Field Trips

Students work on an activity during a field trip hike

NPS Photo / Ian Kessler

Elementary Grade Levels

The preserve has developed original, free Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) based field trips for elementary grade levels. Explore Big Thicket elementary program descriptions below. All field trips can accommodate a half or full-day visit depending on scheduling needs. Programs offer ranger-led adventures in our visitor center as well as on trail and include hands-on materials, fun activities, and immersive experiences. If staffing allows, the preserve can typically welcome up to 80 students per visit. To accommodate larger groups, field trips may have to split up and schedule visits over multiple days. All field trips require a reservation.

Other Grade Levels

All ages and abilities are welcome for a visit to Big Thicket! A ranger-led hike or visitor center adventure may be possible for middle school, high school, or home school groups depending on scheduling and staff availability. Even if the preserve is unable to provide a custom TEKS-based program, rangers are able to conduct a brief welcome and Q&A session for groups on a self-guided field trip. All field trips require a reservation.

 

Program Descriptions

TEKS, featured content or props, and hiking trails for each grade level.

1st Grade

TEKS: Science 1.12.A & 1.12.C

Visitor Center Adventure: Students will explore the Visitor Center to learn about different environments and participate in an activity to learn about the diversity of Big Thicket. Students will focus on differentiating between living and nonliving things found in the Big Thicket and the connections between them.

Hiking Adventure: Students will hike the Sundew Trail in the Hickory Creek Savannah Unit (1 mile), using their senses on observation breaks. Observations and connections between ranger provided props and living, nonliving things at the Sundew Trail will be recorded in field journals.

2nd Grade

TEKS: Science 2.13.B & Social Studies 2.15.C (visitor center) or Science 2.12.A & Social Studies 2.3.A (hiking)

Visitor Center Adventure: Students will learn how animals are adapted to different environments of the Big Thicket. Students will explore museum exhibits in the Visitor Center and engage with this information through whole group activities.

Hiking Adventure: Students will learn about naturalist Lance Rosier as a way to behave during a hike. They will explore and create elements of a map and use it to form connections with the plants, animals, and seasonal changes of the Kirby Nature Trail area (1 mile).

3rd Grade

TEKS: Science 3.12.B (visitor center) or Science 3.12.C (hiking)

Visitor Center Adventure: Students will learn about the food webs in different environments of the Big Thicket. Students will explore museum exhibits in the Visitor Center and engage with this information through whole group activities. This adventure includes two activities, one outside and one inside the Visitor Center.

Hiking Adventure: Students will navigate along the Pitcher Plant Trail (1 mile), stopping along the way to observe the Wetland Pine Savannah. Along the way they will observe longleaf pines and explore plant adaptations.

4th Grade

TEKS: Science 4.12.A & 4.13.A

Visitor Center Adventure: Guided by their field journal, students will investigate the parts of a plant and how they produce energy in the preserve’s greenhouse (if available). Then, students will explore the diversity of plants and the adaptations they use to survive in Big Thicket’s many unique ecosystems using visitor center exhibits. 

Hiking Adventure:  Students will hike the Sundew Trail (1 mile), focusing on the diversity of plant life found in the pine forest. Adventure Journal activities will allow students to examine how and why plants have certain abilities that allow them to live in a particular environment. Depending on the time of year, carnivorous plants will highlight this phenomenon. 

5th Grade

TEKS: 5.12.A & 5.12.C

Visitor Center Adventure: Students will work in small groups to investigate an ecosystem of the Big Thicket. They will help teach the class about what they learned and build on that knowledge by interacting with ranger-provided artifacts or props from each ecosystem. Students will return to their ecosystems and examine how human interaction would impact the environment and its organisms.

Hiking Adventure: Students will hike the Kirby Nature Trail (1.5+ miles). They will use diversity squares to learn about interactions between living and non-living features. They will make hypotheses and predictions about human interaction in three distinct environments along the trail. Students will work together in group and reflect independently while recording answers and observations in their adventure journals.

 

Big Thicket field trips offer each grade level curriculum-based hiking and visitor center adventures

NPS Photo / Kennie Merbach

How to Reserve a Program

April and May are our busiest months of the year for school programs, in addition to being very hot and humid with many mosquitoes. Please plan accordingly and consider a trip during other months.

How to reserve:
1. Review our field trip preparation guidelines.
2. Fill out the digital form below.

If your group will be visiting Big Thicket across multiple days or you need to communicate additional information, you may find it easier to complete the fillable Education Reservation Form (sections 1 and 2 for in-person trips) and email it back to us at [e-mail]

If you require help with either version of the form or need more information before completing your request, email us at [e-mail] or call the visitor center at 409-951-6700.

 

Digital Reservation Form

Be sure to include alternative dates for your visit. Please remember the preserve can typically welcome up to 80 students per day. To accommodate larger groups, field trips may have to split up and schedule visits over multiple days.

NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces - Americas Armed Forces - Europe Armed Forces - Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Park Visit/ Field Trip

Name of Primary Contact Visiting if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested/Self-Guided

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Staff / Chaperones (required)

Number of Students (required)

Preferred Date of Visit (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park (required)

Yes No

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates .

Anticipated Arrival Time (required)

Anticipated Departure Time (required)

Mode of Transportation (required)

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.

 

NPS Photo / Kennie Merbach

Still Have Questions?

Email us at [e-mail] or call the visitor center at 409-951-6700.