Program Offerings

DBOC programs provide unique opportunities to extend classroom learning while fostering awe, wonder, and curiosity for the natural world!

Class information:

All DBOC classes are hands-on, inquiry-based, and focus on students’ direct engagement with nature.
Classes are grade-level appropriate and support Missouri State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.
Depending on grade level, group size, weather, and other factors, specific activities will vary for each class offering.
The DBOC requires a 10:1 student-to-chaperone ratio for all classes.
Unless otherwise noted, each class is 2 hours in length.
Unless otherwise noted, each class can accommodate a maximum of 30 students. In some instances (and typically with the addition of a self-guided component), we can accommodate more than 30 students. For more information, contact Jessie Dockins, the DBOC school programs coordinator, at jdockins@mobot.org.

Click here to learn about registration, pricing, and scholarships.

Ecology Classes

Ecosystem Explorations

These classes focus on investigating Missouri's ecosystems while building inquiry and other 21st-century skills. As students explore the forest, wetland, and/or prairie, they will practice making close and careful observations, asking thoughtful questions, and seeking connections between the aspects of nature they investigate and their personal and academic lives. Teachers may choose to focus on 1 ecosystem or investigate all 3 ecosystems in our Ecosystem Sampler.

Ecosystem Sampler

Forest Ecology

Wetland Ecology

Prairie Ecology

Focused Investigations

These classes focus on exploring specific plant and animal communities and their roles and relationships within Missouri's ecosystems. For more information, check out the class descriptions below!

Invertebrate Ecology

Using scientific tools and methods, students will search for invertebrates and the evidence that invertebrates leave behind. Like scientists, students will practice observing, asking questions, and researching the organisms they discover. This class concludes with a “critter convention,” in which students share their discoveries, observations, and research with their peers.

Bird Ecology

Students will explore birds from many perspectives in this popular class. Along a student-led bird walk, learners will search for birds and the signs they leave behind while practicing the basics of bird identification. Students will then dive into bird behavior, investigating the main types of bird calls and how to interpret them. Finally, students will apply their bird language skills by recording, analyzing, and interpreting the behavior of birds around the DBOC. The prerequisite for this class is Ecosystem Sampler (or one of the other Ecosystem Exploration classes).

Aquatic Ecology

In this 3-hour class, students will explore an aquatic ecosystem and investigate the unique communities living beneath the water’s surface. Like scientists, students will practice observing, asking questions, researching the organisms they discover, and sharing their findings with peers. This class includes a 30–60 minute walk to a pond, lake, stream, or river. Your DBOC school programs coordinator will work with you to determine which aquatic ecosystem is the best fit for your group.

Art Classes

Art in Nature

This class encourages students to create ephemeral art from the natural world. After viewing and discussing examples of nature art, students will use natural objects to create art pieces that represent their relationship with the natural world. Class concludes with a “gallery walk” of students’ artistic creations!!

Navigation Classes

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Challenge your students to a GPS scavenger hunt! After learning how to use GPS, students will put their skills to the test, navigating the Nature Reserve while hunting for hidden GPS boxes. Working together, student groups will use clues found in the boxes to solve nature mysteries. A 5:1 student-to-chaperone ratio is recommended for this class. (This class can accommodate 40 students.)

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