Field Trips, Outreaches, Assemblies

How to Book a Program

Ready to book? Our expert staff will guide you through the best options for your organization or school. Need anything? Just ask-

Step 1:  See options for Field trips and Outreaches.  Fill out the program form completely. Make sure you include, # kids, grades, theme, option, and address if we are going to you!

Step 2: Once you submit the information, we will contact you to confirm the dates and times that we are available for your program within 24hrs-48hrs. If you need immediate confirmation, please call 410-987-1300. 

Step 3: Receive a contract via email. Sign it and return to our admin team via email. Voila! No deposit needed!

A person holding an orange lizard in their hands.
A girl and boy playing with a toy alligator.

FIELD TRIPS - You Visit ECO!

These hands-on field trips are customized to meet your educational needs.  Your students will not only learn but EXPERIENCE the sights, sounds, and hands-on interactions and activities in our themed Rainforest.  Journey through different themed stations and meet animals from each layer of the rainforest such as an armadillo, python, sun conure and caiman in our Rainforest Adventures station. Then get your hands dirty and go fossil hunting for some real Chesapeake Bay fossils, shark teeth and gems! OR, meet some rescued animals such as our new Screech Owls in what's in your Backyard, terrapins, and more! Choose from a variety of themes including NEW labs this year such as owl pellet lab, animal defense lab, shark lab and more! Finish your field trip with a picnic lunch in our Pixie Hollow forest.  This is a unique field trip they will never forget so go ahead and book it early as we SELL OUT our dates!!

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Pricing:

* A 5% discount is given if the ECO field trip or outreach is in Sept-Dec. Must mention code: DISC-FALL in the booking form to get the discount at the time of booking. This discount does not apply to Title 1 Schools
*For ECO field trips: MAX amount of people is 80 adults and children combined during these months
  • School Year:
    • $19 per student/ $14 per chaperones
    • $380 minimum price (20 students)
  • Title 1:
    • $15 per person (must meet minimum price) 

**Classroom teachers are free. One homeschool organizer is free. 

Book a Date - FIELD TRIP
A group of people sitting around in the middle of an indoor area.

OUTREACH / IN-HOUSE FIELD TRIPS – ECO comes to your school

Can't come to us? We come to you! These are dynamic, interactive and FUN programs that have many topics from MD State Next Gen Science Standards. Choose ONE THEME from various options that fit best for your school or camp. Why read about these animals in your textbook or watch a video on the smart board, when you can get them up close and personal? We bring the menagerie to YOU! We customize each program accordingly so if the option or theme is not there-feel free to call us! Eco Adventures also goes to libraries!

* A 5% discount is given if the ECO field trip or outreach is in Sept-Dec. Must mention code: DISC-FALL in the booking form to get the discount at the time of booking. 
*This discount does not apply to the Travel Fee or Title One schools
Book a Date - OUTREACH

Option A2

Two 30-minute, small group presentations for up to 65 participants TOTAL between the 2 groups

*Same theme for both presentations with 1 leader

PRICE:

School Year- $400

Summer Camp- $415

Title One-$345

*$2 per each additional participant, maximum of 50 children per group

*1.25 hrs with switching time

Pricing Information

Option B3

Three 30-minute small group presentations
*For up to 100 participants TOTAL between the 3 groups

*Same theme for all 3 presentations with 1 leader

PRICE:

School Year- $495

Summer Camp-$515

Title One $440

*$2 per each additional participant after 100 kids

*Includes 2 hrs with switching time.

Pricing Information

Option B4

Four 30-minute small group presentations for up to 130 participants TOTAL between the 4 groups.

*Same theme for all presentations with 1 leader.

PRICE:

School Year - $645 

Summer - $665 

Title 1 - $620 

*$2 per each additional participant after 130 kids

*2.75 hours with switching time

Pricing Information

Option C- Assembly

50 minute presentation
*For up to 65 participants

PRICE:

School Year - $395

Summer Camp - $410

Title One - $345

*$2 per each additional participant over 65 with a maximum of 100 children

*Please note: If over 50 students, not all children will get to touch animals (touching will be on a volunteer basis). If you would like an extra interactive 20-30 minute session, please add $150 per session.

Pricing Information

Option D

(Over 100 + students)
Assembly Style
Two 45-minute back to back assemblies
*For up to 200 participants in each group in an auditorium/gym or outside setting.

