Program Options

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                                Grades: 6th+

Having previous archery experience is a prerequisite to this activity. Students will try some advanced archery techniques by using the NASP style compound bows to try and shoot circular foam targets out of the air launched by our target thrower. They will use flu-flu arrows (designed for aerial flight) to try and “shish-kabob” the foam targets.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                                Grades: 4th+

Some variety of target will be set so students can use the NASP style (kid friendly) compound bows to work on their target shooting skills.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                             Grades: Pre-K+

This inflatable option can be done inside or out depending on the weather. Four “floating” balls become the targets as students shoot modified arrows with recurve bows. Excellent option for “Beginners” with no shooting experience. This can also be turned into a competition for the advanced shooter.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                                Grades: 5th+

A fast paced game very similar to dodgeball where two teams compete with recurve bows, foam tipped arrows, and safety masks to “knock” each other out of the ring. A rectangle area with inflatable barriers to hide behind is set for the teams to compete in this safe but fun game. Last team standing wins!

Time: (30-90 min.)                                                           Grades: Pre-K+

Walk in the bottom ravine of our property where the creek runs. Depending on the season and amount of rainfall, students will be able to catch salamanders and crawdads. Nets, containers, and identification sheets make identifying all the critters easy. This field inquiry lesson will introduce students to many aquatic vertebrates, invertebrates, and to the concept that their presence or absence can help us determine the quality of the water in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Time: (30 min.-3 hrs.)                                                          Grades: 4th+

Available for small groups or as a station, participants have the opportunity to spend some time on the water exploring the sport of canoeing/kayaking. Classes range from a quick start on the water experience to a full ACA Introduction to canoeing/kayaking class. (Paddleboarding can be included depending on the group.)

Time: (30 min.-2 hrs.)                                                          Grades: 4th+

We offer students the opportunity to try this one-of-a-kind sport that gets them active and outdoors. Students will throw “Frisbees” through a course set up with disc catchers (works like golf but catchers instead of holes.)

Time: (30 min.-2 hrs.)                                                          Grades: 3rd+

We are now bringing physical education outdoors! Choose from all sorts of games including but not limited to: wiffleball, kickball, dodgeball, capture the flag, and ultimate Frisbee! Get your students active and outdoors!

Time: (30-90 min.)                                                           Grades: Pre-K+

Utilizing our large floating dock, three acre stocked pond, cane poles and bait; youth will be exposed to the basics of fishing, with an opportunity to catch bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish. All materials are provided by the Park.

Time: (20-60 min.)                                                                Grades: 1st+

If you haven’t heard of gaga ball, your students can probably tell you about it! Gaga is a fast paced, high energy sport played with one ball in an octagonal pit. Dubbed a kinder version of dodge ball, the game is played with a soft foam ball, and combines the skills of dodging, striking, running, and jumping, while trying to hit opponents with a ball below the knees. Great paired with field games or an indoor option as well.

Time: (20-60 min.)                                                Grades: Pre-K-12

We don’t let rain spoil our fun time! Our brand new gymnasium has a TON of space to do all sorts of activities here at Deerassic! The gym is mainly used when large groups arrive for field trips on days when the weather just won’t cooperate. Deerassic will then use the gym space as well as the 3 classrooms if needed to set up one or multiple activities for kids to still have a great time! Activities that can be conducted in the gym space or possibly classroom spaces during rain days include but are not limited to; volleyball, basketball, kickball, dodgeball, wiffleball, capture the flag, Oh Deer!, Predator vs. Prey, Hiding in Plain Sight, Gaga Ball, Indoor BB Gun Range, SAFE Archery, Archery I, Aerial Archery, Archery Tag, Disc Golf, as well as any of our in-class presentations!

Time: (20-40 min.)                                                                Grades: 3rd-

Students play a game of hide and seek to learn about important adaptations in many wild animals. Animals are colored certain ways to help them stay camouflaged. This game help kids understand just how tough they can be to see! One or several students (sometimes the teachers/chaperones as well) are blindfolded. The other students then quietly hide small toy animals in “plain sight” in a predetermined area. Once hid, the “seekers” then try and find the toy animals. You’ll be surprised at how tough they are to see!

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                                  Grades: K+

This inflatable range is completely safe for kids of ALL AGES. Using BB guns, students learn the basics of firearm safety along with basic marksmanship while trying to shoot a paper target that they’ll get to keep and take home.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                              Grades: 2nd+

Students will have the opportunity to try several different options of low ropes courses. These include obstacle courses, and team building activities that help students improve balance, climbing skills, stability, strength, agility, and working together as a group.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                              Grades: 3rd+

Working with high-powered pellet guns (air rifles), students learn the basics of firearm safety along with basic marksmanship utilizing reactive targets. If staffing allows, we run two targets and make it a team competition!

Time: (30 min.-2 hrs.)                                                     Grades: Pre-K+

Take a walk through our Nature Center. This one-room cabin includes everything you need to know about Ohio native animals. Our instructors will give you a general tour over everything within the nature center which includes but is not limited to: LIVE reptiles and amphibians, animal pelts, skulls, artifacts, taxidermy mounts, informational posters, rocks and minerals, Native American arrowheads, and much more!

Time: (20-30 min.)                                                           Grades: Pre-K+

A fun and simple game to teach kids about food webs, ecosystems, carrying capacity, and the fluctuation of wildlife populations. Students become “deer” and components of a habitat including food, water, and shelter. (Game not shown. Oh Deer can be added to the “Wonders of the Whitetail.”)

