703-631-0013
TTY 711
John Shafer,
Manager
Step by Step Instructions to Request a Field Trip Date: Read all instructions before beginning your booking process
If you are requesting a date less than two weeks in advance, please call the park for availability.
Please note that sites limit the total number of students per day. Larger groups may be accommodated over multiple days.
Supplement your child's science or history lessons with real experiences and application of the concepts required in the Virginia Standards of Learning. Registration is limited to allow for social distancing. All attendees, parents and students must register to control group size. These are not drop-off programs. One adult must register with each family/pod.
For a family or pod of up to 9 people
Bring your student to the park, and learn about subjects that reflect your student's school curriculum. These small-group explorations are engaging and interactive.
Contact us for availability by phone at 703-631-0013, or email Karen.Monroe@FairfaxCounty.gov.
Due to limited staffing, we have reduced the number of open field trip slots on our reservation calendar. To check on availabilities or to request a date less than two weeks in advance, please contact us by phone at 703-631-0013 or email at Karen.Monroe@FairfaxCounty.gov.
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park is well suited to reinforce students’ knowledge of Virginia history and natural resources. Its 650 acres feature historic structures, evidence of past land use, and diverse natural habitats. Students can see firsthand the relationships among plants, animals and their environments and human impacts on the natural world. The Walney Visitor Center features a live animal display and exhibits about the parkland’s history.
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
Students explore the characteristics of the current season by using their senses to make observations on this fun and interactive trail walk. Other activities include a trail listening exercise and a game.
SOLs addressed include Science K.6, 1.5, 2.4.
1 hour
Young learners explore the Walney Visitor Center grounds to find shapes and colors. Students identify shapes and colors and guess what they might find of similar shapes and colors in nature. They explore and discuss the how and why of what they find with a naturalist.
SOLs addressed include Science K.4, K.7.
1 hour
Act in a play to learn about our smallest friends. Explore the life cycle of ants as you role-play. Observe ants in the wild and identify the physical characteristics of ants.
SOLs include K.7, K.6 and K.5
1 hour
Students learn about the food web, life cycles and decomposition. There are naturalist-led discussions and field observations that focus on the life of worms and who depends on them for a meal. Students look for worms in leaf litter and beneath logs. They collect and observe the worms before releasing them.
SOLs addressed include Science K.6, 1.4, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.5, 4.5.
1 hour
Students compare and contrast meadow and stream habitats. They draw conclusions about the general characteristics of the insects found in each habitat by making observations through field collection. Students explore the insect world’s biodiversity and the importance of insects to other animals and plants. This program meets at the Cabell’s Mill complex across from Walney Pond, 5235 Walney Road, Centreville.
SOLs addressed include Science 2.4, 2.5.
1.5 hours
Students investigate the physical and biological characteristics of a pond habitat through hands-on collection and release of aquatic insects and other pond dwellers. Naturalists discuss the interdependency of life at the pond, habitat characteristics, and how human actions affect water quality and aquatic habitat life. This program meets at Walney Pond. SOLs addressed include Science 2.4 and 2.5.
1.5 hours
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
Students compare and contrast meadow and stream habitats and draw conclusions about the general characteristics of insects found in each by making observations through field collection. Students explore insect world biodiversity and the importance of insects to other animals and plants. This program meets at the Cabell’s Mill complex across from Walney Pond, 5235 Walney Road, Centreville.
SOLs addressed include Science 2.4, 2.5.
1.5 hours
Students investigate the physical and biological characteristics of a pond habitat through hands-on collection and release of aquatic insects and other pond dwellers. Naturalists lead observation and discussion of the interdependency of life at the pond, habitat characteristics, and how human actions affect water quality and life in aquatic habitats. This program meets at Walney Pond.
SOLs addressed include Science 2.4 and 2.5.
1.5 hours
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
Students learn the basics of tree biology, identification and the important roles trees, both dead and alive, play in the environment through an interactive game, discussions and a trail walk. Depending on the season, naturalists guide students in tree identification by examining and comparing leaves, barks, twigs and/or seeds.
SOLs addressed include Science 1.4, 2.4, 3.8
1 hour
Students explore what life may have been like for Eastern Woodland Indians and the relationship they would have had with the land that is now Fairfax County. Students rotate among five stations and learn about the uses of fire, native plants and animals, food ways, personal decoration and skill-based games. Activities include a trail hike in search of native plants and animals, corn grinding, and a corn dart game. Naturalists talk about the material evidence these peoples and those who came before them left behind.
