Field Trips at Ogden Nature Center
Give your students the wonderful opportunity to get outside the classroom walls this year and make connections with the natural world. The Ogden Nature Center's 152-acre preserve offers an accessible, diverse landscape where students can explore plants, animals, soil, water, seasons and more throughout the school year.
Our nature education programs correlate to the Utah State Core Curriculum standards and are taught by professional teacher naturalists educated in conservation biology, botany, ornithology, child development, elementary education and/or natural sciences.
The Dirt and Details:
• Field adventures at the Ogden Nature Center are designed for K – 8th grade students, and focus on hands-on, outdoor experiences.
• Programs last for two hours and can be scheduled for the mornings or afternoons.
• 75 students or less is $3 per student. 76 students or more is $3.50 per student and field trip time is extended by 1/2 hour in order to accommodate a larger group. Teachers and school aids are free. One adult chaperone for every 10 students is free of charge. Extra chaperones/adults are $3 each.
• Funding may be available for Ogden City and Weber School District students. Contact us for details.
• Picnic tables are available for lunch before or after your field trip. Please RSVP for picnic table use when registering your class.
• You can extend your field trip with self-guided exploration of the nature preserve at no extra cost.
• Pre and post-visit activities are available on the website.
We also offer:
• Self-guided visits -- call 801-621-7595 for details.
• Week-long summer camps or single day adventures for ages 2-13.
• Year-round community programs and workshops for all ages.
• Preschool Discovery Days – one-hour programs for ages 3-5.
• After-school programs and activities are available. Call for details.
• A year-long home school naturalist programs. Call for details.
If you're looking for programming for an individual student, whether adult or child, check out our calendar to see what our community education programs have to offer.
Reservations are required and classes fill up quickly, so please schedule early. To schedule a field trip, please call the education department at 801-621-7595. After you have attended the program at the Ogden Nature Center, you will also receive post-visit Teacher Evaluation form. Your feedback helps us improve and adapt programs for the needs of those making use of the programs.
For teachers who have made reservations: Each field trip has accompanying pre-visit and post-visit curriculum and activities. Print out and use those activities that are appropriate for your grade level.
Field Ecology
Taught September-October (all grades)
Discover nature's fascinating connections, from predator/prey relationships to seed dispersal mechanisms. Examine skulls, net insects, burrow through a mouse hole, and try out the art of camouflage.
Weather
Offered Year-Round 15 (3rd - 8th grades)
Feel the power of wind, identify clouds and explore some simple methods for measuring and predicting the weather. Gain insight into weather patterns and the activities that can affect them, while examining the ways in which weather affects plants and animals.
Living Close to the Land
Taught in October & November (all grades)
Take a walk back in time as you explore life 300 years ago. Learn how the indigenous people lived off of the land. Sample cornmeal "journey cakes," listen to stories as you sit in a teepee, and discover the many material and medicinal uses of plants.
Animals Prepare for Winter
Taught in December (K - 6th grades)
Explore the world of wild animals in the winter. Visit the bear den and get a feel for hibernation. Complete your own southward migration and make a pinecone bird feeder to help birds generate energy over the cold winter months.
Reading the Landscape
Taught Year-Round (4th - 8th grade) - 30 max.
"Read" your way through Ogden Nature Center's orienteering course as you practice your newfound map and compass reading skills.
Animal Autographs
Taught in January & February (K - 4th grades)
Become nature detectives and hunt down animal clues around the Nature Center -- from tracks to feathers and fur. Trek on snowshoes if conditions permit.
Trees
Taught in March (K - 6th grades)
Gain appreciation for the essential role of trees in our world. Identify differences between coniferous and deciduous trees, try your hand at a simple tree key and make a piece of recycled paper to take home.
Utah's Ecosystems
Taught in March (3rd - 6th grades)
Gain insight into Utah's diverse landscape. Discover the forces that create our wetlands, forests and deserts. Investigate plant and animal life and examine potential threats to many important ecosystems.
More information coming soon.
Birds
Taught in April (K - 8th grades)
Find out what makes a bird a bird. Visit the Bird Breakfast Café, sharpen your bird identification skills as you look and listen for wild birds along our trails, and meet our resident birds of prey.
The World Beneath Your Feet
Taught in April (2nd - 5th grades)
Uncover the important role of soil in plant and animal life. Unearth the secret lives of worms, centipedes and other dirt dwellers by peering under rocks and logs and help our "Soil Chef" make soil from scratch.
Pond Ecology
Taught in May (K - 4th grades)
Get a close-up look at the teeming pond life at the Ogden Nature Center. Watch as a classmate goes through metamorphosis and scoop and observe water creatures.
Water Wonders
Taught in May (5th - 8th grades)
Dive into the underwater world as students discover what makes up a pond food web. Students will explore the trophic pyramid, classify macro-invertebrates, and look at water quality and pond health.
More information coming soon.
