To schedule your class for a field trip or outreach program, please call 801-621-7595 and a staff member will get back to you with available dates.
Teachers and schools can elect to register for one of our regular on-site field trip programs listed below. As always, we are working with local foundations and supporters to provide teachers with funding for these programs. Currently this program is free for all Utah public or charter 1st grade classrooms and funding is available to sponsor schools from the Weber and Ogden school districts.
Teacher Notes
- All programs correlate to the Utah State SEEd standards.
- All classes are taught by professional teacher/naturalists educated in conservation biology, botany, ornithology, child development, environmental education, interpretation and more.
- Classes are taught 100% outside. Please dress for the weather.
- Field trips are 2 hours in length and can be scheduled for the mornings or afternoons.
- The fee is $105 per class (maximum 27 students). This includes the cost of 4 chaperones. Teachers and school aids are free. Please limit chaperones to just the 4 included in the cost
- Please note that school programs are special programs and memberships will not be accepted as payment for school program or chaperone fees.
- Siblings not enrolled in a scheduled class are not allowed to attend school programs with attending chaperones. This includes infants in arms.
- You are welcome to extend your field trip with self-guided exploration of the nature preserve or by allowing students time to play at Peery's Nature Nook Playscape at no extra cost.
- Picnic tables are available for lunch use before or after your field trip. Please RSVP for picnic table use when registering your classroom.
- Pre and post-visit activities are available on the website at https://www.ogdennaturecenter.org/curriculum
- We are able to accommodate 3 classrooms (up to 80 students total) at one time. If you have 4 or more classrooms, or your number of students exceeds 80, please plan on two separate program times to attend a field trip.
- If this does not fit your schedule or programs are booked for the days you would like to attend, please contact 801-621-7595 for our self-guided classroom options.
Our programs are designed to follow the seasons. We offer programming that encourages students to investigate nature around them. Thanks to the Powell Foundation, all Ogden City Schools will take home a journal to continue their nature and science investigations at home after their field trip.
September
Field Ecology (All grades) - Students will discover nature's fascinating connections, from predator/prey relationships to seed dispersal mechanisms. They will play and learn as they examine skulls, net insects and try out the art of camouflage.
*All 2nd grade students in attendance will get to take home their own field ID kit.
October
Field Ecology (All grades)
Living Close to the Land (1st -5th grade) - Take a walk back in time with your students as they explore life 300 years ago. They will learn how the indigenous people lived off the land, learn to make corn-meal "journey cakes", listen to stories in a teepee, and discover the many material and medicinal uses of plants.
*Content heavy lesson recommended for 2nd grade and above.
November
Living Close to the Land (1st -5th grade) - Take a walk back in time with your students as they explore life 300 years ago. They will learn how the indigenous people lived off the land, learn to make corn-meal "journey cakes", listen to stories in a teepee, and discover the many material and medicinal uses of plants.
*Content heavy lesson recommended for 2nd grade and above.
December
Animals and Plants Prepare for Winter (K-5th grade) - Students will explore the world of wild animals in winter as they visit the bear den and get a feel for hibernation, explore winter animal adaptations, and make a pinecone bird feeder to help birds generate energy over the cold winter months
January/February
Animal Autographs (K-4th) - Students become nature detectives as they hike and look for signs of animals, make and take an easy to read field guide and test their questioning skills through an interactive game.
Snow Walkers (5th-8th) Students will explore winter animal adaptations for survival. This mathematics lesson will have students calculating foot load and hypothesizing survival strategies.
* 50 students max at one time
March
Birds (K-8th) Students will find out what makes a bird a bird. They will visit the bird breakfast café, sharpen their bird identification skills while using binoculars and ID guides, then meet the Ogden Nature Center's resident birds of prey.
*1st grade students in attendance will get to take home a pair of binoculars and all students will get their own bird field guide.
Utah's Ecosystems (3rd -8th grade) - Students will explore Utah's diverse landscape as they discover the forces that create our wetlands, forest and deserts, investigate plant and animal life and examine potential threats to many important ecosystems.
April
Trees (K-6th) - Students will gain an appreciation for the essential role trees play in our world as they identify differences between coniferous and deciduous trees. Students will explore trees through a scavenger hunt and make a piece of recycled paper to take home.
