Hands-on Education for School Groups

Our program prices are $6/student for one program or $11/student for two programs.

We work closely with Next Generation Science Standards and your curriculum to provide a fun educational experience for your students. You can read our brochure here.

We are thankful to the foundations, companies, individual donors, and agencies like Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, that support our programs and help keep the cost of the programs to less than half of what it costs to deliver them.

If you select just one program (usually 1.5 hours), it is $6/student.  If you desire a longer educational experience, you can sign up for two programs, for a total of $11/student.  (See examples in our brochure.)  There is no fee for teachers, and one chaperone for every eight students is free. 

Area school teachers and students frequently use our facilities and equipment for field trips to supplement classroom studies.  There is no fee for self-guided trips.

Discover Nature Hike – Grades1-12 (1-2 hours) Students are introduced to the nature that is around your school grounds. S1; S3; S4; S6; S7; S8; M2; M3; M8; E4; E5; E7

Nature’s Alphabet – preK & K (1 hour) Nature is the ultimate teacher when it comes to learning about our senses, as well as letters, shapes and colors!  Students develop these essential skills while exploring your school grounds.  S1; S2; S3; S4; S7; S8; M2; M3; M5; M6; M8; E3; E4; E5

Predator-Prey Palooza! – Grades 1-4 (1.5 -2 hours) Students learn the traits of predators and prey animals, and then test their ability to “fill the shoes” of these animals in fun activities.  Includes sneaking and stalking games.  S1; S3; S4; S6; S7; S8; M1; M2; M3; M5; M6; M7; M8; E3; E4; E5; E7

Animal Homes and Habitats - grades 1-4 (1.5 hours)  Habitats provide the food, shelter and water that all things need to survive.  Some species do best in the woods, some in grasslands, some in water.  And some live life on the edge!  This introductory program to habitats introduces your students to the habitats around your school campus. S1; S3; S4; S6; S7; S8; M1; M2; M3; M5; M6; M7; M8; E3; E4; E5; E7

Bird Beak Mystery- grades 1-4 (1.5 hours) Use clues about bird beaks, feet, and feathers to solve a mystery. During the second half of the program, students learn how to use binoculars and do a short bird walk. 1LS1-1, 1LS1-2, 2LS4-1, 3LS4-3, 3LS4-4, 4LS1-1, 4LS1-2, CC1, CC3, PKI1, PKI6, M1, M3.

Outdoor Skills – grades 2-12 (1.5 hours) For this ultimate day of hands-on learning, students delve into a variety of primitive and modern outdoor skills that enable them to be comfortable outdoors. (Content varies on age, time, & season.)  S1; S2; S3; S4; S5; S6; S7; S8; M1; M2; M3; M5; M6; M7; M8; E3; E4; E5; E7

Aquatic Studies: Stream Sleuths – Grades 3-12 (1.5 hours) Students and teachers should be prepared to get wet in this ultimate “immersion” program about what lives in our waters!  Activities include sampling macroinvertebrates, determining water quality, and learning about watersheds. If the temperature is above 70 F at the time of the field trip, we will go in the creek for this program. If the temperature is below 70 F, we have a variety of options to choose from including water cycle and property of water activities as well as pond-side macroinvertebrate sampling.  S1; S3; S4; S6; S7; S8; M1; M2; M3; M5; M6; M7; M8; E3; E4; E5; E7

Finding Your Way - grades 6-12(1.5-3 hours)  In a time when computers do all our work for us, it is not a bad idea to learn how to use a compass or read a map.  If you choose to do this as a full-day program (3 hours), we cover compass basics, an introduction to map reading, and how to put map and compass together.  Half day programs (1.5 hours) just focus on compass-use.   Both sessions include fun activities that involve following a compass to make mystery shapes.  Great for working on math skills.  S1; S4; S5; S6; S7; S8; M1; M2; M4; M5; M6; M8; E3; E4; E5; E6; E7

Please call (815-335-2915), email (andrea@seversondells.org), or fill out the Field Trip Interest form to request a school program.

 

Field Trip Interest Form

Thanks to Community Foundation of Northern Illinois for supporting field trip programs.

Thanks to forest preserves of winnebago county for supporting field trip programs.