School Programs
Blue Jay Point offers a variety of programs, including many workshops for NC Environmental Education Certification or CEU credits! See the Public Programs page or the current Quarterly for upcoming Adult workshops and classes. To register, contact the Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education at: 919-870-4330.
Blue Jay also offers many field trip opportunities for both traditional classroom and homeschool groups. For grade-specific information, please see below:
There are four options available for planning an environmental education field trip to Blue Jay Point. Reservations are required for all programs, field trips, and materials. Please see the Field Trip Facts sheet for more information on program options & fees and scheduling a field trip.
- General Group Visit – Teachers prepare and lead the activities or secure services of a non-park specialist to present their program. No staff-led services are included with this option. Notice of large group trips 75 people is appreciated. We have tips to help make your trip a success!
- Discovery Box/Resource Loan – This includes in-park use of reserved Discovery Boxes written activity instructions plus necessary equipment , library resources and miscellaneous equipment. No staff-led program services are included in this option. Reservation of materials is required.
- Guided Program – This option includes services of Blue Jay Point staff conducting a one-hour nature program. Single-grade programs are for a typical class size, with one chaperone per five children. Multi-age programs 5-8 years, 9-12 years, and 13 and up are for groups of 15 or less, with one chaperone per five children. Please see our Educational Programs page for more information on program topics and scheduling group programs or see below for suggestions for your grade-level. Contact staff to schedule a program at least two months in advance. Use of the classroom is limited to program time only as determined by program leader.
- Overnight Lodge – This option includes overnight use of the Lodge, library resources, Discovery Boxes and equipment, as available. No staff-led program services are included, though you are welcome to schedule guided programs during your stay please see above. Please read the following for more information about our Overnight Lodge facility.
Check this out! For a great "kid's eye view" of an overnight field trip to Blue Jay Point, listen to the experiences of a fifth-grade class from Wendell!
The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Fledglings Program sheet – series of group programs designed for preschool and kindergarten-aged children, just ready to learn about the natural world.
- Junior Discovery Box List – ready-to-go activity boxes especially appropriate for children in grades K-2.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting preschool class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Fledglings Program sheet – series of group programs designed for preschool and kindergarten-aged children, just ready to learn about the natural world.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point for elementary-aged students, including spring-semester Kindergarteners (January - June)
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet – a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Junior Discovery Box List – ready-to-go activity boxes especially appropriate for children in grades K-2.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting Kindergarten class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point; the following programs are some that are especially suited to your curriculum:
- Habitat Hike – Learn about interrelationships between plants and animals as we search for the components of habitat.
- Nature Walk – Learn a potpourri of subjects from plant identification to habitat concepts to bird watching and more. Help students feel comfortable in an outdoor setting and give them a chance to use their observation skills.
- Pond Study – Learn about aquatic insects and other animals, how to identify them, and how they make their living in a watery world.
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet - a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Junior Discovery Box List – ready-to-go activity boxes especially appropriate for children in grades K-2.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting first-grade class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point; the following programs are some that are especially suited to your curriculum:
- Incredible Insects – What makes an insect an insect? How do they grow up and where can we find them? (year-round)
- Piedmont Communities Hike – Discover the history of the piedmont area and how people's use of the land has changed over time. Learn about he connection between people, plants, and animals in this hike-based program.
- Pond Study – Learn about aquatic insects and other animals, how to identify them, and how they make their living in a watery world.
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet - a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Junior Discovery Box List – ready-to-go activity boxes especially appropriate for children in grades K-2.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting second-grade class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point; the following programs are some that are especially suited to your curriculum:
- Plants to Ponder – Explore the variety of plants at Blue Jay Point. Learn the differences between trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, how to identify them, and how they grow, survive and reproduce.
- Gardening for Wildlife – Learn how to turn your backyard or schoolyard into prime wildlife habitat while learning the components of a good habitat.
- The Rotten Truth – Explore composting and the tiny organisms that make it happen--from nature's decomposition to man-made composting!
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet - a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Discovery Box list – ready-to-go activity boxes to use in the park.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting third-grade class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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Fourth Grade
The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point; the following programs are some that are especially suited to your curriculum:
- Bird Adaptations – Explore different adaptations, which birds have them and why.
- Beaver Hike – Learn about the habitat, adaptations and lifestyle of beavers in this lengthy hike-based program.
- Hurray for Herps – Compare and contrast reptile and amphibian bodies, lifestyles and life cycles.
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet - a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Discovery Box list- ready-to-go activity boxes especially appropriate for children in grades K-2.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting fourth-grade class or classes.
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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Blue Jay has numerous field trip options, from Discovery Boxes, to group programs, to overnight Lodge stays.
Per an agreement with the Elementary Science Chair, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) may pay for one group program and/or one night in our overnight Lodge per fifth-grade WCPSS class, subject to availability. Those who book early can take advantage of this opportunity.
The following information may be useful to any fifth-grade teacher in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point; the following programs are some that are especially suited to your curriculum:
- Piedmont Communities Hike – Discover the history of the piedmont area and how people's use of the land has changed over time. Learn about he connection between people, plants, and animals in this hike-based program.
- Pond Study – Learn about aquatic insects and other animals, how to identify them and how they make their living in a watery world.
- Habitat Hike – Learn about interrelationships between plants and animals and their environment as we visit three prominent piedmont habitats.
- Curriculum Correlation Sheet - a full listing of our group programs with their curriculum correlations for K-5.
- Discovery Box list – ready-to-go activity boxes to use in the park.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class or classes.
- Overnight Lodge- information on our overnight Lodge
- Sample overnight trip agenda – a night in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve the Lodge, group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point.
- Environmental Studies program sheet – these programs are specifically designed for groups studying biology, ecology and environmental science.
- Middle & High School Discovery Box list – ready-to-go activity boxes to use in the park, most suitable for older students.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class or classes.
- Overnight Lodge – information on our overnight Lodge
- Sample overnight trip agenda – a night in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
^top
High School
The following information may be useful to you in planning a field trip to Blue Jay Point:
- Field Trip Facts sheet – information on field trip options and scheduling procedures.
- Group Programs sheet – list of staff-led programs available at Blue Jay Point.
- Environmental Studies program sheet – these programs are specifically designed for groups studying biology, ecology and environmental science.
- Middle & High School Discovery Box list – ready-to-go activity boxes to use in the park, most suitable for older students.
- Sample day-trip agenda – a day in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class or classes.
- Overnight Lodge – information on our overnight Lodge
- Sample overnight trip agenda – a night in the life of a visiting fifth-grade class
- Map to Blue Jay Point
Please call us to reserve group programs or Discovery Boxes. We begin taking reservations one year in advance, so the earlier the better!!
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