Adventure starts here
Middle School Field Trips
Dive into the wonders of nature and science on a field trip led by Catamount Institute. All our outdoor field trips include a factor of adventure while aligning with Colorado Department of Education Standards.
So many students, so little time! We are thrilled to be utilizing all of our resources to get as many kids outside as possible…unfortunately that means we are booked into August at the moment! Our Booking Calendar stretches a year ahead, so please see if any dates for the next 365 days meet your needs.
6-8 students
Learning beyond the classroom
Field trips are a fun and exciting opportunity for students of all ages to investigate our outdoor classroom for hands-on discovery and exploration. Catamount Institute offers pre-designed or custom field trips that are encouraging and inspiring for all students in our local natural areas. Our tailored curriculum supports classroom learning and a memory-filled experience with your class. See below for pre-designed field trip descriptions!
Pricing for field trips begins at $7.00 an hour/per student (minimum 20 students).
Now booking for the 2023-2024 school year! Book your field trip to hold a spot. No transportation? We can come to you!
*The booking is NOT final until confirmation from Catamount Institute staff.
All trips are a minimum of 20 students and a maximum of 80 students. Bookings are based on staff availability at that time. Each tentative reservation will be reviewed by Catamount Staff. You will be contacted at least a month in advance on the status of your booking.
Middle School Grades
Working with Water
Living in Colorado, water has always been an important and protected resource. Through learning about water law and scarcity, we will discover ways that water can be used efficiently with experimentation and use of hydroelectric power! Find out about the numerous ways we depend on water and what role it plays in our ecosystems.
Season: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
Locations: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, Catamount Institute at Catamount Mountain Campus (see H2O Woah!), or a park or natural area near your school with access to water. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 2 - GLE. 7.
- Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all of its populations.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 6.
- Water cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere, and is propelled by sunlight and gravity.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 10.
- Human activities have altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging it, although changes to environments can have different impacts for different living things.
Becoming Field Ecologists
Students will try their hand at fieldwork in the environment. Starting with water, they will take samples and analyze organisms living in streams and how this can tell us about water quality. Next, we will hike through the forest and identify trees as well as boring into them to analyze tree rings! Finally, we will inspect soils using soil probes to look into what their layers tell us. With these hands-on activities using specialized tools, we will get a closer look at our environment.
Season: Fall, Spring, Summer
Locations: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, Catamount Institute at Catamount Mountain Campus, or a park or natural area near your school with access to water. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 2 - GLE. 12.
- Biodiversity is the wide range of existing life forms that have adapted to the variety of conditions on Earth, from terrestrial to marine ecosystems.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 8.
- Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for different resources, many of which are limited or not renewable.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 10.
- Human activities have altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging it, although changes to environments can have different impacts for different living things.
Energy Engineers
We know that humans make big changes to our ecosystems, and we will explore our impact as well as changes we can make to help better our environment. Students will play games and learn about options to become more eco friendly, as well as using engineering skills to try building our own renewable energy technologies!
Season: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
Locations: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, a park or natural area near your school, or at your school. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 8.
- Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for different resources, many of which are limited or not renewable.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 10.
- Human activities have altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging it, although changes to environments can have different impacts for different living things.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 11.
- Human activities affect global warming. Decisions to reduce the impact of global warming depend on understanding climate science, engineering capabilities, and social dynamics.
Ecosystem Interactions
All ecosystems contain many interactions between animals, plants, and microscopic organisms. We will take a look at small scale interactions and whether they show mutualism, commensalism, parasitism and more! Games and hands-on activities will allow for students to try finding these relationships and their connection to the web of life that all organisms are a part of!
Season: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
Location: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, Catamount Institute at Catamount Mountain Campus, a park or natural area near your school, or at your school. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 2 - GLE. 5.
- Organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
Soil Rocks!
Soils and rocks are everywhere we look, and are just as important as the living things in our environment. Inspect the properties of soil to understand the textures, colors, particle size, and how all of this can impact an ecosystem. Then, identify rocks to explore their role in ecosystems and even how humans can use different minerals every day!
Season: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
Location: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, a park or natural area near your school, or at your school. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 6.
- Water cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere, and is propelled by sunlight and gravity. Density variations of sea water drive interconnected ocean currents. Water movement causes weathering and erosion, changing landscape features.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 8.
- Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for different resources, many of which are limited or not renewable. Resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes.
Teen Leadership
The outdoors is an ideal location to challenge one’s leadership and teamwork abilities. Students will engage in a series of activities that enhance leadership, communication, and team-building skills. Get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, and have fun with us for our leadership and team development experience!
Season: Fall, Spring, Summer
Locations: Catamount Institute at Sondermann Park, Catamount Institute at Catamount Mountain Campus, a park or natural area near your school, or at your school. Note: Driving Distance may affect program cost.
Colorado 2020 science standards:
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 6.
- Water cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere, and is propelled by sunlight and gravity. Density variations of sea water drive interconnected ocean currents. Water movement causes weathering and erosion, changing landscape features.
- MS - S. 3 - GLE. 8.
- Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for different resources, many of which are limited or not renewable. Resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes.
