More information
Summer Group Field Trip Program Overview
| Who: | Elementary and preschool aged groups |
| What: | The Center’s friendly staff and/or volunteers lead groups through our outdoor Dean Neubek Critter Classroom where children will experience live animal interactions. We will also guide children on a nature walk through 4 acre Russ Pitman Park, where groups can see urban wildlife like birds, butterflies, and squirrels. Note that our Discovery Rooms will closed to the public and this will be an outdoor only field trip. For up close encounters with some of our ambassador animals and hands-on exposure to specimens, we recommend booking one of our Outreach Programs at your facility. |
| Where: | Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle, Bellaire, TX 77401) in Russ Pitman Park. |
| When: | Monday through Friday. Programs can start no earlier than 9:30 a.m All programs must be complete by 2:30 p.m. Programs last roughly 45 minutes depending on the interest of the group. |
| Cost: | $5 per student. Payment MUST be received BEFORE the date of your scheduled field trip program. |
| Size: | Max of 30 kids split into two groups of 15 with adult chaperones. |
“The children liked going outside and experiencing being investigators. We loved that the program is interactive and gets the children excited about learning.”
Ms Carlock, Sugar Grove Elementary School 2nd grade teacher“Thank you so much for an outstanding day yesterday. Our class had such a great time. The habitat investigation and discovery rooms were wonderful. We all agreed it was our favorite trip this year! Your guides worked well with the students and got them excited about nature.”
Jill Bryant, Bay Area Christian School“You included so many challenges throughout the lesson. The experiments were great! The children liked the scientific vocabulary, following the ‘experiment frame’, and learning more about our topic of study. You all have always been so wonderful, but developing a lesson for us was going above and beyond. We appreciate it!”
M. Anderson, Oak Forest Elementary Grade 1“We liked most that it was geared to the children, they had the freedom to explore their own interests. You run a great program - the guides were great – very patient, very attuned to the children, very positive. I have been taking the 4’s and K’s on field trips for many years and this is one of the best experiences ever.”
Ms. Meriwether, Memorial Drive United Methodist Church“Eric (the guide) did a great job explaining things on the kids’ level. We thought it was terrific!”
Marcie Rosen, Crossroads School 2 -4th grade.
Inquiries, Scheduling, Confirmation, and Payment
**NEW** Submit a Summer Field Trip Inquiry Form to let us know the date(s) you are interested in and your preferred time. It also alerts our staff to any special needs your group may have or to questions you may have about our program. A member of our staff will contact you about your inquiry as soon as possible. Please allow 2 business days for a reply before calling the Center to check on the status of your inquiry.
- Scheduling is on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Your organization will receive an invoice for your visit based on the number of students who participate.
- If you should need to cancel your reservation, written notice is required no later than 5 business days prior to the program start date to receive a 50% refund. Please send cancellation requests to mail@naturediscoverycenter.org and include CANCELLATION in the subject line of your email.
Clothing, Conduct, and Chaperones
• Comfortable, weather appropriate clothing, including closed toe shoes, is recommended.
• Teachers and chaperones are responsible for the behavior and discipline of their group.
• Communicate to your chaperones that they can be most helpful by modeling appropriate behavior throughout the visit and keeping the kids with the group on our trails.
Lunch Facilities
Picnic tables near the playground at the south end of the park are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are also some first-come, first-served picnic tables in Evergreen Park, just across Evergreen Street from our park. Note: Our pavilion area behind the Center is reserved for use by our own Summer Science Camp program and is not available for summer group field trips.
