With an abundance of natural and cultural history resources, Boulder County offers a variety of programs to schools and organizations. Take advantage of these free and fun programs available to groups of all sizes. Outdoor, indoor, and virtual programs can be tailored to the interests of your group.
Field Trip & Program Requests
Nature Programs
Schools and community groups can explore local ecosystems, wildlife, plants, and geology through field trips and classroom programs.
Field Trips
Field trips can be arranged for groups of any age for any time of the year. Suggested field trip topics include:
- Wetlands Exploration at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat or Pella Crossing.
- Foothills Ecology at Heil Valley Ranch.
- Birds and their Habitat at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, Pella Crossing, or Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm.
- Wildlife, Habitat and Life Zones at any of the above properties plus Betasso Preserve, Bald Mountain Scenic Area, Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain, Caribou Ranch, or Mud Lake.
- Geology Hikes at Heil Valley Ranch, Hall Ranch, Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain, Caribou Ranch, or Mud Lake.
- Request a Field Trip or contact Angela Borland aborland@bouldercounty.gov.
Indoor Programs
can be arranged for groups of any age for any time of the year. Suggested field trip topics include:
Indoor programs can be arranged for groups of any age during the months of November through March and June through September. Suggested programs include:
- Living Map (room-sized map of Boulder County used to teach about water resources, geology, wildlife and life zones)
- Backyard Wildlife, Wildlife in Winter, Insects and Spiders, and other wildlife and natural history topics
- Geology with 3-D map of Boulder County and hands-on demonstrations and activities
- Request a Program or contact Angela Borland at aborland@bouldercounty.gov.
Middle & High Schools
More advanced field trips, presentations, and citizen science projects can be arranged by contacting Angela Borland at aborland@bouldercounty.gov.
History Programs
Staff and volunteers share the history of Boulder County at historical mining, farming, and ranching sites.
Agricultural Heritage Center
Take a guided tour of the Ag Heritage Center and experience early 1900s farm life first-hand. Exhibits include live animals, a fully furnished 1909 farmhouse, and interactive displays about farming. After a guided tour, stay to enjoy lunch on our picnic grounds. Teachers can choose to add on one of several prepared natural history lessons at nearby McIntosh Lake.
- Request a Program or contact Jim Drew at jdrew@bouldercounty.gov.
Altona Schoolhouse
Visit the historic Altona Schoolhouse at Heil Valley Ranch. The schoolhouse seats about 25 students. If there are two classes, your group will be split, so half “attend school” while the other half hikes a nearby trail, and then the groups switch. This option makes for a two-hour program combining natural and cultural history. You can choose from three, one-hour programs:
- 1880s School Day
- Mining History: Explore Boulder County’s gold, silver, and tungsten roots
Field trips are available any weekday May-October.
- Request a Program or contact Sheryl Kippen at skippen@bouldercounty.gov.
Nederland Mining Museum
Take advantage of this local opportunity to fulfill curriculum requirements for history and science. This field trip for up to two classes includes two sites:
- Nederland Mining Museum: students engage in hands-on activities about Colorado mining history.
- Mud Lake Open Space: students explore the foothills ecology and wildlife.
Programs are available starting at 10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays from May to early October.
- Request a Field Trip or contact Sheryl Kippen at skippen@bouldercounty.gov.
Walker Ranch School Days
Programs are geared towards 3rd-5th grade classes studying local and state history. Field trips to the Walker Ranch Homestead explore ranchers’ lives between 1880 and 1900. Students will get hands on experience churning butter, doing laundry on the washboard, and comparing ranch life to life in modern times.
- Field trips run from 10 a.m. to noon.
- You can also do a picnic lunch at a nearby group shelter.
Field trips are available Sept. 10-12 and 17-19.
- Request a Program or contact Sheryl Kippen at skippen@bouldercounty.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Scout groups, adult classes, faith-based groups, community clubs and organizations of eight or more are all welcome.
It depends on the location. Most locations can accommodate between 40-60 people.
Yes. Our programs are aligned with a number of the grade level expectations for Life Science, Earth Science, History and Geography standards. We can provide more specific information about alignments to certain programs upon request.
Yes. Limited bus funding is available for Boulder Valley School District and St Vrain Valley School District schools needing assistance with transportation costs. For information, contact Jim Drew jdrew@bouldercounty.gov.
We ask that you schedule programs at least 4 weeks in advance. Reservations are taken up to a year in advance.
We have a few naturalists with Spanish language skills – with advance notice we can plan a bilingual English-Spanish program.
We welcome children with special needs to our programs, but need advance notice to be adequately prepared. You must bring an aide or assistant who is familiar with the children. When you register, we can discuss with you any special preparations or limitations.
Field trip sites have outhouse pit toilets, but no running water. Groups should bring drinking water and hand sanitizer if desired.
Sites have shelters or picnic tables available for you to enjoy. Please mention your desire for a picnic lunch when you register so we can reserve the shelter for you when possible.
E Movement is a collaborative effort among environmental educators in the county. They assist teachers and schools in providing the most effective environmental education that builds upon past experiences and prepares for the future.
Request a program using one of our special program or field trip request forms found on our event registration website. If you do not have a Discover Boulder County account, you’ll need to create one. But it’s easy and we only use your contact information to communicate about events you register for. We will never sell or give your information to a third party.
- Agricultural Heritage Center Tour Request
- Altona Schoolhouse Tour Request
- Classroom Program Request
- School Field Trip Request
- Walker Ranch Homestead Tour Request
If you would rather contact someone directly:
- Nature Programs: Angela Borland, aborland@bouldercounty.gov, 303-678-6215
- History Programs: Sheryl Kippen, skippen@bouldercounty.gov, 303-776-8848
Contact Us
Nature Programs
Angela Borland
aborland@bouldercounty.gov
303-678-6215
History Programs
Sheryl Kippen
skippen@bouldercounty.gov
303-776-8848