Planning your K-12 school or group visit
So you’ve decided on a field trip to Osprey Wilds? Congratulations! You and your students are going to love it here and the experiential nature-focused learning they receive is guaranteed to have a positive lifetime impact on them.
What next?
Download our K-12 Trip Planner for an overview of our K-12 program as well as class choices, costs, timelines, and required forms. Then, simply follow the steps below:
CHECK – Contact us to see if your desired dates are available
You’ll want to choose your dates as far in advance as possible, since our busiest times (September, October, April and May) tend to fill as far as a year in advance. We’ll work with you to schedule your visit as close as possible to your desired timeframe.
To check date availability, get a quote for your visit, and ask any questions you may have:
- Email our schools coordinator at schools@ospreywilds.org, or
- Call us at 320-245-2648
CONFIRM – Return signed Reservation Agreement
Once you’ve worked with our reservations coordinator to determine dates, you will be sent a Reservation Agreement (RA) that you will complete and return to us. Your reservation is not confirmed until we receive the form back from you, so tentative holds may be released after 2 weeks .
Note that if you are a returning school and want to return at the same time the following year, you’ll have priority for the next year as long as you make your reservation within two weeks of your visit this year – provided we get a signed RA.
SELECT – Choose classes and determine your number of students
As soon as possible (but at least two months prior to your visit), determine your goals for visiting us, read our class descriptions and complete the Scheduling Form, to indicate which classes you prefer. Return the Scheduling Form to us via email, fax, or mail. Please note: Numbers of students and adults need to be confirmed on this form; those confirmed student and adult numbers – with a fudge factor of 10% – will be the minimum number of people you will be billed for.
The earlier we receive the Scheduling Form, the easier it is for us to ensure adequate program staffing and the better your chances of getting your first choice classes. We will do our best to accommodate changes to your class choices, should you later decide to change selections.
If you’d like assistance in choosing classes and developing a detailed schedule for your school’s visit to Osprey Wilds, please contact us at 320-245-2648 or schools@ospreywilds.org.
PLEASE NOTE: Adventure Classes require your school to provide additional adult helpers – see Class Descriptions for details.
PREPARE – Get forms and information to parents
Send information and required forms to students and parents as well as chaperones, including Information for Parents/Guardians, What to Bring, Health Form, and Liability Form – click here to access all student and parent forms; you can also find a complete listing of forms in the appendix of the Trip Planner.
- Talk with your students and chaperones about the upcoming trip – discuss expectations (theirs, yours, and ours) and responsibilities.
- We’d be happy to present to your group! Please let us know if your chaperones and/or students would benefit from a visit from one of our staff to learn more about their upcoming trip.
PLEASE NOTE: Of critical importance is the Liability Form – students cannot participate in any programs here at Osprey Wilds unless we have that completed and signed by a parent or guardian.
ORGANIZE – Submit logistical information to Osprey Wilds
At least two weeks prior to arrival, complete and return to Osprey Wilds the Pre-Trip Logistics which includes the following information:
- Health Form Summary
- Snack Options & Birthdays
- Learning Group Assignments
- Room Assignments
- Kitchen Patrol (KP) Helper Assignments
FORMS – Double check that you have received required forms from EVERY STUDENT
PACK – Away you go!
Pack your bags, gather your forms, load up your students and come to Osprey Wilds for your environmental education experience!