It's your park -- get to know it!
Shelby Farms Park is a living classroom, and the Park team can help you get to know it! Whether you want to take a guided tour, learn about native wildlife, or explore the Park’s habitats, we can help! Check out the information below to get started.
New: Virtual FIELD TRIPS
Shelby Farms Park Virtual Field Trips provide an educational experience for students learning in the classroom or from home! Each virtual field trip lasts approximately 45 minutes. To experience the virtual field trip, teachers in the classroom will need a computer or device with a built-in camera, access to internet, and the ability to project the computer or device onto a screen or smart board. Students learning from home need access to a computer or device with a built-in camera and access to internet.
Each program is taught by a licensed educator and includes the following:
Virtual Field Trip Guide: Students will complete the guide during the lesson to enhance learning. Guides will be emailed in PDF format and will need to be printed by the teacher or parent/guardian prior to the lesson.
Trivia Questions: Each lesson includes a few trivia questions that students will answer to check for understanding.
Virtual Nature Hike: Students will experience a short virtual tour of a trail at Shelby Farms Park and watch a video of native wildlife.
Check for Understanding: A set of questions will be emailed in PDF format to the teacher or parent/guardian. These questions will not be used during the lesson but could be used by the teacher or parent/guardian as class work, homework, or a quiz following the lesson.
Lesson of your choice Please choose from the lesson topics listed below:
Birds: Identify the characteristics of birds, investigate the shapes of birds’ beaks, and learn where birds live in the Park
Buffalo: Get to know the Park’s buffalo herd and discover what makes these mammals unique
Food Chains + Food Webs: Classify the roles of organisms in a food web and learn how to analyze food chain + food web diagrams
Habitats + Animal Adaptations: Learn about the variety of species who make their homes in the Park’s lakes and forests, and investigate specific adaptations that help these animals survive
Insects: Describe the characteristics of insects and understand the stages of incomplete metamorphosis and complete metamorphosis
Life Cycles of Vertebrates: Identify the five major groups of vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish) and compare/contrast the stages of their life cycles
Mammals: Identify the characteristics of mammals and analyze the differences between the Park’s herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores
Reptiles: Identify the characteristics of reptiles and investigate adaptations that help reptiles survive in the Park’s ecosystems
Cost:$30 per virtual field trip | Because of the virtual format, each program can only be taught to 1 classroom at a time or 20 students learning from home.
Multiple virtual field trips can be booked back-to-back on the same school day to accommodate multiple classes and larger groups.
RESERVATIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information and to reserve your field trip, please contact Christina Fortenberry (licensed educator) at cfortenberry@shelbyfarmspark.org or (901) 222-7265.
If you are interested in purchasing Shelby Farms Park souvenirs for your students, please contact Dirk Kitterlin at dkitterlin@shelbyfarmspark.org or (901) 222-7295.
additional RESOURCES
Learn + Play from home or from your classroom! The resources below are free to download, and most can be printed out or used on a screen. Just click the links below to access each element. New topics and activities will be added periodically, so please check back frequently!
Lessons
AMPHIBIANS: Lesson • Coloring Sheet • Digital Flip Cards • Camouflage Challenge • Certificate of Completion
BUFFALO: Lesson • Find-a-Word • Coloring Sheet • Certificate of Completion
BIRDS: Lesson • Crossword • Crossword Answer Key • Certificate of Completion
FISH: Lesson • Word Scramble • Digital Flip Cards • Certificate of Completion
FOOD CHAINS/WEBS/PYRAMIDS: Lesson • Food Web Card Game • Digital Flip Cards • Certificate of Completion
MAMMALS: Lesson • Memory Game • Certificate of Completion
REPTILES: Lesson • Word Scramble • Certificate of Completion
VERTEBRATE LIFE CYCLE: Lesson • Craft Project • Certificate of Completion
INSECTS: Lesson • Crossword • Crossword Answer Key • Coloring Sheet • Certificate of Completion
TREES: Lesson • Tree Challenge • Certificate of Completion
Activities
Nature at Home Challenge
Park Word Scramble
Education Programs at Shelby Farms Park are supported by
