Educational Field Trips

Students will be able to learn more about Carriage Hill MetroPark and its history by touring the Visitor Center. Afterwards, groups will be provided with written information to guide them throughout the historic farm site. A tour through the Daniel Arnold Home will be given by a living history interpreter who will also be conducting hands-on historical demonstrations.

Availability: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to noon and 1-3 PM: April 1-Oct 31
Target Grades:  K-2, 3-5, 6
Program Length: 1 hour
Group Size (recommended): 10-60 students. Groups will be split into smaller groups of 20 to tour the house
Park: Carriage Hill

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Gain an overall understanding of life in the 1880s.
• Discover the various ways that farmers sustained themselves and their families.
• Learn the basic principles of farming.
• Use their senses to learn history in a tangible way.

Students will learn about plant growth, the benefit of plant relationships in the garden and the important work of pollinators while exploring the vegetable garden. Classes will be divided into groups to participate in station-based activities. Printable activities are provided help students explore the Children’s Discovery Garden.

Availability: Wednesday and Thursday: May 1-mid-September
Target Grades: K-2, 3-5
Program Length: 45 min-1 hr 15 minutes
Group Size (recommended): 10-50 students
Park: Wegerzyn

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Understand what plants need to grow and plant their own seeds to observe in the classroom
• Explore how certain plants can benefit other plants in the garden (companion planting)
• Understand the importance of pollinators and how attract them to your garden

Students will get their hands dirty digging and examining soil, learning what makes it so important and how composting is a great way to keep our soil thriving. Classes will be divided into groups to participate in station-based activities. Printable activities are provided to help students explore the Children’s Discovery Garden.

Availability: Wednesday and Thursday: April 1-Oct 31
Target Grades: K-2, 3-5
Program Length: 45 min-1 hr 15 minutes
Group Size (recommended): 10-50 students
Park: Wegerzyn

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Identify and explain the components found in a handful of garden soil
• With assistance, conduct a series of tests to determine soil health (includes texture, water holding capacity and/or nutrient tests)
• Explore how composting helps recycle valuable nutrients and keep usable waste out of the landfill

Learn about farms and habitats while exploring Possum Creek MetroPark’s farm, gardens, trail and nature play. Teachers will receive a map and general information via email and can explore with their students at their own pace.

Availability: Tuesday- Friday: April 1-October 31
Target Grades: early childhood, K-2
Program Length: 1-1.5 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-60 students, groups will be split into smaller groups of 15 to tour the park
Park: Possum Creek

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of the unity and diversity of the natural world
• Use the sense of touch, smell, sight, and hearing to discover their natural world
• Experience a variety of habitats

Self-guided materials are accessible through these padlets:

• Englewood
• Germantown

Invite your students to venture back in time as they search the streambeds for 500 million-year-old fossils from the Ordovician period. Students will explore both abiotic and biotic changes that occurred throughout geologic time. They also will learn how the Miami Valley didn’t always look like it does today through an interactive timeline activity. Wear shoes and clothes that can wet.

Availability: April-June, August-October
Target Grades: 2-5; 9-12
Program Length: 1.5-2 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-80 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Cox Arboretum

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Identify important events on a geologic timeline of the Earth’s history, including the Ordovician period, present day, major extinction events, etc.
• Identify different types of fossils found and understand what those creatures looked like during the Ordovician period and what creatures living today are related to them
• Understand that the fossils found were once living creatures, and why they are no longer living

Fall is a season of change, so why not change things up in the classroom and get your students outside exploring the brightly colored forest! Students will get to know some of Ohio’s native trees while exploring what trees need to survive, how seeds move, and the change that occurs as nature prepares for winter.

Availability: August – October
Target Grades: K-3; 5-7
Program Length: 1.5-2 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-80 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Cox Arboretum

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Identify what trees need to survive
• Explain at least two ways that seeds move
• Identify at least two Ohio trees by either leaf shape or bark
• Understand that nature undergoes cyclical changes throughout the year

Students will put their observation skills to the test as they move through forest, pond, and prairie habitats exploring their differences and similarities. They will delve deeper as they investigate the needs of the creatures that call these habitats home and how they interact with one another and their environment.

Availability: April-June
Target Grades: K-3; 5-7
Program Length: 1.5-2 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-60 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Carriage Hill, Cox Arboretum

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Identify and compare differences between various habitat types
• Explain the needs of living organisms
• Understand the role that both biotic and abiotic factors play in the habitat type an organism can survive in
• Understand how humans can impact, both positively or negatively, different habitats

Self-guided materials are accessible through these padlets:

• Englewood
• Germantown

Let your students’ learning take flight as they explore some of our most common pollinators, butterflies and bees. Students will learn about needs of pollinators, their lifecycles, and the unique plant relationships required for their survival.

Availability: April-June, August-October
Target Grades: K-5
Program Length: 1-1.5 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-60 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Cox Arboretum

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Understand what a pollinator is and what they do
• Describe the lifecycle of a butterfly or moth
• Identify the needs of living things
• Understand how plants attract pollinators through things such as flower color, scent, and shape
• Identify at least one thing they can do to help pollinators

Students will explore plant and animal interactions through close observation in real-world habitats. Students will learn how species are dependent on each other, and where humans fit within the ecological puzzle of the Miami Valley.

Availability: April-June, August-October
Target Grades: K-5; 9-12
Program Length: 1-2 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-80 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Cox Arboretum, Sugarcreek

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Explain and give examples of different relationships between organisms
• Explain three ways in which animals and plants are dependent on each other
• Identify at least one way they can have a positive impact on the environment

Explore a variety of habitats as you engage your students in your own Ordovician Expedition, Aquatic Study, or Pollinator Adventure. When you schedule your field trip you will receive an email with a self-guided field trip packet that contains detailed information, resources and videos of our naturalists to help you prepare for your field trip. Additionally, you will be given access to an onsite lockbox containing insect nets, aquatic dip nets, containers, and a variety of exploration tools to enhance your students’ experience.

Availability: April-June, August-October
Target Grades: K-3; 5-7
Program Length: 1-2 hours
Group Size (recommended): 10-80 students, split into smaller groups
Park: Germantown, Englewood

Objectives: Dependent on teacher.

The educational staff at Five Rivers MetroParks are excited to help your students safely experience the outdoors, whether at their homes or at your school. MetroParks offers pre-recorded virtual field trip content. Whether in your own classroom or Google Classroom, it’s easy for you to fit these programs into your curriculum. You can also schedule live Q&A sessions with MetroParks representatives to enhance your adventures.