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Schedule a Program
Use the Program Request Form to begin the scheduling a field trip to Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park.
Programs are free of charge. Programs are scheduled by request on a first come, first served basis. You may request a program by submitting a Program Request Form. Picnic facilities are available for snacks or lunch following your program.
Programs are one hour in length and we can accommodate up to two classes at a time. If you wish to extend your stay at the park or bring up to four classes, you can add a one hour guided tour of the park, which includes time in the exhibit hall and visiting the outdoor animal exhibits.
School and Group Nature Program Catalog
Program | Age Range | When and Where | Description | Indoor / Outdoor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Louisiana Natives | Pre-K-Adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Meet and learn about animals and plants that live right here in northwest Louisiana in the classroom and on the trail. *Live animals-Owl, Snake | Both |
Insectigation | Pre-K-5th | March, April, October, November Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Students identify features that define an animal as an insect, examine live insects and their relatives to compare similarities, and then hit the trail with nets and jars in search of insects. *Live animals-Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, Darling Beetles | Both |
Life Cycles | 2nd-5th | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Discover that all living things grow and change but can do so many different ways. And see all the stages of an insect life cycle in real life. *Live animals-Darkling Beetles, Turtle | Indoor |
Habitat That | 1st-5th | Year Round Available at the Nature Park only. | Meet a live turtle, learn about her habitat needs, and hike through a forest habitat. *Live animals-Turtle | Both |
Ancient Alligators | 2nd-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Naturalist presentation with a live alligator and alligator artifacts. Studentslearn about the adaptations that allow alligators to survive and learn how this species came back from the brink of extinction. *Live animals-Alligator | ?Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Rock Box | 3rd-5th | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Get hands-on with rocks, minerals, field guides, and test kits. Students identify three types of rocks, demonstrate ways to classify rocks and minerals, and discover common uses and economic importance of some rocks and minerals. | ?Indoor |
Living Lake | 1st -adult | March-November *Held at Richard Fleming Park only. *Requires 1 chaperone per 4 students. | Explore life on the edge of Cross lake. Catch and examine minnows, tadpoles, crawfish, dragonfly larva, and much more. Focus can include adaptations, classification, water quality, life cycles, or food webs. | Outdoor |
Birds of Prey | 3rd-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Focus can include adaptations, identification, food webs, endangered species and will include one or more live raptors. *Live animals-(choice of) Owl, Hawk, Eagle, Falcon | Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Snakes of Louisiana | 2nd-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Naturalist presentation with live snakes native to Louisiana. Learn how identify venomous and non-venomous species, and discover interesting facts about snake biology and ecology. *Live animals-Snake | Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Reptile Round-up | Pre-K-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Get up close and personal with lots of live animals! Learn about the characteristics of reptiles and what makes each type unique. *Live animals-Snake, Alligator, Turtle | Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Owls of Louisiana | 2nd-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Naturalist presentation with live owls native to Louisiana. Discover adaptations owls have for being nocturnal predators. *Live animals-Screech Owl, Barred Owl | Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Guided Nature Hike | 2nd-adult | Year Round Available at the Nature Park only. | ½ mile -1 mile hike on chosen topic. Ex. Tree id, edible plants, wildflowers, birds, spider webs, night hikes. | Outdoor |
Explore a Vernal Pool | 2nd-adult | February Available at the Nature Park only. | Visit a temporary wetland and meet the frogs, salamanders, and fairy shrimp that depend on them. | Both |
Going Underground | 3rd-5th | Year Round Available at the Nature Park only. | Get the dirt on dirt. Kids will become soil scientists and learn about the properties of soil. They will take and analyze their own soil sample. | Both. |
Forest Food Web | 4th-8th | Year Round Available at the Nature Park or at your site. | Explore forest food webs through interactive games and activities. Meet a live animal and learn about its place in the food web. *Live animals-Owl | Indoor *Outdoor possible |
Nature Storytime | 1st and under | Year round Available at the Nature Park or modified at your site. | Children will hear stories, meet a live animal, sing songs, and take a short nature walk. Choose from Owls, Turtles, Alligators, Snakes, Insects, Honeybees, Deer, Falcon. Live Animals-Any applicable | Both |