NatureFest
Hennepin County and the Three Rivers Park District partner to offer NatureFest, an environmental education field day for 5th grade classes.
The goal of this field trip is to provide environmental and outdoor education experiences to students from area schools.
About NatureFest
- Location: Clifton E. French Regional Park in Plymouth
- Dates: October 1, 2, 3, and 4 (schools will attend one day)
- Time: This is a full-day field trip; classes will be on-site for about 4.5 hours. Exact timing will be determined once schools are selected to accommodate school start and end times.
- Cost: Free
- Bus costs: Hennepin County can provide transportation to NatureFest at no charge. A bus will be provided through a contract Hennepin County has with a bus company.
NatureFest will be held entirely outdoors with access to covered picnic shelters. We will work with you to help your students come prepared, and we will have some extra equipment available to help students stay comfortable.
Activities and standards
NatureFest helps meet many state education standards in science, social studies, and physical education. Education station topics include ecology, biology, collecting environmental data, seasonal changes and climate impacts, taking action to protect the environment, and more.
Activities may include exploring habitats and the plants and animals that live within them, learning to use equipment to explore nature, catching insects with nets, playing education games to learn about seasons and climate, and discussing actions that protect the environment.
Apply to attend
Fill out the NatureFest 2024 application by Friday, June 7 to express interest in having 5th graders from your school attend in the fall.
NatureFest has limited capacity due to a number of factors, such as the location, staffing, and goals of providing a high quality environmental education experience. We may not be able to accommodate all schools that apply.
Schools are selected based on a number of considerations, including those that meet our priority criteria to provide opportunities for students and schools who don’t get such opportunities, balancing the inclusion new and returning schools, and managing schedules, number of students and classes, and other logicists.