*Kindergarten students in attendance will get to use and take home a small plant press.
May
Pond Ecology (K-4th grade) - Students will explore pond life at the Ogden Nature Center. They will watch a classmate go through metamorphosis and scoop, identify and observe water creatures.
*3rd grade students in attendance will take home a macro-invertebrate flip guide and mini bug box.
Pollination Stations (K-2nd) - Students will explore the wonders of pollinators in Utah. They will observe bee hive life, play pollination games and even help out our local pollinators by planting some native seeds. Join us as we find out why bees and other insects are important for our survival.
Schoolyard Explorer Program -- We come to you!
All private, public and charter schools can register by grade. We will provide all lessons to each class in the grade.
Five days of science programming in both an in-school and at-home format. Each program comes with:
• Five lessons that teachers can use in the classroom, that also have adaptations for at-home use.
• Lessons cross the core and include math, language arts, art, and
• Spanish components.
• Lessons include a packet or box of materials e-mailed, mailed, or delivered to the school.
• Two video segments (8-10 minutes in length) with a Nature Center naturalist
• Live video lesson (streamed to your classroom or to the students at home) with an Ogden Nature Center (ONC) naturalist and live animal.
• One Schoolyard Explorer program. If permitted, we will bring the program to your schoolyard with an ONC Naturalist and fun and safe activities.
Cost:
$400 per grade.* This includes all lessons, materials, videos, live streaming segment and the Schoolyard Explorer program for each class in your registered grade.
As always we are working with local foundations and supporters to provide teachers with funding for these programs. Currently this program is free for all Utah public or charter 1st grade classrooms. Please contact us about funding availability for other grades or districts.
Register:
Contact us by calling 801-621-7595 or email
Grade Level Programs Available
Kindergarten - Trees, Bees, & Me
What do living things need to survive? Students will investigate this and more as they discover and play their way through lessons on plants and animal life, camouflage, food webs, pollination and seed dispersal.
K.2: Living Things and Their Surroundings
SEEd Standards; K.2.1, K.2.2, K.2.3, K.2.4
Grade 1 - Creature Features
Living things and their offspring depend on their surroundings and adaptations to survive. Students will explore plant and animal adaptations through games, activities and stories as they learn that specific features help creatures grow, find food, seek shelter and raise their young.
1.2: The Needs of Living Things and Their Offspring
SEEd Standards; 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.4
Grade 2 - Bugs, Buds & Beavers
Help your students become field ecologists as they discover nature’s fascinating connections, from predator/ prey relationships and succession to seed dispersal mechanisms. Explore habitats, catch insects, play camouflage games and learn all about life in a field.
2.2: Living Things and Their Habitats
SEEd Standards; 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 2.2.4
Grade 3 - I Spy What's in the Pond
Students will investigate life in a water world, as they explore diverse life cycles, highlight unique animal adaptations and learn how a creature’s environment influences survival.
3.2: Effects of Traits on Survival
SEEd Standards; 3.2.1, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5, 3.2.6
Grade 4 - Utah's Ecosystems
Students will explore Utah’s diverse habitat as they play games, create stories and investigate plants and animals that live in the wet- lands, deserts and forests throughout Utah.
4.1: Organisms functioning in their environment
SEEd Standards 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3
Grade 5 - Go With the Flow
How does the sun’s energy flow through all living things? Students will explore the answer to this question through games, stories, videos, and indoor and outdoor activities that help them understand how plants use the sun to make their own food, and pass that energy through to living things co-existing in an ecosystem.
5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems
SEEd Standards; 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 5.3.3
Grade 6 - Weather or Not, Here it Comes!
Students will learn about the importance of weather and climate, how to predict it, learn about Utah’s notorious inversion, and how it impacts plants, animals and humans in their everyday lives.
6:3 Earth’s Weather Patterns and Climate
SEEd Standards; 6.3.1, 6.3.2, 6.3.3
Field Trip Information for Teachers and Parents
The ONC provides a complete curriculum for teachers to use in preparation and post-visit classroom activities related to visits to the Ogden Nature Center.