Today's Hours:
Field Trips
Bring Life to Nature
River Legacy Field Investigations offer a rare opportunity for a unique connection with nature for students living in a major metropolitan area. Field Investigations for students in grades Pre-K4 through 12th provide a guided exploration of the plant and animal life of River Legacy Parks.
All Field Investigations: Each field trip blends indoor and outdoor investigations with hands-on STEM activities to create an authentic, age-appropriate learning experience. All programs are TEKS- aligned and encourage students to step into the role of ecologists as they observe, identify, and classify plants and animals in our ecosystem.
7+
thousand
Students from local schools visit each year.
PK4 - 2nd Grade
Age 4 by September 1stLet's Explore Fall!
In the outdoor portion, students will explore our forest habitat to observe how plants and animals prepare for winter dormancy through seasonal cycles. They will discover where animals find shelter, food, and protection from predators. Indoors, students will observe a live box turtle and learn how its physical and behavioral adaptations help it survive. Students will also practice identifying birds by their unique characteristics and sorting animals based on their primary food sources.
Let's Explore Spring!
During the indoor component of this investigation, young ecologists will observe a variety of River Legacy Park’s live, egg-laying animals and explore similarities and differences among bird and mammal nests. Students will also learn about animal life cycles, including those that undergo metamorphosis. Outdoors, they will observe the renewal of plant life following winter dormancy, search the woodland habitat for bird nests, and scan the pond in hopes of spotting newly emerged young animals. Additional indoor and outdoor activities provide opportunities for students to discover how springtime babies are cared for by their parents or instinctively begin to fend for themselves.
Request Dates
Good Things to Know
PK4-2nd GradeCost
$10 per child; teachers & adult chaperones free; one adult chaperone required for every 10 children
Group Size
Minimum 20 students (or $200)
Maximum: 44 morning & 44 afternoon students
Half will participate in the field investigation while the other half enjoy teacher directed play and free time at the nearby park
Time
1.5 hours in length starting at 10 am
3rd-12th Grades
Let's Explore River Legacy Park's
Woodland Habitats
Discover the world of an ecologist in our Woodland Habitat ecosystems. Take a walk in the woods as you observe plants and signs of animal life, then head indoors to compare and contrast reptiles and mammals with our live animal ambassadors. Wrap up with a hands-on forest floor investigation learning about decomposers, invertebrates, and the living and non-living components of this dynamic ecosystem.
5th-12th Grades
Let's Explore River Legacy Park's
Freshwater Ecology
Discover the fascinating life found on and beneath the surface of freshwater ecosystems. Identify and classify aquatic macroinvertebrates in their natural habitat, then conduct chemical tests measuring dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and more. What do your results reveal about water quality? Complete the experience with a live animal presentation highlighting aquatic adaptations, featuring some of our animal ambassadors.
Request Dates
Good Things to Know
5th-12th GradeCost
$10 per child; teachers & adult chaperones free; one adult chaperone required for every 10 children
Group Size
Woodland Habitats
Minimum 20 students (or $200)
Maximum 100 students (66 max on Mondays)
Freshwater Ecology
Minimum 20 students (or $200)
Maximum 60 students
Time
Woodland Habitats
2 hours in length starting at 10 am
Freshwater Ecology
2.5 hours in length starting at 10 am
