Cub Run Rec Center

703-817-9407 TTY 711
4630 Stonecroft Blvd.
Chantilly, VA
Thea Angeli
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:

School Field trips are offered in a variety of nature/science/historic themes. All offer hands-on learning for children in grades Pre-K to 7th, all geared to the SOL's. The outdoor programs at the Cub Run RECenter and Sully Woodlands nearby, give students an opportunity to explore the natural world in the Park Authority's newest and biggest property assemblage of over 2,000 acres in western Fairfax County. Our creek, the Cub Run, allows for some amazing water connections and explorations.

School Fieldtrip MenuPicture 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.

The main objective of "Discovery Hunt" is to use our senses to discover more about nature and the season. Our "hunts" use games, categorizing, and sensory activities to focus on colors, shapes, textures, sounds, and smells in nature. We focus on describing our world with words. (1 hr) (VA SOL's 1.4 & 1.5)

Explore the many different small creatures that we find all around us. Very few of them are really "bugs", but rather beetles, millipedes, isopods, spiders, and worms. Examine these invertebrates close up and study the special adaptations of these animals. (1 hr) (VA SOL's K.6, 1.5 and 1.7)

Study the meaning of "habitat", as defined by the need for food, water, shelter, and space, illustrated through a variety of activities. Explore Cub Run’s stream valley for the variety of habitats/critters we have here. (1-1/2 hours) (VA SOL's 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.10, 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8)

Explore up close the life cycles of insect, plants, birds, mammals, and/or amphibians. Emphasis is placed on the different types of development that take place in these living things. (1-1/2 hours) (VA SOL's 2.4, 2.7, 3.5, 3.6) - Most Popular class for 2nd graders.

Discover the plants of the Cub Run trails through role-playing, hunts, and games. Depending on the season and the teacher's objective, the program can emphasize leaves, seeds, twigs, buds or flowers. (1 or 1-1/2 hrs) (VA SOL's 1.4)

From thorns and tendrils to teeth and talons, plants and animals are equipped with an amazing array of structures and behaviors to help them stay alive. We'll identify some survival adaptations during the introduction then search for more in various habitats of sully woodlands. (1 hr) (VA SOL's K.1, K.2, K.4, K.6, K.8, K.9, 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 2.4, 2.6, 2.5, 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.10, 4.5, 4.8) - Most popular for 3rd graders

Learn about watersheds as we hike Cub Run’s trails. What happens when water hits the ground? What is a watershed? We will hike through the upland forest, down the slope to the floodplain, to the vernal pools and creek, exploring all along the way. We will investigate our stormwater management pond and raingarden and learn about their job cleaning the water before it reaches our creeks and rivers. (SOL: 2.3, 2.5, 3.7, 3.9, 4.1, 4.8, 5.7, 6.5

Native Americans, Colonists and other early Virginia settlements depended on water for all their needs. Program will highlight the importance of waterways for transportation, food supply and commerce through the centuries, comparing and contrasting the different people who lived here. We will walk to Cub Run stream valley for an up close look at the stream and a ruined 19th century mill. (Possible VA SOL's Social studies 2.9, 2.7 Virginia studies VS1 and VS2.)

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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