The Nature Park offers a wide range of opportunities for students to engage in exciting, hands-on educational programs. They explore and learn about the many wonders of the Nature Park with experienced and enthusiastic educators.
Our school programs have goals that correlate with Oregon state science benchmarks.
Our staff of seasoned naturalists provide small group instruction and foster memorable learning experiences that cannot be duplicated in a classroom. These programs are available only to school groups. Fee and reservation information can be found at the end of this section.
Program Offerings
Nature "Sense-ations"
How do animals use their senses to survive in the Nature Park? Follow a raccoon's path as you smell, feel, listen and observe your way around the park. Through activities and games, students will compare their five senses to those of animals in the Nature Park.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: Kindergarten - 1st grade
Length: 1.5 hours
Home Again, Home Again
The park's mosaic of plant and animal "neighborhoods" known as habitats will be our grounds for exploration. Students will go on a habitat hunt, explore microhabitats and play the competition game as they try to determine what makes up a habitat and what lives in each.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 1st - 2nd grade
Length: 2 hours
Bug Safari
By exploring several habitats within the park, students will go on a bug hunt! They will look at bug characteristics, and learn about some of the adaptations that bugs have in order to survive. We'll search for spiders, centipedes, and other spineless creatures using sweep nets and magnifiers.
Months available: September, October, April, May and June
Grade levels: 1st - 5th grade
Length: 2 hours.
Amazing Adaptations
In this program, students will investigate the different body parts and behaviors that help the plants and animals in the Nature Park survive. They'll take a close-up look at life in the Tadpole Ponds, discover the secrets of plant survival and examine the teeth, skulls, and pelts of local animals to see their amazing adaptations.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 2nd - 4th grade
Length: 2 hours
For the Birds
Play a bird beak game, discover what makes a bird a bird, what they need to survive and where they live in this egg-citing class. Participants will examine bird specimens and use binoculars on a "birding" expedition in the park.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 2nd - 6th grade
Length: 2 hours (2.5 hours for 6th graders)
Rain Forest Connection
Most people think of a rain forest as near the equator with giant flowers and tropical birds. But in fact there's a similar rain forest right here in Oregon! We'll discover the connection between temperate and tropical rain forests as we search for wildlife, study the many layers of the forest, and find out how people and nature are connected to rain forests here and far away.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 3rd - 5th grade
Length: 2 hours
Forest Recycles
Using a cedar grove as a classroom, students will learn about the life cycle of trees. They'll find out what creatures inhabit the area's many snags, use microscopes and observation tools to discover the "stuff in duff," see how fallen logs give life to new trees and learn how disturbances like wind, beavers and people can change a forest.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 4th - 5th grade
Length: 2 hours
Nature's Detectives
This program offers the opportunity to learn about who eats who in the forest. Students will learn the basics of animal tracking, use "animal evidence" to figure out what an animal has eaten, and learn about the food web through a hands-on activity that demonstrates the food chain.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 4th - 5th grade
Length: 2 hours
Weather Sleuths
Come to the Nature Park to get a first-hand experience with Oregon's weather. Using scientific instruments as well as their curiosity, students will develop and test a hypothesis about the weather. This hands-on program is a great introduction to inquiry-based explorations in the classroom or in the field.
Months available: October through May
Grade levels: 4th - 8th grade
Length: 2-2.5 hours
Field Study
This hands-on program is a great introduction to our region's natural history and meets several benchmarks. Students will study dichotomous keys, plant communities, classification, and animal characteristics.
Months available: September through June
Grade levels: 6th-8th grade
Length: 2.5 hours
Middle and High School Programs
Individualized programs for higher grades can be made by special arrangement. Contact the program coordinator to discuss possibilities.
Reservation Information
Group size: 10-30 students per program, up to two programs per day. Multiple classrooms can be booked over several days.
Time: Programs generally run between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Availability: Weekdays, September through June. Programs run rain or shine. We are now taking reservations for the 2008-09 school year. Please call to reserve your spot for a field trip to the Nature Park.
Cost:
Prices listed below are good through December 2008. The 2009 prices will be posted in August.
K-5 Programs
$6 per student
6-12 Programs
$7 per student
Chaperones and teachers are free. Groups that fail to show up on the day of their reservation will be billed for the full class fee. Cancellations must be made in writing at least seven days in advance to accommodate our staffing schedule. Programs run rain or shine.
The cost for schools outside of the Beaverton School District is triple the costs listed above.
Registration: To register, contact the program coordinator at the Interpretive Center: 503/629-6350. Please have the following information ready:
- Contact person
- Best time to call
- Daytime phone number
- School name, address, grade level and number of students
- Program choice
- First and second choice date preferences
Upon confirmation you will receive a Teacher's Guide filled with trip information, pre and post-visit activities, and a map of the park to help you get the most from your outdoor experience.
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School Programs