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.
For free, downloadable education lessons and activities, click the blue button below!
FIELD TRIPS + MOBILE CLASSROOM PROGRAMS
Shelby Farms Park is an outdoor classroom, and field trips can be customized to help you bring traditional classroom lessons to life! Programs are led by a certified educator and/or interpretive docents, including certified naturalists.
PARK FIELD TRIPS: During a Park field trip, students will be engaged in hands-on learning. Each field trip includes a lesson of your choice and a guided nature hike. For an additional fee, owl pellet dissections can be added to any of the programs marked with an asterisk (*).
LESSON TOPICS
Birds in the Park*: Discover where native birds live, what they eat, and why they are able to fly
Buffalo Chat: Learn interesting facts about our bison herd and discover where these iconic animals roam
Dig It: Understand the importance of gardens and learn how to care for herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables
Food Chains + Food Webs*: Classify the roles of organisms in a food web and create food chain diagrams as you learn about the Park’s native wildlife.
Habitats*: Identify the variety of species that make their homes in the Park's lakes, forests and grasslands
Insects in the Park: Learn about native insects and the characteristics that help them survive
Native Mammals: Get to know the mammals that call the Park "home" and classify each mammal as a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore
Native Reptiles: Identify the reptiles that live in the Park and investigate the adaptations that help them survive
MOBILE CLASSROOM VISITS: Can’t make it to the Park? We can bring the Park to you! Mobile Classroom topics include: Habitats, Food Chains + Food Webs, Native Mammals, Native Reptiles, and Birds in the Park.
PRICING
Field Trips: $4 per student (no charge for teachers + chaperones)
Mobile Classroom Programs: $3 per student (no charge for teachers + chaperones)
Owl Pellet Dissection Add-on: Owl Pellet Dissections are a great hands-on activity addition for students! Our educator will bring dissection tools, charts, and the owl pellets to lead your students through the dissection activity. Pricing varies and will be added to your field trip fee. Please contact Christina Fortenberry at cfortenberry@shelbyfarmspark.org for details.
RESERVATIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information and to reserve your field trip or mobile classroom, 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.
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/WES/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
Activities
Nature at Home Challenge
Park Word Scramble
Education Programs at Shelby Farms Park are supported by
