School Program Volunteer
Seasonal Training
Five Rivers MetroParks offers a wealth of onsite educational programs for area school groups. These programs are adaptable to a multidisciplinary curriculum and meet Ohio Academic Content Standards Benchmarks. To see the full lineup of educational field trips we offer: visit our community resource page on our website. Volunteers do not need to have a teaching degree to support our educational field trips, but they do need to enjoy helping kids learn about nature and encourage their curiosity and excitement about new discoveries!
We are welcoming back current volunteers, and recruiting new volunteers, to support our efforts with the educational field trips. Training for our school programs are seasonal with sessions in the Spring and Fall. This Annual training will focus on the Spring season and include: updates in program details, best practices for working with students in nature, engaging different age groups, and allowing volunteers to get better acquainted with the unique features of MetroParks, as well as, specific skills, and activities for volunteers to build their abilities.
We are expecting a full field trip calendar! Volunteers who are excited to work with youth are an essential part of making field trips an enjoyable learning experience for each group! Training will take place over 4 days, including field trips to Sugarcreek, Wegerzyn Gardens, and Carriage Hill MetroParks.
Day 1 and 2 - Cox Arboretum MetroPark
Wednesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 13
9 AM -3 PM, Kettering Learning Lab
Cox Arboretum MetroPark continues to be our most requested field trip location. Volunteers will spend mornings discussing and reviewing procedures (ie. safety and Get Connected features), field trip materials, and field trip outlines. Afternoons include walk-throughs of the Arboretum field trips and station activities. Spring field trip offerings include Butterflies & Bees, Ordovician Expedition, Habitat Safari, and Ecology Hike.
***Lunch will be provided for volunteers on these full-day sessions.
Day 3 - Part 1: Wegerzyn Gardens
Monday, March 17, 9 AM - 11:30 AM
The morning session will be at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark and focus on Growing Gardeners stations and cool park features to be discovered. This is a year-round field trip and volunteers will have a chance to learn about the many elements to explore at Wegerzyn during a field trip. It will be an interactive session with volunteers participating in many of the activities offered and discovering ways to engage young learners in activities and topics such as plant identification, guided nature hikes, and basic gardening tasks. We will also be welcoming our new staff lead for the Wegerzyn Gardens field trips.
Day 3 - Part 2: Carriage Hill MetroPark
Monday, March 17, 1:00-3:30 PM, Redwing Shelter
This is a great location for Habitat Safari. We will familiarize ourselves with the equipment box and field trip route as we lead our own Habitat Safari. ***Those volunteers attending both part 1 & 2 sessions will enjoy a boxed lunch at around 12:15 pm at Carriage Hill.
Day 4 - Sugarcreek MetroPark
Wednesday, March 19, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Ecology Hikes are popular at this location, and this session will focus on elements of a good discovery hike. Volunteers will investigate signs of spring, flag interesting stops along the way, and review the best hiking paths.
Additional Notes
- This is a Long-Term Volunteer Opportunity. Learn more about our types of service here.
- Volunteers will be standing, walking, bending over, and reaching. Walking through the field trips will require hiking (about 1-1.5 miles), pond-dipping, and insect netting.
- Volunteers should make every effort to attend all four sessions.
- If you can not attend all sessions but still want to support field trips, contact Yvonne.Dunphe@metroparks.org to schedule shadow experiences. Please RSVP for dates you can attend.
- An early Ecology hike is already scheduled with young learners on March 20. Volunteers interested in supporting the March 20 field trip are strongly encouraged to attend the March 19th training.
- Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes for hiking, and wear your volunteer t-shirt and name badge.
DO YOU QUALIFY? This training and opportunity are reserved for long-term volunteers who have completed their onboarding qualifications and have received an eligible background check (for volunteers 18 and older), Learn more about our volunteer orientation and onboarding here.
Learn more about the Programming Volunteer Position here.
