Field Trip Options at The Arb
We have two options for conducting your field trip at the Northland Arboretum.
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Option 1:
$6 per student and adult (20 student minimum)
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Guided walk
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Outdoor picnic lunch area available
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Indoor bathrooms
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Indoor room will be provided if inclement weather
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Our staff will provide an alternative lesson
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Option 2:
$3 per student and adult (20 student minimum)
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Self-guided walk; geocaching or scavenger hunt
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Outdoor picnic lunch area available
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Indoor bathrooms
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Indoor room will be provided if inclement weather
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Your staff is responsible for alternative lesson
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Please wear close-toes shoes. Our trails are dirt trails and we will be walking in the woods. Your staff is responsible for your students, we provide the instructor.
Class Options
Field trips topics are available from June through October and are suited for Grades 3, 4, and 5. Each topic is approximately 90 minutes long.
Lichens
Lichen Fun Facts: A person who studies lichens is a Lichenologist. Lichens need clean, fresh air to survive and are sensitive to pollution in the air. Observing lichens on rocks, trees and ground is a great thing. It means the air you breathe in is healthy. Hummingbirds use lichens as nesting material for insulation & camouflage. In this class, students will identify lichen growing around the Arb using magnifying glasses and field guides to try to identify it. Learn how lichens are commonly divided into three growth forms: crustose (looks like spray paint), foliose (leafy), and fruticose (branching, bushy, shrubby).
Water, Water Everywhere
Students will explore watersheds. Through an Enviroscape demonstration, kids will see how human behavior affects the natural flow of water. Students will have an opportunity to design their own water filtering systems to bring us to cleaner lakes and rivers.
Water Critters - Macroinvertebrates
Students will explore the "bugs" living in Whiskey Creek. Time and weather permitting they will help to net the critters from the creek. Using an identification chart, kids will identify what is found in the nets and then use that information to determine the health of the water.
Birds of a Feather
Students will focus on bird migration in the United States. Through a game, kids will explore why and how birds migrate and the difficulties they endure. They will be a bird, moving from station to station with the roll of dice, encountering both good and bad experiences on their trip south. The class will wrap up with Bird ID Bingo.
Who Shares the Woods with You? Scat and Tracks
Students will use identification charts and models to match animal tracks and scat to the animals that created them. With pictures of the tracks, students will create a story that explains what animals met and what happened when they did. Weather permitting, a hike looking for tracks and scat will wrap up the class.
Dichotomous Tree Identification Scavenger Hunt
You and your class will take a hike on the trails and identify different tress including Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch, Balsam Fir, Red Pine, Jack Pine, Red Maple & Red Oaks. You will begin by examining the leaves of the tree and use the pictures in the guidebook to decide if the tree is coniferous or deciduous tree. You will learn the distinction between branching, leaves and leaf edges and deciduous trees. (This is an outdoor walk.)