Natural History Museum

Located in the foothills of Salt Lake City, the Natural History Museum is a beautiful hub to learn about Natural History in the state of Utah. The Natural History Museum is home to many diverse exhibits such as Paleontology, Archaeology, Entomology, Botany, and many more. As well as having educational and interesting exhibits, the Natural History Museum conducts research to learn more about the natural world, as well as continuing forward with energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings and practices. After learning about the ancient history of the state of Utah, you can take a beautiful hike through the foothills to “The Living Room” right behind the Natural History Museum.

The Natural History Museum is a great location for a field trip, you can request a donation/ free admission for your classroom. The museum also offers summer camps and a variety of outreach programs including Museum on the Move (4th grade specific), traveling treasures, and youth teaching youth.

https://nhmu.utah.edu/

Teachers Field Trip Guide to Capitol Reef

This Field Trip Guide was gifted to NTTC volunteers from the National Park Service. Although a bit out of date, this guide has activities for K-6 that match up with core curriculum. Activities range in topics from flora, pioneer life, and geology to ecosystems, Native American cultures and conservation. These activities come with step-by-step instructions, some including worksheets. This is an excellent example resource that shows how to match core with experiential education. Selection of the following links will open the chapters of the field guide.

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th & 6th Grade

Canyon Country Discovery Center

Located in Monticello, UT, Canyon Country Discovery Center offers experiential, place-based programs that engage students (K-12) and teachers with the local Colorado Plateau environment, community, and resources. The Canyon Country Discover Center’s website provides a great resource for activities and in-class instruction on a variety of topics.

The Canyon Country Discovery Center also provides training for teachers in K-8th grade schools across the Colorado Plateau (parts of UT, NM, CO, AZ), which includes school-year mentoring, a Science resource Center, a five-day Summer or Fall Institute, a three-day San Juan river trip, and an annual teachers’ conference in March. A fee of $5,000 per school per year is requested, but not required.  They also offer a two-hour, interactive workshop for teachers in Colorado Plateau schools and on our campus, and can be customized to teachers’ classroom needs.

https://ccdiscovery.org/index.php

Canyonlands Field Institute Fundraising Tips for Teachers

Based out of Moab, UT the Canyonlands Field Institute hosts hundreds of school groups around the country. Their multi-day excursions are geared toward junior high through college aged students, while there day trips are appropriate for any age. These hands-on excursions occur on land and water!

Check out there programs and funding tips! The website has more information below. 

Field Trip Grants

Do you need some funds to get out and go on field trips? Grants can make that educational travel accessible and possible. Several foundations recognize the importance school trips through field trip grants such as Target, ING Unsung Heroes, SYTA Youth Foundation Road Scholarship, Big Yellow School Bus, Kohl’s Cares Field Trip Program.

Think outside of the classroom and apply for a grant!

Utah Geological Survey (UGS): Earth Science Resources

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) provides many resources for teacher and students. The agencies and organizations within the UGS provides these things for teachers:

• Workshops

• Teaching kits

• Activities for grades 4th, 5th and 8th

• Slide sets

• PowerPoints for grades 4th-8th

• Maps, materials and other information for K-12

• Field trips (for teachers and children of all ages)

• In class speakers

There's a lot of cool resources on this page, navigate, explore and find out for yourself! Bring to light Utah's unique geology with interesting ways to teach it and have fun hands on activities that your students will not forget. 

Utah State University (USU) Physics Day

USU Physics Day at Lagoon is a an educational activity that gives High School and Middle School students the chance to explore the reality of physics in a fun way! What a way to excite your students about physics! This unique opportunity provides students with the chance to take concepts outside the classroom and into their memories forever.

This website is designed for teachers and students. It contains all the information they need to attend and enjoy the many activities and contests sponsored by Utah State University, Idaho National Laboratory, and others.

This year's Physics Day at Lagoon is on Friday May 12, 2017.

Lakeside Learning

One of the truly unique things about living in Utah is our Great Salt Lake. The Lakeside Learning Field Trip is an awesome 2.5 hour educational tour at Antelope Island State Park. The website states that "the trips combine informal environmental education strategies while incorporating science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) to reinforce the Utah Common Core State Science Standards."

Field trips are offered August-October and April-June. The trip includes exploration around the wetlands, wading in the Great Salt Lake, and bird watching. 

The instructional fee is free for public schools, the park entrance fee is paid for by Friends of Great Salt Lake, and there is even a transportation grant of $150 available per field trip. 

“Our typical field trip program starts off with a visit to the playa, where we talk about wetlands, adaptations, the water cycle, and the unique features of Great Salt Lake. Next, students learn how to use binoculars and we travel over the causeway for birding activities. Our trips conclude with a visit to the beach at Ladyfinger Point where students learn about oolitic sand and wade in the Lake for a hands-on experience with brine shrimp and brine flies.”

— Friends of Great Salt Lake

Timpanogos Cave

This link takes you to Timpanogos Cave's fee waiver/tours/classroom visit options. An educational presentation from a park ranger in your classroom may also be possible, whether your school is able to visit the cave or not. Ranger presentations emphasize grade-level state science core. Call BJ Cluff at (801) 756-5239 ext. 301 or e-mail to see about scheduling a classroom visit.