Learning Trails Field Trip Program

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• Scheduling for 2023 is open 

• Download and complete the Reservation Form

• Return your completed form by mail or email

• Your reservation will be confirmed by email or text

• Reservations are not complete until you receive a confirmation 

• Field trip dates are available weekdays April 3 through June 5, and Aug 28 through September 22, 2023. 

•  Fee $6/per student - (Teachers and one Chaperon per 10 students free)

• Group size – 25 students min. – 75 students max. (groups under 25 or over 75 can be accommodated with some adjustment to the program – please give us a call)

• Programs are designed to provide a 3.5 hr. comprehensive learning experience usually 9 am to 1 pm including a lunch break.  Adjustments to this schedule are always possible.  Please call 330-829-7050 to discuss your specific needs. 

• The majority of the Learning Trail areas are handicap accessible.

• Picnic tables outdoors are available for lunch (we have a picnic shelter that can accommodate most groups during inclement weather)

• Students, teachers, and chaperones will go out on the trail even in the rain so please dress for the weather – we will not go on the trail if a storm is threatening. 

• Questions - call 330-829-7050 or email: education@beechcreekgardens.org

• Subject: School Field Trip

 

What are Learning Trails?
 

A Learning Trails field trip will include the following based on the selected theme:

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• Guided inquiry -  a visit to the Amazing Garden where students engage with the learning stations and have an up-close, instructor lead Beech Creek critters encounter.
   

• Field Experience –  students participate in a guided trail walk that includes fieldwork specific to the chosen learning topic.
   

•  Raptor Hallow Encounter - students will visit the new raptor and friends sanctuary now housed at Beech Creek Gardens. Students will get an up close look at these beautiful creatures that, due to injury, are now living in the sanctuary. This session will be lead by the Raptor Hallow staff.

 

• Play Playce - The importance of creative play in nature is critical to developing a healthy mind and body.  We have created a marvelous play area complete with tree house, eagles nest, climbing area and various challenge activities.  This session is built into every field trip and is one of the favorite stops for students and teachers.

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Learning Trail Themes include:

 

Life Cycles
A program designed to provide students with a hands-on, inquiry experience working with plants and animals to observe and identify the physical features of life stages and the relation of those stages to their environment. 

 

Living Things / Habitats
This program will provide students with a hands-on, inquiry experience working with plants and other organisms that depend on each other for survival. They will also explore the requirements living things need in any habitat, taking a close look at the interaction between the living and nonliving components.

 

Ohio Native Plants
Native plants do a better job of providing food and shelter for native wild animals than do introduced plants. Native plants are the foundation of our natural ecosystems and protect biodiversity.  This program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage with our local native plant life and see first hand how native plants, soil, and animal life interact to provide essential life support for all living things.

 

Soil – We can't live without it!
Soils exist as natural ecosystems on the surface of Earth made up of macro and microorganisms, minerals, organic matter, air, and water. Soils are living systems that provide many of the most fundamental functions needed for life. (Why do we study Soil? GLOBE learning activity intro)

This program will provide students a hands-on experience with soils.  Students will complete a modified soil characterization, collect soil temperature and moisture data and sort out the components (clay, sand, silt, rocks, roots, critters) that make up a soil sample. When time permits, several samples are collected, and a comparison of the soil is made between groups. During this investigation, particular attention is drawn to the interaction between the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) components of an ecosystem.

Changing Surface

There are many reasons why the Earths surface changes and some of them, like floods and volcanoes, can be catastrophic.  However, changes occur around us daily that, over time, impact the local environment that supports our way of life. (Ohio Academic Learning Standards - Science)  

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This program takes a look at some of the more subtle ways the Earths surface changes.  We will explore the power of plants, the potential of a summer rain or winter snow, and the activity of animals, including humans, that continuously contribute to the ever-changing earth surface.

 

Fossils Then & Now!

Fossils provide evidence that many plant and animal species are extinct and that many species have changed over time.  We will take a close look at some local fossil evidence using hand lenses and microscopes to search for details.  Then we will explore the landscape at Beech Creek to find similar plant life.

Hydrology: We do not just drink water - we are water!
Water constitutes 50 to 90 percent of the weight of all living organisms.  It is one of the most abundant and essential substances on Earth.  Water sustains plant and animal life, plays a vital role in the formation of weather, helps to shape and reshape the surface of the planet through erosion and other processes, and approximately 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered in water. (Hydrology Introduction, GLOBE).   During the students time at Beech Creek, they will explore the role that plants play in keeping our water clean, walk a watershed and test the Beech Creek for water temperature, pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen levels.

 

Blaze Your Own Trail

You have the freedom to design a visit to fit your specific needs.  You tell us what you would like to cover and we will help build a program to do just that.