* Same theme for both presentations with one leader

PRICE:

School Year - $765 for up to 200 students per group

*$1 for each additional student with a maximum of 250 participants per group.

*Please note: not all children will get to touch animals (touching will be on a volunteer basis). If you would like an extra interactive 20-30 minute session, please add $150 per session.

Pricing Information

Option E

National Geographic's herpetologist/TV and video game Animal Jam personality Nat Geo and Scholastic award-winning book author
Dr. Brady Barr Assembly

PRICE:

$850 for a 1 hour program for up to 300 participants 

*Recommended for whole school assemblies or grades 2nd+

Pricing Information

Other Fees:

*A travel fee of $100 applies for 30 minutes to 1 hour away from Eco Adventures. Fall pricing discount does not apply to the travel fee
*Presentations must be back to back- or there is $50 per 30 minute wait fee.

VIRTUAL PROGRAMS

$200 for School
Other facilities please email [email protected] for pricing!

**Themes below

Choose from these themes for your program:

Rainforest Adventure or Jungle Safari (Pre-k-1st)

Embark on a journey into the rainforest!  Your safari guides will help you use all your senses, from smell to sounds and sights of the mysterious endangered habitat!   Did you know that 50% of all biodiversity comes from the rainforest among medicines, spices and fruits and so much more! Join us in a quest to learn about the importance of saving our rainforests.  Meet an animal from each layer of the rainforest and learn a fun and interactive game to remember the layers!

Jungle Safari!

Survival of the fittest is what this world is all about and what other way to learn about survival than to see what are the coolest adaptations animals have to offer!  From glow-in-the-dark animals to quills, and spines, poison and venom, and slime. What are the best adaptations for each habitat? Desert, rainforests, aquatic, wetlands, -Meet and touch and a chameleon change color right in front of your very eyes- or touch a spiny hedgehog!  This world keeps ever-changing and only the animals that can adapt can survive.

Animal Adaptations & Habitats!

SWASHBUCKLING Adventure!

Ahoy ‘ye pirates and mermaids! Join the Eco Captain and swashbuckling pirate crew on an exciting quest to find thy stolen pirate treasure!   First, you must pass the tests of bravery,  Are ‘ye brave enough to swallow a mealworm during our “Fear Factor” challenge? OR would you rather touch a slithery snake?  If the challenges are too treacherous ye may… walk the plank!! Test ‘ye teamwork skills with 'ye mateys while working together to wrestle alligators and encounter live island animals. Along the way, stumble upon some animals and learn all the ins and outs of these important creatures, and the why and how they call these amazing habitats and oceans their home.  Join us for the ultimate adventure  ‘ye will never forget!

SWASHBUCKLING Pirate Adventure!

Fossils everywhere...Dig It (literally)!  

The Chesapeake Bay is 35 million years old.  Learn about the different marine invertebrates and vertebrates that roamed the earth millions of years ago. How different are they from today?  Put on your paleontologist hat and discover some fossils, and gems in our fossil troughs. From sharks and marine mammals to crinoids, snails, scallop shells, and more!  Junior paleontologists will dig in, find, and identify various fossils and gems. 

*Keep one shark tooth to keep as a reminder of how amazing the Chesapeake is!   *extra $.50 per person

*Outside: Only available from March-November.

Fossil Dig/Pan for Gold at the Sleuice

Join our Eco-Explorers on an adventure to track down the elusive rainbow lizard! Along the way, we are relying upon your explorer skills to help us make critical decisions all along the way. The group will be faced with a series of choices at every turn.  Make the right choice and proceed, but make the wrong choice...and mayhem ensues! Anything and everything is fair game on this adventure! Will participants get hopelessly lost?  Stumble upon an angry snake?  Wander into quicksand, or will they successfully navigate all that we throw at them and find the elusive lizard?  Participants are sure to meet some cool live animals, learn survival skills, and especially the value of making the right decision and choosing wisely.  It's all fun and games in this amazing adventure...as long as the right choices are made along the way!  Choose wisely...or else!! 

Ultimate Animal Adventure!

Good for Pre-k-and up!!

Cute and Cuddly
Cute is in the eye of the beholder! Whether it's scaly or furry, slithery or creepy....you’ll be sure to meet some lovable creatures. From Baby turtles, baby gators, hedgehog, a tarantula named "Fuzzy Wuzzy" or even a flying squirrel... You'll be sure to eventually...FALL IN LOVE these cute and cuddly animals!

