At Bushy Hill Nature Center, we believe that the most powerful learning happens when students can see, touch, question, and explore the world around them. Our field trip programs offer hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences that bring science, ecology, cultural history, and environmental concepts to life in the heart of nature.
Students don't just learn about nature, they learn through it. Our programs invite learners to investigate real habitats and ecosystems, observe wildlife, handle replica artifacts, conduct simple experiments, and make discoveries guided by their own curiosity.
Encompassing over 700 acres, Bushy Hill's diverse habitats create rich opportunities for exploration. Forests and wetlands become living laboratories where every sight, sound, and texture fuels deeper understanding.
All programs are designed to complement your science, social studies, and language arts standards, helping teachers reinforce key concepts in these areas. We work closely with educators to ensure our activities enhance what students are learning in the classroom.
Whether you're teaching Indigenous history, ecosystems, adaptations, sustainability, or outdoor survival skills, we tailor each field trip to your learning goals. Programs can be adapted for different grade levels, units of study, or specific themes.
Our naturalist-educators bring energy, expertise, and a genuine love of the natural world to every program. They're skilled at meeting students where they are--adapting lessons to different ages, background knowledge, learning styles, and abilities to ensure every child is included and engaged.
Engage curiosity. Inspire learning.
Explore Bushy Hill.
Hands-on, inquiry based learning
why choose bushy hill?
Immersive Outdoor experiences
Curriculum-Aligned and Standards-Based
Fully customizable to your curriculum needs
Engaging, experienced educators
Featured Field Trip Programs
Eastern Woodlands History and Lifeways
Wetlands HAbitats INvestigation
Low Ropes and Team building adventures
Plan your visit
Students step back in time to learn about the Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, exploring how they lived, worked, and interacted with the natural world. The program includes a visit to our replica wigwam site, where students learn firsthand how families constructed, organized, and used these traditional dwellings. During their visit to the wigwam, students will also have the opportunity to handle replica tools, furs, clothing, and other items used in daily life, offering a tactile connection to the past.
Teachers can customize their experience by selecting from a variety of hands-on activities, including:
- Archery
- Brush shelter building
- Corn husk doll making
- Wildlife tracking and sign identification
- Using a bow drill to create fire by friction
- Playing traditional Native games
- Cordage making and uses of native plants
These interactive experiences deepen students' appreciation for the resourcefulness, innovation, and culture of the Eastern Woodlands peoples. The program supports Connecticut State Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Standards and helps build cultural and historical awareness through immersive, experiential learning.
Our pond, vernal pool, and Atlantic White Cedar swamp serve as dynamic, living laboratories. Students become field scientists as they investigate water quality, study macroinvertebrates, examine plant adaptations, identify species, and observe the roles that wetlands play in local ecosystems. Using dip nets, magnifiers, microscopes, and field tools, students engage in inquiry-based discovery that connects directly to Next Generation Science Standards.
As part of this program, students can also meet Bushy Hill's resident reptiles, including turtles and an Eastern rat snake, to learn about their unique adaptations, ecological roles, and the importance of wetlands as critical habitat for these species. This up-close experience helps students make powerful connections between the animals they observe and the ecosystems they are studying.
Students can also explore wetlands food webs, discovering how producers, consumers, and decomposers interact to support a healthy ecosystem. By examining who eats what, and why, students gain a deeper understanding of energy flow and interdependence within these unique habitats.
Perfect for developing collaboration and communication skills, our low ropes course and team-building challenges help students learn to work together, solve problems, and build trust. Facilitators guide groups through cooperative tasks, balancing, strategizing, supporting peers, and reflecting on their shared experience. These activities complement SEL, leadership, and physical education goals while fostering confidence and community.
We're here to help you design the perfect field trip, from choosing activities to aligning with curriculum standards and scheduling your day.
For more information about programs and activities, pricing, or to inquire about available dates, please contact Emily Nelson, Bushy Hill Nature Center Director, at enelson@bushyhill.org
Give your students the opportunity to learn, discover, and thrive in nature. Plan your field trip to Bushy Hill Nature Center today.
