisms living there.

The original plant and animal species that colonized the islands had to make various adaptations to better survive in the unique ecosystems on Maui. Students will view maps that show the different ecosystems, the park boundary, and the reality of how it looked both before and after human contact. They will discover if Haleakalā National Park and their protection efforts are working to preserve native species and their native habitats.

Observing a video of a sea star in a tidepool, students can explore observations of patterns in plants and animals.

In this activity students will become a piece of the environment (nectar, bird, insect, plant, etc.). Through a game, they will come to understand how everything in nature is interconnected, and how changes in the physical environment can have either a negative or positive impact on the survival of a species. It also illustrates that an effect on one factor can influence all the others. The activity concludes with a message of hope and how people can help to protect biodiversity.

Haleakalā National Park protects the biodiversity of endemic species. This activity will introduce students to the boundaries and topography of Haleakalā National Park.

Students will choose a habitat found in Haleakalā National Park and create a model of that habitat inside of a shoebox. The diorama projects will be shared with the class the following day.

This field trip is offered during the fall season and is three-and-a-half hours in duration. Read the program overview for a more detailed description of activities, schedule and Next Generation Science Standards addressed.