Cute and Cuddly

Native Species:  What's in your backyard?  

This rotation will open the eyes and ears of students as we introduce them to “near nature”, things they can find in their very own back yards.  Learn how to safely interact and what to do if you encounter one of these backyard beasts. See a snake hooking demo and meet terrapins and even one of our Screech owls! Our instructors will explain what to look for, animal signs, clues, and ecosystem indicators.  What is the difference between invasive, exotic, and native species?  How are our local terrestrial animals related to the Bay?  These are all questions that will be answered as they see and interact with some examples of local creatures for hands-on inquiry-based learning. 

 
Chesapeake Bay: Native Species

Marine Animal Rescue 911

Who do  you call when you find a dolphin beached on the sand??...Ghostbusters, no that's another program!! In this program, participants will see exactly what it's like to be a marine animal rescuer. When an animal is in distress it's an emergency that has to be addressed, time is of the essence, and it's up to the experts to come to the rescue, and this is exactly what this program is all about.   Sometimes it's a sea turtle, other times a shark, maybe even a manatee, and hold on, sometimes a giant jaw snapping crocodile! Each and every rescue requires different expertise. Learn all about why animals need rescuing- or even not! Participants will meet and interact with some of Eco Adventures' own rescued animals, and learn about their amazing rescue stories! Walle is our alligator that was rescued from the icy waters of Lake Michigan, and our terrapins were discovered taped to the body of an apprehended smuggler! Whoa! These amazing animal stories are living, breathing examples of animal rescues in action, resulting from a myriad of reasons, like poaching to pollution, net entanglement, beaching, irresponsible pet ownership, and many more. It’s all hands-on as you learn how to make a difference with the power of knowledge...and Marine Animal Rescue 911!

 
Marine Animal Rescue!

Fear Factor

Don’t make eye contact…Please, please, please, not the spider. They’re all thoughts that might run through your mind as the crowd is searched for brave volunteers. It's Fear Factor! You won't be disappointed with this high energy, excitement packed, hair raising test of wills where guests will compete in a series of challenges and dares to probe their fears and put their determination to the test! Hold a giant spider, wrangle a croc, or eat a bug??…YIKES, they’re all tests that each contestant might face. cockroaches, snakes, and slimy creatures, you never know what it’s going to be. It’s all random, so keep your fingers crossed when you flip over a coconut and find out what challenge awaits you.

Fear Factor

* good for Pre-K-2nd but can be modified to any age

Which animal has the strongest bite?…can climb walls, or virtually disappear, or even can stretch like a rubber band? Spectators beware: are you brave enough to volunteer and let a tarantula crawl up your belly, wrestle a giant snake or a gator? Get all the answers In this fascinating exploration of the super powers of some of natures' most amazing animals. Live animals will be on hand to demonstrate their super powers up close and personal.
NOTE: Super Villains unwelcome at this presentation! Capes are optional

Animal Superpowers

Outdoor Trip to Sandy Point State Park (60 students or less)  Bigger groups can be broken down into 2 days

*Recommended age 3rd grade and up

Fee: $22/student and $15/chaperone, teachers no charge

Meet at Sandy Point State Park where students will participate in activities including hiking/scavenger hunt, seining, have a picnic lunch and they will meet some amazing animals they might find in their own backyards! 
We will rotate from station to station:  Scavenger hunt/hike, seining, animals in your backyard/Chesapeake Bay.
 
Sample schedule:  9-noon  plus lunch     * Can start 9:30am
Welcome/rules
Station 1 Seining (beach walk/cleanup on your way to next station)
Station 2 Meet animals in your backyard/Chesapeake Bay
Station 3  Scavenger Hunt/hike through forest
Picnic Lunch on your own
 
Fee: Depending on # of kids, please email [email protected] 
*Sandy Point Park Charges $4 per person for ages 8 and over
Outdoor Trip to Sandy Point State Park

Outdoor Turtle-tacular Research Trip to Kinder Farm Park (50 Students or Less)

*Recommended age 3rd grade and up

Fee: $22/student and $15/chaperone, teachers no charge

This day is for the serious turtle lovers! Help naturalists find Painted turtles,  Snapping turtles, Mud turtles, and maybe even Box turtles while collecting data such as tagging, weighing, and measuring animals.  See the difference first hand between aquatic and terrestrial turtles.  Learn about threats to all turtles including our very own Diamondback terrapins and sea turtles.  Then get ready, set, …Go!  Who will win in a box turtle race…  It’s everything you need to know…so to speak…about those critters with a shell and a beak!

