NEST FIELD TRIP PROGRAMS

The GTCD’s Boardman River Nature Center offers a variety of programs to connect you and your students with nature, natural resource conservation, environmental restoration, and stewardship.

Whether you are a formal or non-formal teacher, our programs are designed using the broad and diverse expertise of our GTCD Staff, and are developed specifically to meet the needs of various ages and experience levels. Below you’ll discover the types of field trips we offer at the Nature Center, plus links to learn more about our natural world.

Our Nature Education for Students and Teachers (NEST) Field Trips are 2 hours programs designed to connect your students to the natural world, while also helping teachers meet the State of Michigan’s K-12 Science Standards. Incorporating a NEST program into your curriculum can bring a meaningful context to your classroom curricula and help increase your students’ engagement and academic achievement.

Each NEST program includes hands-on activities in the Boardman River Nature Center, on the Nature Center grounds, and on the trails of the surrounding Natural Education Reserve. Depending on the theme, students will explore the forests, meadow, the Boardman River, and Jack’s Creek. Groups of students will rotate through learning stations taught by our Education Staff and trained volunteer instructors.

$7 per student

$175 for groups of 25 students or less

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Our team is experienced with and can accommodate large groups. Our average group size is 60-100 students* with our largest field trips accommodating up to 600 students, teachers, faculty, and chaperones.

Register Here!

Discover our interactive themes:

What is the cost?

$7 per student

*Our team is experienced with and can accommodate large groups. Our average group size is 60-100 students with our largest field trips accommodating up to 600 students, teachers, faculty, and chaperones.

How do I register?

To register or for more information on a program, please take a moment to fill the registration form linked below. Once we receive your inquiry, a staff member will contact you to confirm your program. Payment and adjustment to class sizes are due no later than five days before your visit and may be made by cash, check, or credit card.

Register HERE

What is your cancellation policy?

Cancellations for reasons other than weather must be made five business days in advance of the scheduled program date. A $50 cancellation fee may be charged for cancellations made within five business days of the scheduled program date. We will do our best to reschedule any programs cancelled due to weather.

What Michigan K-12 Science Standards do your programs follow?

All of our NEST programs meet at least one standard or more from the following sections:

Early Learning Expectations

Pre-K: Observation and Inquiry

Science Standards

K: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment
1st: Structure, Function and Information Processing
2nd: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
3rd: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems; Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Life Cycles and Traits
4th: Structure, Function and Information Processing
5th: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
6th-8th: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems; Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

What if my needs do not fit your criteria?

Bringing a group that’s not a class? Interested in something not listed on our NEST Field Trips Themes page? Our staff at GTCD are happy to create a custom program that accommodates you and your students.

This is the perfect option for scouts, youth groups, and other clubs and organizations. Regardless of your selection, all of our programs are developed to create and foster connections to the natural world.

Any existing program can be customized to fit your needs.

For more information call 231.941.0960 x17 or email rstraughen@gtcd.org