Half-Day Experiences for grades K-5

In this engaging program, students are given an overview of the day’s theme in the classroom, followed by a 60-minute guided field experience during which students will be introduced to basic ecological concepts by our talented staff and docent naturalists. Our science-based programs help students master the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) while exposing them to the beauty of the outdoors in our 155-acre nature sanctuary. See themes with grade-level recommendations below.

Class Size: Minimum 20 students/Maximum 60 students
Tour Times: Tuesday – Friday from 9:30 – 11:00 am or 11:30 am-1:00 pm
Fee: $8 per student; $7 per additional chaperone

Themes

Sensing Nature (Grades K-5)
Explore the Arboretum’s ecosystems using your built-in toolbox – your senses! Students will take a nature hike through prairie, woodland, savanna, and wetland habitats. Along the way, make observations of the interacting communities and finish with time to reflect creatively about your nature experience. 

A Habitat is a Home (Grades K-2)
Learn how and where living things meet their needs. Children will explore woodland, savanna, prairie, or wetland habitats to learn how organisms survive in their environment. 

Nature’s Recyclers (Grades 1-3)
Investigate how nature recycles nutrients through the process of decomposition. Students will explore rotting logs to learn about the organisms that work on the decomposer team.

Pleased to Eat You! (Grades 2-4)
Discover what local animals eat, and how to classify them as herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore. In this program all about food chains, students will explore the Arboretum’s wetland habitats and observe some of the organisms that call the Arboretum home.

Creature Features (Grades 3-5)
Discover adaptations that help organisms survive and thrive in their habitats. While exploring the Arboretum’s habitats, students will identify and compare adaptive characteristics of organisms.

EcoExplorers (Grades 4-5)
Identify ways that organisms survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and non-living elements. Students will explore woodland, savanna, prairie, and wetland habitats to compare their physical characteristics and how those features help them to support unique biological communities. Great STAAR review!

Reservation Requests

Registration for fall field trips is now open. Registration for the spring semester will open on Monday, October 28.

Step 1: General Information

School Address(Required)
Primary Contact Name(Required)
Email to be used as primary form of communication
Financing: To whom do we send the invoice?(Required)
Payment in full is required to confirm the field trip. Schools scheduling for school programs 31- 270 days prior to the trip date should refer to invoice for payment due date. Schools scheduling 0-30 days prior to trip date must pay upon receipt of the invoice.
Do any members of your group have special needs or disabilities for which we can offer accommodations (e.g. smaller group sizes, frequent breaks, ADA accessible trails)? If so, please give details in the space provided.
Please notate any special needs, accessibility, specific contact information, and requests for multiple trip dates here.

Step 2: Select a date & time

Please select one to three calendar dates in order of preference and choose a preferred time slot. Programs are scheduled Tuesday – Friday.
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Step 3: Student Counts and Topic Selection

Price: $8.00
Please note that the Field Trip student maximum is 60 students per day. Student counts over 60 will require more than one field trip date.
There are two program choices for half-day field trips. Please refer to the website for descriptions of each program.
Topics are specifically designed for the corresponding grade levels. If you’d like a specialized topic, please contact our School Programs manager.

Step 4: Chaperones and Payment

One chaperone for every 10 children is given complimentary entry. If you wish to pay for additional chaperones in advance, please see the “Additional Chaperone” area below.
Price: $7.00
Additional chaperones may pay on the day of the program.
Payment is required in advance and in full. Accepted forms of payment are organizational check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. All checks must be made payable to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. There is a minimum student requirement for all programs. Should the student count fail to meet the minimum requirement, the reflected total pricing is subject to change to cover the minimum cost necessary to provide the educational program.

FAQ

Please ensure that your Field Trip request has been pre-approved by your educational institution before scheduling.

An accurate count of attending students is required before submitting a scheduling request.

One adult for every 10 students is required to ensure safety and to help supervise your students. Conversely, due to the hands-on nature of our programs, we ask that you do not exceed a ratio of one adult for every 3 students.

Additional chaperones over the requirement are charged $7 per person.

The program is designed for your students; please ask parents to leave younger siblings at home.

Please advise students and parents to dress appropriately for a nature hike and the weather. Students and adults should wear closed-toe shoes for safety. Sandals or high heels are strongly discouraged.

There are no picnic facilities at the Arboretum; however, we provide a lunch area for a full-day program. Half-day programs may use our building apron if available. Picnic areas can be found within Memorial Park’s picnic loop.

Bus parking is available only at our 610 Entrance. Please look for bus parking signs. Staff will be present to assist drivers.

610 Entrance Address: 120 West Loop North Fwy, Houston, TX 77024

Programs are conducted rain or shine. Ponchos are provided for light rain. In case of severe weather, we will offer an equivalent indoor program. If cancellation is necessary due to extreme weather conditions, rescheduling may not be possible due to our tight calendar.

Rescheduling requests are addressed at the Houston Arboretum’s availability and discretion. Rescheduling a confirmed program 0-30 days prior to your scheduled date will result in a rescheduling fee of $50.00.

Program fees are non-refundable.

Payment is required in advance and in full. Accepted forms of payment are organizational check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. All checks must be made payable to: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.

Questions about policies? Please click – School Program Payment Policy (pdf).

Email [email protected]