SOLs addressed include HSS 2.2 and VS.2.
1.5 hours
Students investigate the physical and biological characteristics of a pond habitat through hands-on collection and release of aquatic insects and other pond dwellers. Naturalists discuss the interdependency of life at the pond, habitat characteristics and how human actions affect water quality and the life in aquatic habitats. This program meets at Walney Pond.
SOLs addressed include Science 2.4 and 2.5.
1.5 hours
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
On a short trail hike, students learn about the components of soil and observe soil layers, decomposition and the impact of erosion in a forest. Interactive games demonstrate the water cycle and prompt discussion of how clean water is a resource important to all living things.
SOLs addressed include Science 2.3, 2.6, 2.7 and 3.9.
1.5 hours
Students explore what life may have been like for Eastern Woodland Indians and the relationship they would have had with the land that is now Fairfax County. Students rotate among five stations to learn about the uses of fire, the uses of native plants and animals, food ways, personal decoration and skill-based games. Activities include a trail hike in search of native plants and animals, corn grinding, and a corn dart game. Naturalists talk about the material evidence these peoples and those who came before them left behind.
SOLs addressed include HSS 2.2 and VS.2.
1.5 hours
What determines, in part, which animals call Ellanor C. Lawrence Park their home? Students use critical thinking and observation to answer this question on a guided trail hike. They compare the habitat needs of an assigned animal species with what they identify as suitable food, water, shelter and safe places to raise young in the park.
SOLs addressed include SCI 3.4, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5.
1 hour
Students learn what makes a plant a plant. During field study, students make observations and draw conclusions by examining plants in different systems. They note animal and plant interactions and look into plants’ roles in soil building. Naturalist-led discussion includes basic plant biology and reproduction strategies, the role of plants in ecosystems and food webs, and why conservation is important. Students learn to identify, through comparison and contrast, at least three different plant types.
SOLs addressed include SCI 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 3.10, 4.4, 4.5 and 4.8.
1 hour.
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
Explore local watersheds to gain an understanding of the importance of water as a natural resource for all life. Students will determine water quality and compare different aquatic habitats through hands on investigation such as collection and release of benthic macro invertebrates and other aquatic creatures. Naturalist led discussion will include the interdependency of life and the flow of energy in water ecosystems in addition to the effect of human activity on water quality. This program meets at Walney Pond.
SOLs addressed include Science 1.8, 2.4, 2.5, 3.5, 3.7, 4.3 and 4.8.
1.5 hours
What choices did 19th century residents of Ellanor C. Lawrence Park make to survive the Civil War? Experience the Civil War through the eyes of the soldiers, civilians and enslaved people who lived here. Activities include photo analysis, document analysis, and drilling with a soldier.
SOLs covered include Social Studies VS.7 and USI.9.
2 hours
Students explore what life may have been like for Eastern Woodland Indians and the relationship they would have had with the land that is now Fairfax County at the time of European colonization. Students rotate among five stations to learn about the uses of fire, the uses of native plants and animals, food ways, personal decoration and skill-based games. Activities include a trail hike in search of native plants and animals, corn grinding, and a corn dart game. Naturalists talk about the material evidence these peoples and those who came before them left behind.
SOLs addressed include HSS 2.2 and VS.2.
1.5 hours
Explore the life cycles and habitats of Reptiles and Amphibians. Then meet reptiles and amphibians that reside at the Walney Visitor Center in a hands-on exploration.
SOLs addressed include SCI K.6, SCI 1.5, SCI 2.4, SC I3.4 SCI 3.5, SCI 4.5, SCI 5.5
1 hour
Explore local watersheds to gain an understanding of the importance of water as a natural resource for all life. Students will determine water quality and compare different aquatic habitats through hands on investigation such as collection and release of benthic macro invertebrates and other aquatic creatures. Naturalist led discussion will include the interdependency of life and the flow of energy in water ecosystems in addition to the effect of human activity on water quality. This program meets at Walney Pond.
SOLs addressed include Science 1.8, 2.4, 2.5, 3.5, 3.7, 4.3 and 4.8.
1.5 hours
