Field Investigations for Pre-K-12 Groups

Request a ProgramReady to get back outside? The Claytor Nature Center has reopened for school trips and looks forward to seeing you back on-site!

We take pride in our hands-on approach to engaging students in the appreciation, exploration, and understanding of the world! Our programs are hand-picked and custom-designed to take a multidisciplinary and active approach to the Virginia Standards of Learning.

Atmosphere

Our environmental education programs are outdoor classroom days. As such, we seek to reinforce and provide real-world applications to the concepts you are learning or will learn in the classroom. We want you to be our partners in these endeavors! So, we also appreciate when you, the teachers, work with us on-site by connecting what we are doing to things you have already done or learned in the classroom. Feel free to interject during the activities if you want to reinforce something during that time. Please prepare yourself and your students to come for a day of questions and learning!

Schedule

For the remainder of 2021, we are only scheduling school trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In 2022, we will resume our Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday bookings.

À La Carte Programs for PreK-K with Parental Guidance (required by school)

10 a.m. – noon without a snack
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with snack

Includes three 30-minute activities or four 20-minute activities with snack time in the middle, if desired. You may reserve extra time to enjoy otter space free of charge. For groups that require parents to attend, we ask you to divide the students into groups no larger than 10 students plus their parents. We can accommodate a maximum of 30 students at a time. Short descriptions of our current à la carte activities are linked here*.

*Our activities for the 2021-22 school year will be updated with our new activities by the end of August 2021. You are welcome to schedule your visit before this update.

À La Carte Programs for K-Sixth Grade

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Includes two 45-minute activities, bring-your-own lunch in the pavilion, and your remaining time (usually 30-45 minutes) is unstructured nature play in Otter Space. We are currently able to accommodate two classes simultaneously. Short descriptions of our current à la carte activities are linked here*.

*Our activities for the 2021-22 school year will be updated with our new activities by the end of August 2021. You are welcome to schedule your visit before this update.

Middle School Sixth-Eighth Grade, River Health Program (limited number each quarter)

10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

includes an introduction to watershed pollution, an hour session at the river, data compilation and analysis phase, and lunch. Students do a physical and biological assessment of the river. They collect, identify, and sketch macroinvertebrates, then pool class data to calculate a pollution tolerance index and determine whether the river water is clean or dirty. We are currently able to accommodate two classes simultaneously.

High School Sixth-Eighth Grade, River Health Program (limited number each quarter)

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

includes an introduction to watershed pollution, a two-hour session at the river, data compilation and analysis phase, a hike, and lunch. Students do a physical, biological, and chemical assessment of the river. We are currently able to accommodate a maximum of 30 students simultaneously.

Add-On

This year, we are offering an add-on option for a 45-minute themed nature hike or scavenger hunt after lunch. This will likely occur between 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. and we will work with your schedule to be sure you get what you need.

Student Teams and Chaperone Roles

Students travel through the activities with their classroom teachers and teacher-assigned chaperones. Teachers are expected to manage student behavior and participate in activities with their students. Teachers and chaperones are asked to be partners in the day and help guide students through activities. For K-sixth grade visitors, beforeyour visit, we ask that you divide your students into three or four different teams of four to six students each and assign a chaperone for each team.

Fees for Self-Organized School Groups

Mixed-age groups, please limit your group to three consecutive grade levels, so that we can better provide quality instruction to all participants.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Groups for Schools that Require Parental Attendance

$50 for each group of up to 10 children
$0 for parents/chaperones
Max 30 students per day

First-Eighth Grade

$90 per class, plus $6 per student beyond 15 students per class
Free for up to five chaperones per class, plus $5 per chaperone beyond six per class
Max 24 students per class, two classes per day

Ninth-12th Grade

$50 per class, plus $5 per student beyond 10 per class
Free for up to five chaperones per class, plus $5 per chaperone beyond six per class
Max 24 students per class, two classes per day

Overnight Groups, Fifth-12th Grade Only

Varies according to program, inquire for details

Add-on 45-minute Nature Hike

$30 per group of up to 24 students

Refunds and Cancellation Policy

Refunds minus a $35 cancellation fee can be issued up to three weeks before your scheduled program. If you cancel your program(s) three weeks or fewer before your scheduled date, you will be charged $60 for each program canceled. For example, a cancellation fee for one class of first grade students would be $60. A cancellation fee for three classes of first grade students would be $180. Your organization will need to pay the cancellation fee before booking again in the future.

Programs run, rain or shine, except in severe weather. Claytor Nature Center staff will determine whether a program must be canceled. If your program is canceled for severe weather, and cannot be rescheduled, you will not be charged any fees and will receive a full refund if you have prepaid.

How to Prepare

We will make all possible efforts to give your students a complete outdoor experience. There may be sun, rain, ticks, mosquitos, reptiles, or poisonous plants. Please remind your students to dress for a day outdoors, also keeping in mind weather at the Claytor Nature Center may be different from the weather they experience upon waking. All schedules and locations of activities are tentative and subject to change according to on-site conditions the day of your program.

We recommend telling children and parents to eat a big breakfast the morning of your program, or to have a small snack on the bus.

Student/participant checklist:

Close-toed shoes or boots. Sandals are not appropriate footwear for our programs.
Extra pair of shoes and socks.
Pants.
Jacket.
Hat.
Bug spray.
Sunscreen.
Water bottle.
Lunch.

Teacher checklist:

Directions to 1844 Woods Rd, Bedford, Virginia (please pre-check the amount of time it will take you to arrive, as we may not be able to push back your program time if you are late).
Payment (if not prepaid).
Liability waivers for all participants.

*Please arrive a few minutes before your scheduled program to use the bathrooms and to apply bug spray and sunscreen.