Cub Run Rec Center

703-817-9407 TTY 711
4630 Stonecroft Blvd.
Chantilly, VA
Natalie Sandelli
Naturalist

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Cub Run Rec Center Nature, Science and History Programs

 

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Cub Run Rec Center is the only Rec Center with a resident naturalist, offering a wide array of science and nature programs. We are adjacent to hundreds of acres of parkland, providing a great opportunity for natural and cultural resources education. Programs range from family programs, kids, summer camp and scout programs.

School Field Trip Programs:

  • Click here for Field trip pricing
  • Field trips can run with all type of weather, please call 703-817-9407 to reschedule.  
  • Most Kindergarten and 1st grade field trips are 1 hour in length. 
  • Older grade field trips are 1 ½ hours in length.
  • Cub Run Rec Center has a large patio and picnic tables facing a playground and the woods. Please coordinate use of the patio and picnic areas when you schedule your field trip.

School Fieldtrip DetailsPicture of a Pileated Woodpecker

Programs are $6 per student for the one hour program, and $8 per student for the 1  ½ hour program. There is no charge for teachers. There is no deposit required. Simply pay by check, cash or credit card on the day of the program. We are prepared to host your field trip in a variety of weather, but you can cancel/reschedule at any time. Most Kindergarten and 1st grade programs are 1 hour. Older grades are 1 ½ hours.

Lunch: Stay for lunch after your field trip! Cub Run has a large patio with picnic tables, facing an awesome playground and the woods. Just let us know when you schedule your field trip.

Explore Cub Run Nature Programs

  • Grades: Kindergarten and 1st Grade
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Standards of Learning (SOL): K.3, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5
  • Description: This field trip encourages students to use their senses to explore and learn more about nature and the current season. Through engaging activities like games, categorizing, and sensory exploration, students focus on observing the colors, shapes, textures, sounds and smells of the natural world. Emphasis is placed on describing and articulating their surroundings through words.

  • Grades: Kindergarten through 3rd Grade
  • Duration: 1 hour or 1.5 hours
  • SOL: K.7, 1.5, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.6
  • Description: Discover the variety of small creatures found in the world around us. While many aren't technically "bugs," students will observe beetles, millipedes, isopods, spiders and worms. This hands-on exploration allows them to examine invertebrates up close and learn about the unique adaptations that help these animals survive.

  • Grades: 1st through 4th
  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • SOL: K.7, 1.5, 1.7, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.8, 4.8
  • Description: Learn the meaning of “habitat” by examining how food, water, shelter, and space support wildlife. Through interactive activities, students will explore Cub Run’s stream valley to discover the diversity of habitats and the creatures that call them home.

  • Grades: 2nd through 4th
  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • SOL: 2.4, 2.7, 3.4, 4.2, 4.3
  • Description: Examine the life cycles of insects, plants, birds, mammals, and amphibians up close. Emphasis is placed on understanding the various types of development that occur in these organisms. This is one of the most popular field trips for 2nd grade students.

  • Grades: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 4th
  • Duration: 1 hour or 1.5 hours
  • SOL: K.7, 1.4, 1.7, 2.4b, 2.8, 4.2, 4.8b
  • Description: Experience the plants of the Cub Run trails through engaging activities like role-playing, scavenger hunts, and games. Depending on the season and the teacher’s objectives, the program can focus on leaves, seeds, twigs, buds or flowers.

  • Grades: 2nd and 3rd
  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • SOL: 1.5, 2.7, 3.4
  • Description: Plants and animals are equipped with remarkable structures and behaviors—like thorns, tendrils, teeth and talons—to help them survive. During the introduction, students will identify various survival adaptations. Then, they’ll explore Sully Woodlands to search for more adaptations in different habitats. This program is especially popular with 3rd grade students.

  • Grades: 1st through 4th
  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • SOL: 1.4a, 1.5a, 1.8, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8a-b, 4.8, 6.6f, 6.8, 6.9a-c-e
  • Description: Discover what happens when water hits the ground and learn about watersheds as we hike the trails of Cub Run. Students will explore the upland forest, slope, floodplain, vernal pools and creek, investigating the habitats along the way. The program also includes a study of Cub Run’s stormwater management pond and raingarden, where students will learn how these systems help clean water before it flows into local creeks and rivers.

  • Grades: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 4th
  • Duration: 1 hour or 1.5 hours
  • Status: In progress
  • Description: Explore how Native Americans, colonists and other early Virginia settlers relied on waterways for essential needs. This program highlights the importance of streams and rivers for transportation, food supply and commerce through the centuries. Students will compare and contrast the lifestyles of different groups who lived in the region. The experience includes a walk to the Cub Run stream valley for a closer look at the stream and the remnants of a 19th-century mill.

Science & Nature Scout Programs:Picture of an owl in a tree near Cub Run RECenter

We offer both Girl Scout, Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs here at Cub Run. Scouts are invited to sign up for scheduled programs advertised in Partakes. If these scheduled classes don’t work, we also can set up a program for you that meets your schedule. Simply call to set up a program for your den or troop. offer most badges that have to do with science or nature.

 

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