Field Trips
Preschool, Elementary and Middle School Field Trips
Bring your class to DNC for a fun, educational nature program. You can pick from the programs listed below:
PRESCHOOL & HEAD START
(pre-k)
Explore Dunwoody Park and learn about nature through four seasonal programs. Students learn about plants, animals, colors, numbers, the alphabet, matching, taking turns, and safe ways to enjoy and respect nature. These programs are only offered in their corresponding season.
TOPICS:
- Nature's Winter Wonderland
- Spring into Action
- Butterflies are Free (summer) and
- Fall is Here.
1 Hour Program
$4/Student
Kindergarten Through 8th GradeClasses move through the meadow and trails of Dunwoody Park for hands-on environmental learning with DNC educators. Field trips are academically-based and curriculum materials are correlated with the Georgia Performance Standards. |
NATURE MAKES SENSE
(Kindergarten)
Students learn & review the five senses and how to use them to learn about the outdoors. How do animals use their senses in nature to survive? Students use their senses to explore the park, discover the differences between natural and human-made items, play hearing and smelling games, and share their discoveries with their classmates.
1 Hour Program
$6/Student
PLANT PARTS
(1st grade)
Complement your classroom learning with this hands-on field study of plants in the four ecosystems of Dunwoody Park - field, forest, stream and wetlands. How are the plants and trees adapted to where they live? What things do plants need to survive? What is the inner structure of trees? What is the role of a plant in a food web? Students will identify plant parts & learn their functions, review photosynthesis, dissect a flower, and discuss all the benefits that plants provide to people and to nature.
1 Hour Program
$6/Student
INSECT-IGATION STATION
(2nd grade)
Students become “field entomologists” in this hands-on learning program. What makes an insect an insect? How are they unique compared to other animals? Students learn to identify an insect, to understand life stages, to find particular body parts, & to see how insects protect themselves through adaptations such as camouflage. Each child participates in collecting insects, observing them, and reporting their findings to their classmates. A great field experience!
1 Hour Program
$6/Student
FROM BOULDERS TO CLAY
(3rd grade)
Come explore the world of geology! Through experiments and activities, students can learn the basics of minerals, rocks, soil types, and the geological processes that are at work on the earth. What is the difference between a rock and a mineral? Record the physical attributes of rocks including hardness. Students will learn about different soil types through experiments and conducting soil studies. See the effects of erosion on land and water over time in Dunwoody Park through experiments and observations.
1.5 Hour Program
$8/Student
PLANTS OF THE PIEDMONT
(3rd grade)
Investigate features of plants in the Piedmont that help them thrive and grow here. What plants are native to the Piedmont? What is an invasive species? As we hike around Dunwoody Park, identify the plants found in the field, forest, wetlands & stream using field guides. What impacts do pollution and people have on plants and the land?
1.5 Hour Program
$8/Student
FOOD WEBS AND CHAINS
(4th grade)
Food webs & food chains are important to every living thing, and they are so fragile! Discover the producers, consumers and decomposers in the four habitats of Dunwoody Park: field, forest, wetlands & stream. Students will use field guides to support and expand their findings. Play games to see how changes in the environment affect an ecosystem.
1.5 Hour Program
$8/Student
WATERWAY SURVEY
(5th grade)
Explore Wildcat Creek and learn firsthand about the constructive and destructive processes that affect our waterways. How do we immpact these processes? Find evidence of weathering, erosion, and the impact of organisms as we hike upstream. Construct a dam and investigate the effects it creates on the stream.
1.5 Hour Program
$8/Student
LEARN FROM THE LAND
(4th–8th grades)
Teach your students to look at their surroundings with a critical eye. How did the Native Americans, our earliest residents, live on this land? How did the first European settlers change the land? How do we affect it today? Students become archaeologists for a day, exploring the historic elements of Dunwoody Park. Your class will participate in a mock archaeological dig and develop a narrative, based on their discoveries, to present to their classmates. Stay longer to hunt for “letterboxes” in the park (at no extra charge).
1.5 Hour Program
$8/Student
Also Available, in Partnership
with GA Project WET
RIVER OF WORDS
(K-12th grade)
Students will learn about watersheds, identify their ecological address and explore DNC's stream. This Field Trip will inspire their creativity and students can make art or poetry to submit to The River of Words Environmental Art and Poetry Contest. Have Fun Learning! » More info
MOTHER EARTH DAY FESTIVAL
(K-12th grade)
Annual Earth Day. Bring your whole class to DNC for this exciting, fun-filled festival! Only $50 per class! Kindergarten through 5th graders come to learn all about nature at discovery stations throughout Dunwoody Park. Middle and High School students are encouraged to participate as educators for the young ones. » More info
Try our I-SPY Packs: Do-it-yourself Field trips in a backpack that you can use anytime.
Having a field trip to Dunwoody Nature Center is as easy as 1,2,3...
- Choose the program that is right for your class.
- Call DNC to check availability at 770-394-3322.
- Mail in your confirmation and $50 deposit
(or register online and confirm by phone with a credit card).
Field Trip Registration Policy
How many students can you serve?
- Preschool thru 4th grade: 10 minimum — 25 maximum in one session.
- Fifth grade and up: 10 minimum — 30 maximum in one session.
- Two groups may attend programs simultaneously,
or - Alternate the DNC program with play/exploration on your own.
What if we arrive late?
Your class will receive a shorter program, ending at the scheduled time.
Payment Information:
A program reservation and deposit of $50 is required for each class at least one week prior to your trip date. The remaining payment may be paid on the trip day. The deposit is not refundable if you cancel your field study, but may be stored as credit and transferred to a future trip date. Chaperones/teachers always attend FREE.
Scheduling & Reservation Information
To schedule call 770-394-3322
- All school field trips are Monday — Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. I-Spy Packs may be rented for any day or time.
- We require advance reservation and deposit (at least one week) for all programs.
- You receive written confirmations by mail within 5 days.
- Return the confirmation and program deposit in advance.
- The balance is due upon arrival for the scheduled program.
- The deposit is applied to the balance due.
- DNC recommends that groups with more than 20 students schedule a rain date.
- All programs with groups smaller than 20 will take place rain or shine.
- Any schedule adjustments must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the program.