Field Trips
Explore a variety of educational field trip opportunities in the Black Hills region, featuring programs from national parks and monuments such as Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and more. These programs offer in-person and virtual learning experiences across subjects like ecology, geology, paleontology, and social studies, tailored to different grade levels from preschool to high school. Many programs are free and align with state and national education standards, providing valuable, hands-on learning experiences for students.
| Organization | Description | Age Groups | State Education Standards | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | 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 | Anne Wilson, Park Ranger |
| Badlands National Park | Badlands National Park offers programs in ecology, geology and paleontology.
Education programs at Badlands National Park can be conducted in-person or virtually and are aligned with state and national social studies and/or science standards. All programs can be modified to meet your desired outcomes and/or specific age groups. Badlands also offers classroom programming, virtual programming, and curriculum. |
|
All programs are aligned with state and national social studies and science standards. | Ed Welsh, Education Specialist |
| Custer State Park | 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 variety of standards including:
and many more based on program request. |
Aaron Douglass, Interpretive Programs Manager
605-255-4515 |
| D.C. Booth Society Fish Hatchery | 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! |
|
Karen Holzer,
605-642-7730 ext 221 |
|
| Jewel Cave National Monument | 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. |
|
4th Grade Earth Science
In-process developing standards for other grades |
Aimee Murillo, Chief of Interpretation
605-673-833 |