Sample Schedule:

9:30-9:40:  Intro/Rules, 10 minutes
9:40-9:55:  Nature Hike, 15 minutes
9:55-10:55:  Rotation 1 as a whole group: Intro to Field Research and Turtles. Check turtle traps together., 1 hour
Split into two groups for Lab stations with 5 mins to switch:  Stations are Turtle ID/Tagging and Weighing/Measuring.
11:00-11:20, Rotation 2, 20 minutes  
11:25-11:45:  Rotation 3, 20 minutes
11:50-12:00:  Rotation 4 -- come back together as whole group to release turtles,10 minutes
Bathrooms/wash hands.  Eco Adventures field trip ends.
Then your team can have a picnic lunch and time to explore Kinder Farm Park.
Outdoor Research Turtle-tacular Trip

Animals have many marvelous means of movement! From slithering to rolling to jumping to flying,
there are quite a few ways to move around. Some types of animal locomotion have inspired human
technology, and even self-defense techniques like martial arts. In this very active class, students
will learn about different types of locomotion by moving along side of our live animal
demonstrations. Who has a better jump, a tree frog or a kid? Can you walk like a gator or slither
like a snake? We will be testing humans against animals and all answers will be revealed by using math and science!

STEM: Animal Locomotion!

Animal Training/Feeding Demonstration

In this exciting rotation, students will learn what it takes to be an animal trainer.  What are some animals that we didn’t know could be trained? Learn about the pros and cons about working with animals along with the basics of positive reinforcement by “training” a volunteer.  Do you like to touch worms, mice, and fish? Are you patient? Do you like psychology? If you said YES to all of these- then move on to assist in a real animal training and perhaps train a dragon, gator, or a mammal…Get your target pole and clicker ready to train away!

  • Recommended for grades 3rd and up
Animal Training and feeding demonstration

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Oh Deer Game/Food web

Students will play animal population game and see how food, shelter, and other natural and natural circumstances affect a deer population in a fun game!  

Students will also play food web game where they are assigned an animal and connected with yarn into a web.  Instructor will throw in scenarios of who eats whom and then when the "animal dies" the food web visibly changes based on natural and natural circumstances such as poachers, weather, development etc.

Food Web Games

Have you ever wondered why animals are so hard to find in nature?
They just seem to have a special skill at hiding from us, and for good
reason, for in nature, it's eat or be eaten! Camouflage is everything in
the ultimate game of hide and seek! In this program you will take a
closer look at how certain animals can change color, hide themselves,
build structures that camouflage, or are masters of illusion and
mimicry! How do they do it? You will get all the answers as you see various live animal examples --
from camo to albino animals to colorful warnings of poison. Find out who is the friend or the foe
and how animals are dependent on colors to survive!

Recommended for Pre-k- 1st
Hide and Go Seek…Sounds like a simple game of hide and go seek, but trust us, finding a hiding animal is not so easy.  This is because many animals have to ability to CAMOUFLAGE making finding  them very hard to do.  But that won’t stop us.  We will search high and low and see what we can find.  Come join us as we play hide and go seek with the animals.  READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME!

Crazy for Camo or Hide and Seek (Pre-k-1st)

Creatures of the Night

What animals are wide awake when we are fast asleep? Which creatures go bump in the night? How do nocturnal animals survive in the dark? Learn all this and more in the Creatures of the Night field trip rotation! In this rotation, you will meet and learn about Eco’s very own animals of the night! Students will learn about and interact with various nocturnal animals that call Eco home including our newest animals: the owls!  

Creatures of the Night

NEW: HANDS-ON LABS

It's a jungle out there, full of so many dangers just how do animals defend themselves? From camouflage to poison,  to extraordinary armor and mimicry, animals are ingenious at protecting themselves and staying alive. In this hands-on lab, students will investigate these defenses for themselves with live animals to look at their mini stations covering defenses from camouflage to mimicry to looking at amazing shark adaptations. Students will rotate from table to table with opportunities to examine the armor of animals using a microscope, see live scorpions, touch sea turtles' carapaces, and get challenged to hunt like a hawk!  Many discoveries await. Junior scientists grab a microscope, it's time to get curious! 

