Field Trips
Organization | Description | Age Groups | State Education Standards | Contact Information |
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument preserves and interprets the Agate Bone Bed of Miocene mammal fossils, the Daemonelix burrow trace fossils of the Paleocaster land beaver, and the impressive James H. Cook collection of Lakota artifacts gifted to him by Chief Red Cloud and other Lakota tribe members during their friendship. Each of these resources are an amazing opportunity for your students to connect a tangible resource to the standards-based curriculum. They offer in-person field trips and virtual learning options. All programs are FREE |
| Nebraska State Standards in Earth Science and Social Studies | 308-436-9760 | |
Badlands National Park offers programs in ecology, geology and paleontology. Badlands also offers classroom programming, virtual programming, and curriculum. All programs are FREE | K-High School | All programs are aligned with state and national social studies and science standards. | ||
Custer State Park provides students and park visitors an opportunity to connect to the natural resources within the Black Hills. Through their programming, you can experience outdoor learning using either the park's resources or your school/location’s resources. Our programs are designed to complement local schools’ curriculum and provide a quality interactive experience to encourage a life-long interest and appreciation of the natural resources and history of the Black Hills. They offer classroom programming, field trips, curriculum, and self guides. Programming is FREE. Spaces are limited, first come, first served. A seasonal newsletter is offered that highlights field trips and group/family programs. Email: custerstatepark@state.sd.us to get on the list. | Pre K to Adult Learners | There programs cover a vartiety of standards including:
and many more based on programs request. | 605-255-4515 | |
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives is one the oldest operating hatcheries in the U.S. The D.C. Booth Society offers tours of their historic buildings and grounds and covers topics in American fisheries culture and history and current fisheries management. All programs are FREE. They love giving tours to school groups and visitors! |
| 605-642-7730 ext 221 | ||
2021-2022 programming has been targeted for 4th-grade students, but they offer earth science programming for all elementary school grades and middle school. The 4th grade Rock Cycle in-classroom program coincides with a park field trip. Field trips in 2022 will start in February. All programs are FREE |
| 4th Grade: Earth Science
| ||
The Mammoth Site offers a variety of hands-on programming for k-12 in paleontological and biological science concepts including field trips to the site, classroom programming, virtual programs, and educational kits. They are happy to work with educators to develop or adapt programming to better engage students Field trip costs vary: $2.31-$4.50 | K-High School | All programming is based on South Dakota and Next Generation Science Standards | 605-745-6017 | |
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site offers various education resources and programs about Cold War and nuclear detterence. They offer virtual tours of the missile control facility, video session tours for distance learning, and ranger-lead programs at the visitor center and missile site. All programs are FREE |
| C3 Framework Standards and Common Core Standards in social studies and history | 605-433-5552 | |
The Museum of Geology offers programs for pre-k to adult learners. They frequently host tour groups, story hours, rock-ID services, annual events, and off-site outreach appearances. All programs are FREE $15 suggested donation for tours |
| Currently working on rubrics (1/2022), great opporunities for earth science in every age group | 605-394-2467 | |
Jane Amiotte, 4-H Youth Program Advisor/ School Outreach Coordinator offers classroom and non-formal settings. The instructional materials are designed to support state and national academic standards appropriate for grades K-12. The activities can be easily adapted to meet the learning requirements for academic disciplines ranging from science and environmental education to social studies, math, and language arts. The programs she offers are as follows: October: BATS Incredible November: What’s Up in the Atmosphere December: The Scoop on Soils January: Owls of South Dakota February: The Incredible Journey March: South Dakota Mammals April: All About Earth May: What to know about Mountain Lions Pennington County 4H also offers in classroom programming | K- High School | The instructional materials are designed to support state and national academic standards, ranging from science and environmental education to social studies, math, and language arts. | ||
The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls offers outdoor education for all ages! They offer a variety of field trip options for elementary up to high school. All programs are FREE. Click here for the 2023-2024 school program offerings | Elementary up to High School | They can adjust all programming to meet teachers needs | ||
The Outdoor Campus in Rapid City offers outdoor education for all ages! They offer a variety of field trip options for elementary up to high school. All programs are FREE. Click here for the 2023--2024 school program offerings | Elementary up to High School | They can adjust all programming to meet teachers needs | ||
Three Nebraska social studies curriculum-based lessons are available for field trips. Kindergarten: Symbols of the U.S. 3rd Grade: The Culture of Scotts Bluff 4th Grade: The Oregon Trail Adventure Game All programs are FREE |
| Social Studies | ||
Wind Cave offers field trips, classroom programming, curriculum, and distance learning programming for preschool-age children to middle school grades. Distance programming can be adapted for all ages including adults. Their programming covers earth science, life science, and social studies standards. Field trip options can include cave tours or prairie/forest exploration. All programs are FREE |
| 605-745-1132 |