Our educational programming is currently under revision. Please pardon our limited offerings as we redesign old programs and develop new ones over the course of the next year. Our seasonal offerings for the 2024-25 school year are listed below. Please email education@bluehill.org or use the form below to inquire about other programs or ways to pair your classroom curriculum with our program offerings.
Winter 2024-25 [December 1 – February 28]
This winter, the following programs are available to all schools and groups looking to visit Blue Hill Observatory.
Picture Post for Environmental Conservation
Curriculum & Full Program
[1-ESS1-2, 3-LS4-4] [MS-LS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-5]
Students observe phenological data collected at the Observatory alongside long term climate data in their classrooms. This is followed by a field experience where students see how scientists collect that data at the Observatory, from quantitative data to phenological data. The field experiences paired with this curriculum are the Picture Post Guided Hike and the Picture Post Observe and Learn. Read more about them below. Teachers choose from one or more of seven NGSS-aligned modules related to climate at Great Blue Hill. This module is generally taught in the classroom prior to the field experience. The field experience is then catered to the module that students experienced before their trip to the Observatory. The module options for this winter are: Flora, Precipitation, Drought. Developed in Partnership with the Yawkey Foundation.
Time: 180+ minutes of lesson plans [free upon request] in the classroom and 180 minutes for the complementary field experience (Picture Post Guided Hike and Observe & Learn)
Cost: See pricing table below
Note: The Full Program includes the Guided Hike and Observe & Learn components, which can also be done as separate programs.
Picture Post for Environmental Conservation
Guided Hike Component
[MS-LS2-1, MS-LS1-5, MS-ESS2-4]
On the Picture Post Guided Hike, students connect what they learn and see in the classroom to what they see in nature at Great Blue Hill (GBH). Students walk up to or down from the Observatory, making 11 stops that anchor them in the deep interconnectedness of nature. Students are asked to use their observation skills to find evidence for the way this forest may have looked in the past and what it could look like in the future.
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: See pricing table below
Note: This component is included in the Full Picture Post Program.
Picture Post for Environmental Conservation
Observe & Learn Component
[MS-ESS2-5]
Throughout the Picture Post Observe & Learn, students connect what they learn and see in the classroom to what they see in nature at Great Blue Hill (GBH). Students observe a few key plants on the top of Great Blue Hill, such as the blueberry bushes, pear tree and red oak, to compare to images of those plants in the past. Students also engage in some of the same activities as Weather Observers during this program, such as determining cloud cover.
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: See pricing table below
Note: This component is included in the Full Picture Post Program.
Kite Making
[K – 12th Grade, MS-ETS2-1]
Build your own kite in this workshop using the high quality Frustrationless Flyer kit. Students learn various terms associated with kite building, such as lift to drag ratio, porosity, area and symmetry. Kite flying on Blue Hill is possible, time and weather permitting.
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: See pricing table below
Weather Watching
[K-ESS3-2, 1-ESS1-2, 3-ESS2-1] [MS-ESS2-5] [Vocational Stds: 2.B.01.10, 2.C.02.01, 2.C.02.04]
Students will engage in some of the same activities as Weather Observers during this program, such as reading temperature, calculating hours of sunshine, determining cloud cover, and more. Students explore some of the many instruments, both modern and historic, that are active today at Blue Hill Observatory.
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: See pricing table below
Pricing
Our prices for the 2024-25 school year have been updated to reflect the cost to run programs at the Observatory. You can determine the cost of your program by adding up the times for multiple programs and your number of participants. Prices do not include the cost of additional materials, such as kites for the Kite Making program.
If you are looking to come to the Observatory for a tour or for a small group program, such as an in-depth tour, please see our Visit Us page or inquire about options using the form below.
If you are a group that requires needs-based scholarship in order to attend a field experience at the Observatory, please include that in your inquiry. For a limited number of groups, we are able to offer up to $100 in scholarship to groups under 25 and up to $200 in scholarship to groups over 25.