Animal Defense Lab

Owls, the ultimate nocturnal hunters. Using their sharp eyes and silent flight, owls catch creatures hidden in the dark. This gives the owl a tasty meal, but what can we learn from the way they hunt? In this hands-on rotation, students will dissect owl pellets, identify the bones they find, and work together to create a snapshot of the nocturnal world and its diversity. Many discoveries await, as we step into the shoes of real ecologists to learn about all the creatures we don’t see. It's time to get curious, and dive into the night! 

*EXTRA FEE: $25 more for every 50 students.  We recommend you pair with "What's in your Backyard station, Creatures of the Night or Hands-on Chesapeake" that has an owl for demonstration.

Owl Pellet Lab

Animals are like little machines, with many different parts working together to make the creature function, and studying anatomy will teach one all about the inner workings of these creatures. And what better way to learn about the anatomy of animals than to see it for yourselves! In this hands-on lab students will learn all about the benefits of dissecting animals, different tools necessary to perform a dissection, and will then dissect a real squid!

Squid Dissection

SHARKS! Apex predators, and living fossils who outlasted even the dinosaurs. Dive underwater into our shark laboratory to get hands on and explore the incredible adaptations and variety to be found in sharks. In this lab students will look at ancient teeth under a microscope, see a shark dissection, Hypothesize about a sharks diet, and discover the vast array of body plans in sharks.

Topics in Marine Biology: SHARK LAB!
TOPICS IN Marine Biology: OYSTERS REEF!
NEW this year, young marine biologists will learn all about oysters and the Chesapeake Bay.  Participants will put on their waterman hats and tong for Oysters at the Eco Oyster Reef!  Utilizing, age-old techniques and tools, campers will test their skill at bringing up oysters, shark teeth, and other fossils with their tonging skills.  Many of our oysters contain pearls, so we will show campers how to open them up, and then they get to keep the pearl inside!
* $3 more per child to keep an oyster/peal, otherwise instructor will open one to demonstrate.
TOPICS IN Marine Biology: OYSTERS REEF!

Nat Geo Book author/TV herpetologist and Owner of ECO

Dr. Brady Barr - Meet and Greet plus Autographs

Meet National Geographic's TV personality and author along with audio video clips, and stories of his world travel adventures and real life encounters with the most dangerous beasts on the planet. 

“I've been coordinating an average of 4 events annually for almost 17 years and Brady is the top in terms of speaker quality. He was engaging, honest, funny and appealed to all ages.” -Noble Foundation

Dr. Brady Barr - Meet & Greet plus Autographs

National Geographic herpetologist: Dr. Brady Barr School Assembly- (100+ children) There is no better way to kick off your reading program than to have National Geographic's TV personality and author come out to your school with audio video clips, and stories of his world travel adventures and real life encounters with the most dangerous beats on the planet. He also bring some of his scaly friends himself. Put some real BITE in your next reading kick off program. Please contact us for more details for National Geographic's Dr. Brady Barr to come out to your school.
“I've been coordinating an average of 4 events annually for almost 17 years and Brady is the top in terms of speaker quality. He was engaging, honest, funny and appealed to all ages.” -Noble Foundation

Dr. Brady Barr Assembly

SAMPLE FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE BELOW

10:00am - Arrival 
10:00 – 10:10 am Introduction in the Rainforest
10:15 – 10:40 am 1st Rotation: Rainforest
10:45 – 11:15 am 2nd Rotation: Africa 
11:20 – 11:45 pm 3rd Rotation: Underwater Discovery Room
11:50– 12:15 pm Optional Lunch - picnic tables outside (inside Rainforest Room for bad weather)

*4th & 5th stations depending on number of children

Click Here for Sample Schedule

“Take it from someone on the front lines, a recent visiting teacher from Annapolis Area Christian School, who proclaimed: “The best field trip ever and I have been teaching over 20 years .“ Please move forward and plan a visit on The WILD SIDE, where you can touch, see, and “Experience the Extraordinary” at Eco Adventures!”

“WOW! My son had the opportunity to come through Eco Adventures this morning with his class from Woods Memorial. I am a teacher and absolutely was impressed with the smooth way your team ran their adventure today. The presentations were easy to understand and we knew we were dealing with professionals as soon as our program began, so thank you, on this rainy, rainy day. (and I read the Baltimore Sun article from a while ago and, again, wow-80 countries-your training and hard work to bring this location to life is inspiring)”