A 2,600-acre classroom made of tallgrass prairies, bottomland and Cross Timbers forests, and the Elm Fork and its associated wetlands. Just imagine the opportunities for fun and meaningful educational opportunities!

• Field trips are typically scheduled Monday-Friday. 
• Cost per student is $10 per experience and all invoices must be paid 30 days prior to visit.  Larger groups must book multiple days. There is no additional charge for teachers, parents, or chaperones.
• Teachers, parents, and chaperones are responsible for classroom management of students.  
• Each study is 1.5 to 2.5 hours .

Contact Outdoor Recreation Supervisor, Erin Piper, epiper@cityoflewisville.com or 469.635.5482 for scheduling information. Please plan ahead; March-June and September-November are extremely busy months and tend to book up completely. Check our reservation calendar here and when you are ready to make your program request, use this link to be redirected to our program request form.  

LLELA Field Studies align with specific Science TEKS. Click the link in each Field Study description for details.

 

K-3rd Grade Field Studies

• Feathered Friends (1.5-2 hours) Feathered Friends Related TEKS
  Young students connect the changing of the seasons to the movements of birds and learn to make the close observations necessary to tell one type of bird from another.

• Who Lives in the Pond? (1.5-2 hours) Who Lives in the Pond Related TEKS
  Become immersed (figuratively!) in an exploration of the living and non‐living components of an aquatic ecosystem. Equipped with dip nets, sampling trays, hand lenses and other tools, students sort organisms into groups and discover their basic needs.

2nd-5th Grade Field Studies

• Insect Adaptation Lab (1.5-2.5 hours) Insect Adaptation Lab Related TEKS
  What does it take to live at LLELA? Ask the bugs! Students capture and compare insects from prairie and aquatic ecosystems to discover which adaptations lead to survival.

• Planting the Seeds (1.5-2 hours) Planting the Seeds Related TEKS
  Close examination of seeds reveals incredible diversity in size, shape, and method of dispersal. Students learn seeds inside and out, journaling their observations. After processing native grass or wildflower seeds, students plant them in an effort to improve LLELA’s wildlife habitat.

4th Grade and Up Field Studies

• Aqua-Adventure (1.5-2.5 hours) Aqua-Adventure Related TEKS 
  Explore an aquatic ecosystem using dip nets, sampling trays, hand lenses, and other tools to uncover the many organisms that call the water home. Students learn that these are not the only creatures depending on aquatic ecosystems for life…the amount/quality of water affect us too.

• Birding Basics (2-2.5 hours) Birding Basics Related TEKS
  Students discover bird anatomy, adaptations for flight, migration, and more, then use their newly‐acquired bird identification skills to collect data in a bird point count.

• Crime Scene Investigation (2-2.5 hours) Crime Scene Investigation Related TEKS
  It’s a crime against Nature! So…whodunit? Students assume the roles of detectives, evidence processors, sketch artists, forensic photographers, and technicians as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the demise of one of the wild denizens of LLELA.

6th Grade and Up Field Studies

• Into the Woods (2 hours) Into the Woods Related TEKS
  Step into the shade for this forestry study. Students conduct a point‐quarter tree survey, look at soil samples and more in this investigation of a riparian ecosystem.

• Wildlife Manager for a Day (2 hours) Wildlife Manager for a Day Related TEKS
  Students become wildlife biologists as they assess a site’s potential for “reintroduction” of a species which was historically found in Denton County. “Wildlife Managers” survey vegetation, examine soil type, discover what wildlife is already using the site, and collect other information necessary to decide whether the reintroduction should proceed.

Other Options

• Guided Hike (1-1.5 hours)
  LLELA staff or volunteers can lead your group on one of our hiking trails. Unless you specify a theme for your hike, the guide will provide an age-appropriate, themed hike of his/her own choosing. Some possible themes include, but are not limited to: our senses/observing the natural world, animal tracks and signs, animal and plant adaptations, historic Denton County and its settlement, or animal homes.

• Tour the 1869 Minor-Porter Log House (1-1.5 hours)
  The log house provides an opportunity to discover daily life in Denton County just after the Civil War. Students will think about where we sleep, eat and play every day, and compare that to the way things were 140 years ago. Churning and tasting home-made butter will be part of the experience.