School Field Trips at Cub Creek Science Camp
A Hands-On Animal Experience for Students
Bring your students beyond the classroom for a hands-on day with animals at Cub Creek Science Camp!
A field trip to Bear River Ranch gives students the opportunity to explore our animal area, meet animals from around the world, and learn directly from our Animal Team. Students won't simply walk past exhibits—they'll have opportunities for up-close encounters with some of our social animals while learning about their behaviors, adaptations, habitats, diets, and care.
During their guided experience, students will rotate through several areas of our animal collection, from reptiles and small mammals to birds, native Missouri wildlife, and exotic species. Depending on the animals and activities available that day, students may even have opportunities to touch, handle, or feed some of the animals they meet.
It's part field trip, part animal encounter, and part science lesson—all in one unforgettable day.
What Students Will Explore
- Pentagon & Aviary: Get hands-on with some of our most social animals! Pet wallabies and cavies while learning about where they come from in the wild. Afterward, learn about the wide variety of birds that call our camp home.
- Jungle Building: See species you've likely never encountered before. This is one of our most diverse animal areas and gives students the chance to learn about species from around the world.
- Reptiles: Explore our collection of unique lizards, turtles, geckos, and other reptiles. Students may even have the opportunity to face some fears by holding a snake.
- Small Animal Room: Not all of our animals are wild! This area features familiar and less-common household pets and small mammals.
- Lemur Island: Come face-to-face with one of our lemur colonies and learn about the care, behavior, and social structure of these remarkable primates.
- Nature Center: Explore our Nature Center and learn about Missouri and U.S. native animals that are not found throughout the rest of our collection.
- Other Animal Areas: Throughout the tour, students may also encounter farm animals, small mammals, and many more members of our animal collection.
Groups also have the opportunity to eat lunch alongside one of our lemur colonies in our Dining Hall.
Field Trip Schedule
Students will gather in our meeting hall. Restrooms are available, and payment can be completed in the office at this time. Please note that arriving earlier than 10:00 a.m. does not move the tour schedule forward.
We'll introduce students to the day, review important safety rules, and explain what to expect during the tour. Students will also learn about the lemur colony that lives in our Dining Hall.
Students will eat before heading to the Animal Area. Lunch is not provided, so each student should bring a sack lunch.
Students will clean up after lunch, put away belongings, and separate into their assigned tour groups.
Groups will rotate through the different sections of our Animal Area for hands-on encounters, animal presentations, and opportunities to learn about species from around the world.
All groups will return to the Dining Hall to finish the experience together.
Students will wash their hands and have an opportunity to use the restrooms before heading home.
Field trips are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Spring dates fill quickly, so we encourage groups to reserve their preferred date as early as possible.
School Field Trip Policies
Reservations- Field Trips are scheduled prior to a groups' arrival at the Ranch. Confirmation of your Field Trip is done through our main office. Walk-ins are not available.
Payment Policy- Payment is due prior or at the time of arrival. All payments are made in our office or through a Cub Creek/Bear River Ranch employee.
Dress Code- Please make sure that students, teachers, and chaperones are dressed and ready for the weather. We are able to hold Field Trips in all kinds of weather! We require all guests of the Ranch to have closed-toe shoes! Guests wearing sandals, flip-flops, etc. will be asked to not travel to the animal area.
Chaperon Requirements- All Chaperones MUST stay with the group. Parents may not tour the animal area or facility on their own without an employee of the Ranch. Failure to comply with this may result in asking guests to leave the Ranch.
Participant Eligibility- All participants of the Field Trip, excluding teachers with their class, are expected to pay $10. Parent chaperones and children not in the school group above the age of 3 are considered participants and should pay in the office before the event. A minimum of 25 students must participate for a school/organization to be eligible for a field trip. If your group has less than 25 people, you can combine with another group to meet requirements. Give us a call, we're happy to help work something out. There is also a maximum of 120 participants. If your group is 100+ we ask no additional chaperones are invited. It is always best to ask if additional participants can be added. There may be multiple groups on seperate tours using the facility if you have a group size of less than 50 people.
Accessibility- Our facility is wheelchair, walker, stroller and scooter accessible!
Rules- All participants must follow our Animal Area Rules. These will be told at the start of the tour, but to prepare participants ahead of time, they are also listed below:
- No food or drink besides water is allowed in our Animal Area. Items may be stored in our Dining Hall while the group is touring.
- Please keep hands to yourself. For participant and animal safety, please do not lean on fencing or put fingers into enclosures. Specific animals are available to touch and tour guides will let you know when an animal can be interacted with.
- Pet animals with two fingers. Our animals love having visitors, but to make each tour a pleasant experience for them, we ask everyone uses only two fingers to pet our animals and to never grab at one.
- Stay with the group at all times. All participants should be in eyesight of the tour guide unless given specific permission otherwise. Wandering guests may be asked to leave.
- Please treat our animals with respect. Chasing animals or touching them without permission will not be tolerated. Voices should stay to an excited whisper, especially while the tour guide is talking or inside buildings.