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Nature Awaits: Michigan's fourth grade state park field trip

Nature Awaits | Michigan's 4th grade state park field trip

Nature Awaits: Michigan's fourth grade state park field trip

Nature Awaits graphic with white text, a leaf, a tree, and a paw print

Calling all fourth grade classrooms!

Nature Awaits offers a new opportunity for children to experience Michigan's outdoors. All fourth grade classrooms are eligible for a FREE experiential field trip to select state parks to support their classroom learning!

Each environmental education experience will be facilitated by trained  educators focused on meeting 4th grade curriculum standards including science, social studies, physical fitness and language arts through experiential learning outdoors.

Guided by environmental literacy best practices, the program aims to make sure Michigan’s kids learn that our state parks are for everyone,  and that a lifetime of spending time outdoors is good for our physical and mental health.

Register for a spring field trip

  • Follow these steps to register:

    1. Select your park on the map below or from the list below it. 
    2. Registration is through CivicRec and you will need to set up a free account with your school email and cell phone. (Do not use the Organization option).
    3. Read the directions on the page to select and checkout for the sessions you would like to attend. 1 “participant” = 1 classroom.
    4. Sessions state 8:30-11 or 11:30-3. These just block out staff time. You will tell us when you can actually arrive, start your program and leave. You do not have to stay the full session time, you pick your 90-minute window that works for you.
    5. If you are registering for more than two classrooms, add the first 2 sessions to your cart. Then, when the checkout window pops up, click the word “close” instead, and go back and add more class sessions.
    6. Following checkout, you will get an email with two important attachments. 
      1. Your form to complete for your bus reimbursement (if you are a public school).
      2. Your receipt with important details for your field trip day – instructor contact info, where to park, picnic area info, bathrooms, etc. 

    Having trouble registering? Call 1-833-660-6300.

    Young State Park Van Riper State Park Van Buren State Park Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center Wells State Park Waterloo State Recreation Area Warren Dunes State Park Tawas Point State Park Tahquamenon Falls State Park William C. Sterling State Park Sleepy Hollow State Park Seven Lakes State Park Proud Lake State Park Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park Oden State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center Muskegon State Park Mitchell State Park McClain State Park Maybury State Park Interlochen State Park Holland State Park P.J. Hoffmaster State Park North Higgins Lake State Park Hayes State Park Fort Custer Recreation Area State Park in Flint Duck Lake State Park Brighton Recreation Area Belle Isle State Park Bay City State Park Bald Mountain State Recreation Area Western UP Region Central UP Region Eastern UP Region Northern Lower Region Bay Region Grand Region Southwest Region Central Region Metro Region 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    1. Western UP Region

      McLain State Park | Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

    2. Central UP Region

      Van Riper State Park | Wells State Park

    3. Eastern UP Region

      Tahquamenon Falls State Park

    4. Northern Lower Region

      Interlochen State Park | Mitchell State Park | North Higgins Lake State Park | Young State Park | Oden State Fish Hatchery

    5. Bay Region

      Bay City State Park | State Park in Flint | Sleepy Hollow State Park | Tawas Point State Park

    6. Grand Region

      Duck Lake State Park | PJ Hoffmaster State Park | Holland State Park | Muskegon State Park

    7. Southwest Region

      Van Buren State Park | Warren Dunes State Park | Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery | Fort Custer Recreation Area

    8. Central Region

      Brighton Recreation Area | Hayes State Park | Waterloo State Recreation Area

    9. Metro Region

      Bald Mountain Recreation Area | Belle Isle State Park | Maybury State Park | Proud Lake State Park | Seven Lakes State Parks | William C Sterling State Park

  • Follow these steps to register:

    1. Select your region on the map below. 
    2. Registration is through CivicRec and you will need to set up a free account with your school email and cell phone. (Do not use the Organization option).
    3. Use the filters on the left to narrow down your options. Under "activity tags" you can select a single park.
    4. Read the directions on the page to select and checkout for the sessions you would like to attend. 1 “participant” = 1 classroom.
    5. Sessions state 8:30-11 or 11:30-3. These just block out staff time. You will tell us when you can actually arrive, start your program and leave. You do not have to stay the full session time, you pick your 90-minute window that works for you.
    6. If you are registering for more than two classrooms, add the first 2 sessions to your cart. Then, when the checkout window pops up, click the word “close” instead, and go back and add more class sessions.
    7. Following checkout, you will get an email with two important attachments. 
      1. Your form to complete for your bus reimbursement.
      2. Your receipt with important details for your field trip day – instructor contact info, where to park, picnic area info, bathrooms, etc. 
       
      Having trouble registering? Call 1-833-660-6300.
    Western UP Region Central UP Region Eastern UP Region Northern Lower Region Bay Region Grand Region Southwest Region Central Region Metro Region Western UP Region Western UPRegion Central UP RegionCentral UPRegion Eastern UP RegionEastern UPRegion Northern Lower RegionNorthernLowerRegion Bay RegionBayRegion Grand RegionGrandRegion Southwest RegionSouthwestRegion Central RegionCentralRegion Metro RegionMetroRegion

Who

Any fourth grade class in Michigan can participate in the program if they have more than 15 students, however, only public schools are reimbursed for bus transportation costs.

What

All fourth grade classrooms will have the opportunity to visit a state park FREE OF CHARGE for a 90 minute experiential education program.

In addition to free park entry, transportation grants will be available to cover the costs of bussing to state parks for public schools.

At the park, students will participate in an educational program with activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Learning activities are focused on making observations, applying what they have learned to their own lives, and making connections through student-centered learning.

During their visit, students will learn about:

  • How humans impact natural landscapes.
  • The native and invasive plants and animals of the park.
  • How Michigan's state parks belong to everyone in the state.
  • Making observation skills and holding discussions through inquiry-based learning.
  • And much more!

This educational field trip aligns with state education standards and includes science, social studies, physical education and language arts components. We have pre- and post-field trip activities and standards correlations available as a PDF. 

After attending the program, students will leave with a junior ranger badge and guidebook, including a free pass to bring their families back to a state park for another visit.

Why

Time in nature enhances education outcomes by improving children's academic performances, focus, behavior and love of learning. A large body of research substantiates the physical, mental and emotional health benefits of spending time outdoors. In short, research suggests that kids who spend time outdoors are happier, healthier and smarter.

We’re so excited to welcome you and your classroom to Michigan’s state parks!

Additional information

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Need more information?

 Please contact us at DNR-NatureAwaits@Michigan.gov or visit our frequently asked questions page.

Frequently asked questions
email signup

Sign up for email updates about the program and registration announcements

State education standards

    • 4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
    • 4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
    • 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants, and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
    • 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
    • 4-H3.0.7 Describe past and current threats to Michigan’s natural resources and describe how state government, tribal and local governments, schools, organizations, and individuals worked in the past and continue to work today to protect its natural resources.
    • 4-G5.0.1 Assess the positive and negative consequences of human activities on the physical environment of the United States and identify the causes of those activities.
    • 4-P3.1.1 Identify public issues in the United States that influence the daily lives of its citizens.
    • Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
    • Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, following agreed upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
    • Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
    • S5.1.4 Examines the health benefits of participating in physical activity.
    • S5.3.4 Rank the enjoyment of participating in different physical activities.