Custom Programs for your Students

Take your lessons from the classroom to the outdoors with a full-day program involving hands-on activities and nature hikes designed to give a comprehensive understanding of a particular science topic. Programs can even be developed to meet your specific curriculum needs.

Note: Due to the specialized nature of these Special Programs, pre-approval is required from our School Programs Manager to ensure we have adequate staffing for your group or school.

Class Size: Minimum 20 students/Maximum 60 students
Tour Times: Tuesday – Friday from 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Fee: $15 per student; $9 per additional chaperone

Options

Earth Science Program
Students will discover how the Earth’s landscape constantly changes due to the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition during this hands-on three-hour program. Experiments involving these processes as well as soil composition and percolation will enhance students’ earth science knowledge. They will observe these processes at work in our 155-acre nature sanctuary during a nature hike.

Weather Program
During this interactive three-hour program, students will discover the relationships between the earth, water, air, and sun that cause our weather. After experimenting with the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, they will “travel” through the water cycle as a water molecule. Students will make and test their own weather instruments, then explore our trails to observe the effects of weather on the organisms and landscapes of the Arboretum.

Custom Program
Our professional staff of certified teachers will work with you to design a program to meet your curriculum needs. Our programs enhance and integrate your school’s curriculum by providing hands-on, environmental experiences. We can create three-hour programs that are grade-level appropriate, engaging, and fun! For more information, email [email protected]

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

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

Price: $15.00
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.
Please choose one.
Please describe your desired custom program here. This information will help us get a better idea of the type of program you are requesting.

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: $9.00
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 $9 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]