Time: (30 min.-3 hrs.)                                                          Grades: 5th+

Available for small groups or as a station, participants have the opportunity to spend some time on the water exploring the sport of paddleboarding. Classes range from a quick start on the water experience to a full ACA Introduction to paddleboarding class. (Can be added with Canoeing/Kayaking.)

Time: (20-30 min.)                                                           Grades: Pre-K+

This simple game gets the kids active and thinking about animal populations in an ecosystem. Students are split into groups (predators and prey) could be for example coyotes and deer. Deer must run from one line to the next without being caught by coyotes. Caught deer must be brought to the side and turn into coyotes for the next round!

Time: (30 min.-1 hour.)                                                   Grades: Pre-K+

Students visit our live deer herd and learn fascinating facts about the whitetail deer including its interrelationship with humans through history, life cycle and habits. Can include “Oh, Deer!” game as well if time allows.

Time: (30 min.-1 hour.)                                                   Grades: Pre-K+

Take advantage of Deerassic’s 170 acre property and the vast deciduous forest that makes up nearly half of it. Students will go through a guided tour on our easy-moderate hiking trails learning different characteristics of trees, plants, and animals along the way. If time allows, students will also have the opportunity to explore some of Deerassic’s “caves!”

In addition to the above programs/activities, some of the in-class visit options can be placed on the schedule for field trips/camps here at the Park. Just ask! These include but are not limited to;

• Fur Talk
• Owl Pellets
• Pollution Search/Recycling
• The Scoop On Poop

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                        Grades: Pre-K-12

Students will learn the difference in animal tracks from different mammals native here in Ohio. Students will be able to see differences in characteristics to determine which track comes from which animal.

Time: (5 – 40 min. periods)                                                 Grades: 6th+

Students will learn the proper scoring system for deer antlers. Just calling a buck an 8-point or 10-point doesn’t really tell you the size of the antlers. Here at Deerassic we use the Buckmasters Official Scoring System that teaches kids math, how to read a tape measure, and how to use those numbers and measurements to get a total “score” for a deer’s antlers. Students will also have the opportunity to bring in their own harvested bucks to be scored and possibly entered into the record books!

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: 3rd+

Students will have a better understanding of how to identify bluebirds, what they eat, where they live, and the specifications needed to have a correct and useful bluebird box for them to live in. Can include the hands-on activity of students building their very own bluebird box and instructions of how you can set them up on your school campus! Pricing varies.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                          Grades: Pre-K+

Students will use different characteristics they identify from looking and touching different animal pelts to determine which each one is. They will also learn more about these animals such as: habitats, diets, and behaviors.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                          Grades: Pre-K+

Students will understand the different reptiles and amphibians that are native to Ohio. This presentation goes through some of the more common snakes, frogs, turtles, salamanders, and lizards students may come across in our neck of the woods. Will discuss how to tell the difference between venomous, and non-venomous snakes, which amphibians are mildly poisonous, and the difficulty of taking care of reptiles and amphibians as pets.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: 6th+

Students will gain knowledge that will make them better conservationists, outdoorsmen/women, and make them better hunters. Topics include but are not limited to; food plots, tree planting, prescribed burns, logging and cutting, water troughs, soil testing, mock scrapes, and trail camera surveying.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: K+

Students will dissect an owl pellet and learn about what owls eat. An owl pellet is a dense mass of bones, fur, and feathers an owl coughs up after digesting a meal. It is odor-free and safe for children when properly prepared, offering a real-life look at owls and their diet. An owl pellet also illustrates who eats what in a simple food chain. Pricing varies.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: K+

Students learn about the different types of pollution, different types of recyclables and the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle.) They will then take a hike around and through the woods to get a closer look at pollution: what it is, what its sources are, and what people can do to reduce it, as well as find different recyclables and place them in their appropriate recycling bins.

Time: (5 – 40 min. periods)                                                 Grades: 6th+

Great for middle school-high school aged kids. This 5-day program is perfect for an in-school visit. Deerassic comes and takes over your classroom for the week to teach kids the importance of quality deer management. This curriculum includes powerpoints, videos, worksheets, hands-on activities, and a final test to teach students things such as: deer biology and anatomy, deer history, aging and scoring bucks, trail camera surveying and analyzing, etc. Teachers can choose whether they use the worksheets and test towards the students’ grades or it can just be a week of fun learning for the kids.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                       Grades: Pre-K-12

A kid favorite! The fascination with animal scat! Kids enjoy this fun interactive presentation on Ohio mammal scat. Students will learn interesting facts about animal poop and get to see replica examples. With teacher permission, this can include students getting to enjoy “animal poop” chocolate treats.

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: 6th+

Students will gain knowledge on how to properly identify mammal skulls they find in the Ohio woods. We discuss different strategies and characteristics to look for when determining which animal the skull belongs to. We also dive into the tooth formula and how it can give you an accurate reading as well as several other common sense items to look for. Kids will get to see and handle real animal skulls up close and personal!

Time: (30-60 min.)                                                               Grades: 3rd+

Students will learn all about the wild turkey which most of us have in our very own backyard! They will learn how to identify them, what they eat, where they live, and how they talk to one another! Can include students building their very own turkey call and learning how to use it! Pricing varies.

In addition to the above programs/activities, some of the on-site options can be brought to your school as well. Just ask! These include but are not limited to;

• Deer Biology (condensed version of QDMA)
• Passport to Fishing (Knots & Rigging/Casting)
• SAFE Archery
• Archery Tag
• Disc Golf
• Field Games
• Gaga Ball
• Hiding In Plain Sight
• Indoor BB Gun Range