Trellis Nature School

Three cheers for our very own Dr. Tommy Pettit! Answering all the ecology questions with speed, depth...and dad jokes. :)

Three cheers for our very own Dr. Tommy Pettit! Answering all the ecology questions with speed, depth...and dad jokes. :) . . . . #phd #ecologyteacher #fatherof8 #natureschooling #utahnatureschool #utahforestschool #dadjokes @batsensei

(Updated Each School Year)

2023-2024
Trellis Nature School Session Dates

Fall (Oct 23 – Nov 16, 2023)
Winter 1 (Jan 15 – Feb 8, 2024)
Winter 2 (Feb 12 - Mar 7, 2024)
Spring (Mar 11 – Apr 4, 2024)

Trellis Nature School Days, Times, & Prices:

Each 4-week session,

MW 8:30-10:15 (early) $225
MW 10:30-12:15 (late) $225
MW 8:30-12:15 (early & late) $430

TTh 8:30-10:15 (early) $225
TTh 10:30-12:15 (late) $225
TTh 8:30-12:15 (early & late) $430

Discounts:
• $10 off per kid if a sibling is also joining us for the selected session.
• $10 off per session if you purchase multiple sessions at once.

Makeup days (due to teachers’ health or severe weather) will be on Fridays and Saturdays per text and email notification.

*Families are welcome to register for two classes in a day. If their student(s) remain for both classes, they will need to bring a snack and a warm drink to have during the 15 minutes between classes.

Fall Session
• How to write in a field journal, getting to know classmates, choosing an “indicator plant”
• Camouflage – Animal’s “costumes” to blend in (week of Halloween ;) ) & Adaptations
• Landforms, tectonics, resources
• Measuring biodiversity
• Photosynthesis, Getting ready for Winter – plants
• Invasive species versus Native
• Plant defense, Plant decomposition
• Getting ready for winter – animals and bugs

Winter Session 1
• How to write in a field journal, getting to know classmates, choosing an “indicator plant”
• Rock types & rock cycle
• Weather patterns in general, clouds and atmosphere
• Signs of animals (tracks, nibbling, dung, etc)
• Hydrology – the snow pack, water phases
• Stream ecology in the winter
• Winter survival skills – getting warm , finding food in the wild, finding and purifying water – people, animals, and plants
• Local birds and how they winterize

Winter Session 2
• How to write in a field journal, getting to know classmates, choosing an “indicator plant”
• Evergreen winter behavior and deciduous winter behavior challenges and interactions with animals, etc
• Wasatch food pyramids/webs
• Natural selection – Wasatch
• Energy cycle (why are you cold?)
• Soil – composition, etc
• Erosion
• Disease (plant/animal/people/etc)

Spring Session
• How to write in a field journal, getting to know classmates, choosing an “indicator plant”
• Plant & fungus reproduction
• Water cycle and surface water features
• Signs of life – plants preparing for spring (& types of plants) (life cycles)
• Rock chemistry and colors
• Signs of life – animals and bugs preparing for spring (life cycles)
• Deciduous versus Evergreen plants and tree life cycle
• Succession and Layers of Forest

Modular Additional Studies
(depending on weather and animals we spot)
Sun, rain, snow, wind, deer, bats (signs, if any), rabbits, bobcats (signs, if any), coyotes (signs, if any), frogs, toads, squirrels, raccoons (signs, if any)