School Field Trips & Homeschool

At Blandford, children experience the wonder of nature in a fun, safe, and engaging environment

From guided field trips to homeschool programs, Blandford Nature Center has something for every curious student. Below you’ll find details about the variety of programs we offer for students of all ages in all educational settings.

School Field Trips

We offer in-person and virtual field trips and other customized program options to fit your needs for students in preschool through high school. Traditional in-person field trips takes place in Blandford’s 264 acres of forests, wetlands and meadows and offer an immersive experience with nature and wildlife. If you are unable to come to us, we also offer live virtual field trips with a Blandford Educator.

School Field Trips (Sept-May)

The cost of field trip is $9 per student per program, with a minimum program fee of $100. We require a minimum of 1 teacher or adult chaperone for every 5 students in attendance. These required chaperones are free. Extra adults are welcome at $5 each. Blandford Nature Center can host up to 60 student per program, and we cannot accommodate proram overlaps. If you have more than 60 students, you will need to book multiple days/times. Payment instructions will be sent with your program confirmation email. We request payment at least 2 weeks prior to your program. If this is a hardship, we may be able to make alternate arrangements by special request.

Please check back in early August when we will open our School Field Trip Request Form for the 2025-2026 school year.

 In-Person Field Trip Options:

Pre-K & Kindergarten Programs

1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grade Nature/Science Programs

4th & 5th Grade Nature/Science Programs

K-6th Grade Social Studies Programs

Sugarbush Programs for All Ages

Middle & High School Programs

Virtual Programs

Can’t come to Blandford? We can bring a Blandford experience to you virtually! A Blandford Educator will present a 45-minute live virtual session with your classroom, using key โ€œshow and tellโ€ items related to your program topic and will include time for questions and answers from your students.  Your virtual program package will also include pre- and post-program materials, which may include activities, worksheets, games, and links to virtual storybooks and videos. Virtual programs are available for $120. To book a virtual field trip, please choose a topic below and use the following form to submit a request:

Virtual lesson content and any supplemental activities shared with teachers are not to be copied, recorded, or distributed in any way after or before the program.

Virtual Program Options:

K-3rd Grade

3rd-5th Grade



GRPS 1st & 3rd Grade Field Trips

GRPS 1st & 3rd Grade Field Trips

Please check back in September 2025 when we will open our Request Forms for 1st and 3rd Grade field trips for the 2025-2026 school year.

1st Grade Programs

3rd Grade Programs

Homeschool Programs

*If you wish to book a field trip for a private homeschool group, please choose a topic and make a booking request under the “School Field Trips” tab above.

Fall 2025 Homeschool Series

Blandford runs a 3-part Homeschool Series every spring and fall. Homeschool field trips at Blandford immerse students in nature while engaging their curiosity and connection to the natural world! All of our programs are taught by our highly-experienced and educated staff and are designed with modern science education standards in mind.

Programs are available for children ages 5-12. After registration, we will divide students into small groups based on age. You will receive information about your child’s group approximately 1 week prior to the first program of the season. This is a drop-off program where you are not required to stay with your child. However, we welcome and need parent chaperones for each small group in order to assist our Educators to make this program successful, especailly for our youngest children who may need a little extra assistance. Chaperones will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to chaperone, you must also register yourself for the program, but there is no additional fee. For parents with multiple children, we cannot guarantee your children will be in the same small group since we make up groups based on age, and if you wish to chaperone, we will likely place you with your youngest child. If you wish for your child to be placed in the same group as a friend, please email us at registrar@blandfordnaturecenter.org after registration to arrange this.ย  We cannot guarantee that friends will be placed together, but if they are close in age, this is usually possible.ย 

Each registration is sold as a package of three programs on the dates and times below.ย 

Program Dates & Topics:

September 17, 2025 | Pioneer Life – Daily life in rural Michigan in the 1870s comes alive as we explore Blandford’s Historic Village. Students will hop back in time to visit an historic log cabin, one-room schoolhouse and blacksmith shop and they explore the tools, machines, and toys of the era.

October 15, 2025 | Nature Games – We can learn a lot about nature through games! We will explore the trails and play games that illustrate how animals interact and survive in the wild. Many of our games are ones which you can take home and play again with friends and family!

