In-School Programs
Bring Tahoe’s natural history into your classroom!
TINS’ in-school programs make science hands-on and place-based through real specimens, engaging activities, and local examples. Students explore Tahoe’s wildlife, ecosystems, geology, and more while connecting science to the place they call home.
Programs are designed for K–12 classrooms, aligned with California and Nevada NGSS, and can be adapted to your classroom’s needs.
Explore our programs: In-School Programs + Aligned NGSS
Take it outside: Many programs pair with a Field Trip to extend learning outdoors.
Ready to book? Contact Heather Pendleton at heather@tinsweb.org.
Intro to Bugs
Students will take a closer look at the tiny animals around, exploring the vast world of Tahoe’s bugs!
They will explore how pollination works, discover the ways in which bugs differ from one another, and will demonstrate the important roles bugs play in the ecosystem. Displays of local insect specimens are brought into the classroom, allowing students a close examination of many insects they can find right in their own backyard.
The lesson includes song, games, and activities that reinforce main topics covered.
Program Length: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for Kindergarten and First, but can be adjusted for any grade K–3
Mammals
Students will learn how mammals are a vital part in shaping the environment. The diversity of Tahoe’s mammals, including their diets, habitats, ecological roles, relationships within Tahoe’s food web, and what a keystone species is, will be covered through visual aids and hands on activities. Students will also explore how skull and teeth structure can tell you about a mammal’s characteristics. Students will have the opportunity to interact with different mammal skulls and furs.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 1st grade, but can be adjusted for any grade K-6
Pollinators
Students will dive deeper into the world of insects and pollinators in this bee and pollinator focused program.
We will cover the life cycles of bugs, pollination, and go in depth into the diverse world of bees.
This is best suited for students who already have a basic understanding of insects.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 2nd grade, but can be adjusted for any grade 1–4
Bats
Explore the fascinating world of bats through hands-on activities. We will be comparing bats and humans, investigating bat adaptations and echolocation, debunking common myths, and discovering the important ecological roles bats play in the Tahoe regions. Students will have the opportunity to observe real bat specimen.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 3rd Grade, but can be adjusted for any grade 2–5
Geology
Discover the geological processes that shaped the Sierra Nevada and the Tahoe/Truckee region! Through hands-on activities, students will explore rock composition, the rock cycle, faulting, weathering, and erosion while uncovering the fascinating geologic history of our local landscape. Students will touch, examine, and investigate real rocks, using them as clues to piece together the story of how the mountains and landscapes around us were formed.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 4th Grade, but can be adjusted for any grade 3–6
Tahoe’s Birds
Students will be introduced to many local birds of the Tahoe region through visual, audio, and hands-on activities. Students will explore bird songs and other vocalizations of birds, while learning how to identify local species based off of several characteristics. Students will learn fun facts about local birds and their role in the ecosystem. Students will observe specimens of local species up close and in hand to gain a firsthand look at birds they are likely to find in their own neighborhoods.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 3rd-4th grade, but can be adjusted for any grade 2–6
Bird Adaptations
Students will learn that organisms have physical adaptations that make them better suited to their environment, with a special focus on the purpose of bird beaks and feet. This highly interactive program also introduces students to the steps of the scientific method. Students use tools and other materials to perform an experiment that explores how different designs of beaks are used to access different food sources.
Program Length: One hour
Class Size: 32 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 4th-5th Grade, but can be adjusted for any grade 3–6
Tahoe’s Frogs and Toads
Explore Tahoe’s fascinating frogs and toads and discover what makes these amphibians so unique! Students will investigate their life cycles and metamorphosis, learn about adaptations that help them survive, compare local frog and toad species, and uncover their important roles in Tahoe’s ecosystems. Through hands-on activities and exploration, students will also learn simple ways they can help protect and support Tahoe’s frogs and their habitats.
Program Length: 45 minutes-one hour
Class Size: 25 maximum
Grades: Linked to national and state standards for 3rd grade, but can be adjusted for any grade K-4