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School & Group Field Trips
Harriet Alexander Nature Center (HANC) environmental education programs center hands-on, inquiry- based learning.
Our staff naturalists are experienced environmental educators with a passion for engaging students in nature exploration.
Whether meeting live animals, dipping a net into the marsh water, or discovering life under a log, HANC visits provide knowledge and memories that students carry for a lifetime.
To book or inquire further, please email naturecenter@cityofroseville.com
PDF Field Trip Guide
Harriet Alexander Nature Center (HANC) is a 52-acre park with forest and marsh habitat. Our interpretive center features two classrooms and an interactive exhibit space.
HANC is also a part of Roseville’s Central Park, which has 225 acres of parkland connected by trails, and features natural spaces, playgrounds, ball fields, shelters and, right across the street from HANC, the Muriel Sahlin Arboretum.
Onsite programs are $5.50/student with a $65 minimum. Teachers, paras, and chaperones are free.
Groups or schools scheduling more than one trip in a school year qualify for discounted pricing of $5/student.
Payment is due within one month of booking confirmation. Payments are processed through Roseville Parks and Recreation and can be made by credit card, check, or cash. Instructions will be provided at the time of booking.
Chaperones:
A minimum ratio of 1 chaperone (teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, etc.) to 12 students is required. Chaperones are expected to actively supervise students throughout the visit and intervene if students are being unsafe or disruptive.
Weather:
All participants should be prepared for the weather and outdoor terrain, including sturdy shoes or boots, layers, and rain gear when needed. Please bring your own insect repellent and sun protection.
In the case of severe weather, HANC will adapt activities for indoor spaces, or reschedule if possible. We will contact the group lead to coordinate changes.
Lunch:
Groups may request to eat lunch onsite outdoors. HANC staff will not be available during the lunch break.
Cancellations:
Cancellations made more than 48 hours before the scheduled program will not be charged.
Cancellations made fewer than 48 hours in advance, or no-shows without notice, will be billed 20% of the total program fee to cover staff time and materials.
If HANC must cancel due to weather, staffing, or facility issues, no fee will be charged.
Pre-K programs are designed for ages 2-6 and can also be adapted for Kindergarten. Programs are 1.5 hours long.
Get to Know Nature
Seasons Offered: Year-round
Look, listen, touch, and smell as we use our senses to discover the outdoor world! Go on a scavenger hunt, meet a live ambassador animal, and visit two different habitats. This program is all about exploration and using our senses.
Minnesota Animals
Seasons Offered: Year-round
Who are our animal neighbors? Learn all about the types of animals that live here in Minnesota. Meet a live ambassador reptile, touch some furs, hike the trails looking for animal signs, and act out animal movements.
Spectacular Seasons
Seasons Offered: Year-round
Nature is full of patterns and cycles! Check out the trails to see how plants and animals are getting ready for the next season and use your senses to observe the weather. Specific activities will vary with the season.
What is a Wetland?
Seasons Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall
Visit a wetland and discover what makes it a special place! We’ll take a walk on the boardwalk, use nets to see what’s living in the water, and engage with the plants and animals that make their homes in the wetland.
Program activities and content will be tailored to specific age groups.
Groups with more than one class (around 25 students) will be divided into class-sized groups and rotate through stations. Groups with more than three classes (around 75 students) should plan for a two-hour visit.
All About Insects
Seasons Offered: Summer, Fall | Grade Levels: K-4 | Length: 1.5 hours
Overturn logs, sweep in the grass, or dip in the water as we search for insects. We’ll find out about insect body parts, lifecycles, what they eat, and what eats them.
Animal Architects
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: 1-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
How do animals change their environment to meet their needs? From nests to tunnels, this program is all about animals that build! Examine animal artifacts, check the trails for homes, and try your hand at building like a bird.
Animal Olympics
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 1.5 hours
Explore animal movements! Students will interact with animal artifacts to understand how different species excel in their natural abilities, and cheer each other on as they mimic local wildlife in physical challenges.
Art in Nature
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 1.5 hours
Nature is full of patterns and inspiration. We’ll explore outdoors and items from the collections, then students will create their own small natural art projects to reflect their experiences.
Creature Features
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
From tails to scales, jaws to claws, we’ll relate animal parts to their function through observation of both live animals and specimens. Students will make comparisons, identify patterns, and learn how animal structures help in survival.
Habitat Investigation
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
Discover the relationships between what animals need and the places they live. We’ll visit both a forest and a wetland to study the diversity of plant and animal life, plus play a habitat survival game.
How Animals Grow
Seasons Offered: Spring, Summer | Grade Levels: K-2 | Length: 1.5 hours
From look-alikes to total transformations, this program is all about animal life cycles! We’ll examine artifacts, then hit the trail to search for signs and match baby animals to the adults they’ll become.
Our Nature Neighbors
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6, best program for multi-age groups | Length: 2 hours
This program is all about the ecosystems and organisms in our suburban neighborhoods. We’ll investigate two distinct natural spaces, meet a live wildlife ambassador, and play a habitat game.
Plant Powers
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
Explore what makes plants unique. We’ll look closely at individual plants and match up parts to their functions. We’ll also learn the life cycle of a plant and figure out why different plants grow in different areas.
Seed Investigation
Seasons Offered: Spring, Fall | Grade Levels: 2-6 | Length: 1.5 hours
We will examine a variety of different botanical fruits and discover the variety of ways seeds are dispersed. Students will learn about how different structures perform different functions, and build seed models of their own.
Tapping Time
Seasons Offered: Late Winter/ Early Spring | Grade Levels: 1-6 | Length: 1.5-2.5 hours
Discover how syrup makes it from tree to table. Students will learn to identify maple trees, tap a tree, role-play the flow of sap, and taste real maple syrup. A pancake cooking session can be added for an additional $5/person.
Tracking Weather
Seasons Offered: Year-round | Grade Levels: 2-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
How does weather happen? Students will collect data and make observations of current conditions. We’ll experiment with how air temperature and pressure affects the weather we experience.
Water in Motion
Seasons Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall | Grade Levels: 2-6 | Length: 2 hours
Students will search for water in unexpected places and explore how it moves through a watershed. We’ll play a game to follow water’s journey and experiment with water’s unique properties.
Wetland Ecology
Seasons Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall | Grade Levels: K-6 | Length: 2 hours
Learn about the unique features of a wetland habitat. Students will study plant life and animal life, meet an ambassador animal, and recognize how the wetland ecosystem provides benefits to humans, too.
What about Winter?
Seasons Offered: Winter | Grade Levels: 2-6 | Length: 1.5-2 hours
Surviving winter is a challenge for animals. Discover how Minnesota creatures use strategies like migration and hibernation, hike the frozen grounds, and participate in a winter adaptation challenge.
Let HANC bring the program to you! Our naturalists will share nature artifacts, facilitate interesting discussions, and provide hands-on experiences.
Outreach programs can be adapted to any age group.
We are currently only booking outreach programs with 10 miles of HANC.
Classroom-Style Program (select from onsite programs): $5.50/student plus $50 travel fee.
Large Group Presentation (select from below): $275 for 1 hour
Minnesota Animals
Who are our animal neighbors? Meet a live ambassador reptile, touch some furs and scales, look at bones, and find out more about the animals that live here in Minnesota.
Animal Architects
How do animals change their environment to meet their needs? This program is all about the animals that build! Examine artifacts like nests, hives, and gnawed logs.
Skulls and Skeletons
What can we learn from animal bones? We’ll look at a variety of animal skulls and skeletons to find out how different animals move, eat, and grow.
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