Nov 19, 2025 | Predators & Prey – In an animal food chain, some animals eat, while others are eaten! We will learn about the physical and behavioral differences between predator and prey animals, and we’ll play a game to illustrate what happens when you throw a bunch of these animals together in the same forest.

All programs are 1:00-2:30 pm. Check-in takes place 10 minutes before the program starts in the Environmental Education Center on the main campus at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.

Pricing & Registration:

Registration is $38/student for Non-Members and $30.40/student (20% discount) for Members and includes all three programs for the dates listed. Health information must be submitted during registration. Missed sessions will not be refunded. Sessions cancelled due to weather will be rescheduled if possible or a partial refund will be issued. Chaperones who register are required to attend all three session dates. Registration for the Fall 2025 Homeschool series begins August 15th for both Members and Non-Members and will close on September 15th, 2025. A minimum capacity must be reached for Homeschool programs to proceed. Follow the links below to register for this year’s homeschool series.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Program Operations, Heather Lewis, at (616) 735-6240 or email registrar@blandfordnaturecenter.org.

Fall 2024 Homeschool Series

Blandford runs a 3-part Homeschool series every spring and fall. Homeschool field trips at Blandford immerse students in nature while engaging their curiosity and connection to the natural world! All of our programs are taught by our highly-experienced and educated staff and are designed with modern science education standards in mind.ย 

Programs are available for children ages 5-12, divided into small groups for age-appropriate content. We welcome up to five parent chaperones per group, especially for our youngest students who may need some extra assistance. Chaperones will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for chaperones is required, but there is no additional fee. For parents with multiple children who wish to chaperone, we strongly suggest registering with your youngest child, if space allows.

Each registration is sold as a package of three programs on the dates and times below. Please note that we have a minimum number of participants required for each age group. If we do not meet this minimum, that age group may be cancelled or merged with another age group.

Program Dates & Topics:

September 18 | Farm Explorers – Explore the Blandford Farm during harvest season! Students will meet the farm animals and explore what it takes to run a working farm. Younger students will discover what a seed needs to grow into a plant, while older students will play games to learn what kinds of strategies a farmer needs to employ to yield plenty of delicious food. Students may even get to taste a bit of our farmโ€™s own produce!

October 16 | Ecosystem Energy – Follow the circular flow of energy through our environment, from the sun to the soil, into plants, animals, fungi and back to the earth. Students will explore this cycle through the lens of producers, consumers and decomposers.

November 20 | Wildlife with a Backbone – Many animals have a backbone, while so do not! Students will learn the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, and older students will learn about the five vertebrate groups, including their unique physical characteristics and behaviors. We’ll use live animals, investigative activities, and games to highlight adaptations that different vertebrates use for protection, warmth, and gathering food.

Pricing & Registration:

Registration is $30.40/student for Members and $38/student for Non-Members and includes all three programs for the dates listed. A complete health form must be submitted during registration. Missed sessions will not be refunded. Sessions cancelled due to weather will be rescheduled if possible or a partial refund will be issued. Chaperones who register are required to attend all three session dates. Registration for the Fall 2024 Homeschool series begins August 1, 2024 for both Members and Non-Members and will close on September 13, 2024. A minimum capacity must be reached for Homeschool programs to proceed. Follow the links below to register for this year’s homeschool series.

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If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Programs at (616) 735-6240 or email registrar@blandfordnaturecenter.org.

School Partnerships

We are excitedย to offer partnerships with local schools to give all studentsย at least one experience in nature every school year! These schools have all made a commitment to bring environmental learning into the classroom and to get students out to Blandford for experiential learning on our trails. In addition to field trips and Blandford on the Road programs, these schools benefitย from early scheduling and discounted family memberships.

Northwest Co-op Preschool

West Side Christian School

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School

Great Start Readiness Program at CA Frost Elementary School

If you are interested in partnering with us to provide environmental learning opportunities to multipleย classrooms at your school, please contact our Program Manager, Heather Lewis, at 616-735-6240 ext. 115 or emailย heather@blandfordnaturecenter.org.

Blandford on the Road

Blandford on the Road

If you are unable to bring your class to Blandford but still prefer an in-person program, let us bring the excitement to you! Check out our Blandford on the Road program options by visiting our Wildlife Experiences page.

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