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Over 60 Years of Community Service 

ScoutS BSA Programs

TNC Environmental Educators can lead your scouts in an exploration of the wonders of the natural world and help your scouts earn any of several nature or environmental science badges. Hands-on learning, close observations with live animals and artifacts from our 380-acre living museum bring badges to life! Seasonal programs like apple cider making and maple sugaring and evening programs like night hikes and campfires are also available for scouts to participate in.

If a subject or badge that interests you does not appear below, please contact the Scout Coordinator for more information.

Scouts BSA Field Trips Programs

Designed to be taught at Tenafly Nature Center, however you can also schedule a TNC to Go program (at your location) to participate in some of these same experiences.

Sample Schedule

Field Trip Program

Evening Program 

 4:15 pm  Arrive at TNC & Light Snack  
 4:30 pm-5:00 pm

 Program Option (ex. Tigers: My Tiger Jungle)

 

 5:00 pm-5:30 pm  Campfire Add-on  
 5:30 pm  Depart TNC  Arrive at TNC
 5:45 pm-6:45 pm    Campfire
 6:45 pm-7:45 pm  Night Hike
 7:45 pm  Depart TNC


Scout BSA Field Trip Programs Available All Year 

(All program times are listed in description)

Click title to view description

Tigers


Get outdoors to discover bugs, birds, and animals that live at Tenafly Nature Center!


Take a hike! On this adventure, you will learn how to be a Tiger in the Wild.

Wolves


Maps and compasses are tools that have helped travelers for hundreds of years know if they are headed in the right direction. In this adventure, you will learn to read maps and use one on a hike. You’ll also get to make your own map and use a compass on a scavenger hunt.


Exploring far-away mountains. Traveling through deep, dark jungles. Crossing hot, dry deserts. The adventurers that mastered these journeys got their start on a short hike, just like the one you and your Wolf den are about to take! In this adventure, you will use your Scouting outdoor skills and learn more about the natural world around you.

Bears


Grab your binoculars and start exploring the natural world! In this adventure you will explore the world of mammals, birds, plants, and more. You will learn more about where wild creatures live and you will do your part to help them. You will practice the Outdoor Code by showing ways to be considerate in the outdoors.

Webelos


To survive in the wilderness, you need to learn survival skills long before you have to use them. This adventure will help you learn some of these important skills in case you ever get lost. Learning these skills will make you a better Scout and increase your chances of survival in an emergency. Requirements that may be compleated are 1a, 1c, 2a, 2c, 2d, 2f, and 2g; with a Campfire add-on included the requirements that may be compleated are 1a, 1b, 2a, 2c, 2d, 2f, and 2g.


Do you wonder what makes the howling, hooting, whistling, and humming sounds you hear at night? Do you wonder where flocks of birds are going when they fly overhead? When you go “into the wild,” you will begin to understand some of the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects that live with us day and night and how they contribute to the world in which we live.


Trees and plants play important roles in nature. In this adventure, you will get to learn about the plants and trees in your community by exploring Tenafly Nature Center. As you go into the woods in this adventure, you’ll learn what trees and plants do for us and for animals and why taking care of them is important to our planet’s well-being.


Hiking is walking with a purpose. It is great exercise and a fun activity to do with your den or family. In the Webelos Walkabout adventure, you’ll learn how to prepare for a hike, what you should bring along, and what you should do if there is an emergency. During your den hike, you’ll also have the chance to do a service project.

Seasonal Scout Field Trip Programs

(All programs are 1 hour)

Click title to view description


Scouts investigate simple machines and the differences in plant parts, as they use an old-fashioned screw press to make and sample fresh apple cider. In the process, they learn about the history of the cider making from colonial times to the present.


Scouts learn about the process of maple sugaring in North America by visiting our tapped Sugar Maple tree. (We encourage sap tasting, if enough has been collected.) We demonstrate both Native American and colonial syrup-making techniques. We challenge scouts to try to distinguish between corn syrup and 100% maple syrup by taste alone.


Using a variety of tools (dip nets, magnifiers, etc.) scouts will discover aquatic ecosystems and food chains participating in hands-on pond exploration. They will study diversity, adaptations and interrelationships among the organisms they find in the water, and will discuss how human activity impacts aquatic habitats.


Scouts will explore the wonders the season brings to the forest. On a walk along the trails, scouts will learn the forest plants and animals, and how they respond to seasonal changes! Check out tracks in the snow in winter, calling frogs and migrating birds in the spring, native plants and wildflowers in the summer and colorful autumn leaves.

Scouts BSA Merit Badge Workshops

A minimum of 6 scouts and maximum of 10 scouts are permitted at each workshop. Adults are welcome to join at the rate of one per scout.


Enjoy the outdoors and learn how to identify some of NJ’s most common inhabitants. With a little pre-study (Participants must obtain and read the Bird Study Merit Badge Book), you’ll complete all of the requirements in this one day field class!


Learn more about protecting nature by understanding how it works.


Learn about classification, food chains, and do a service project to help local mammals.


This half day workshop is all about snakes, turtles, lizards, and alligators, as well as frogs and salamanders. Learning about these creatures will lead to an appreciation for all native wildlife. Scouts will study the different species and observe the native species present at the Tenafly Nature Center.

Upcoming Workshops

Merit Badge Counseling

Other Merit Badge Counseling Offerings: Insect Study, Nature Study, Fish and Wildlife Management Merit Badges.

Please contact Scout Coordinator for additional information

Evening Scout Field Trip Programs

(All programs are 1 hour)

Click title to view description


One of the most misunderstood creatures this program concentrates on the one mammal that flies. After games and activities, scouts will journey outside to search for and listen to bats as they actively acquire their food.


Songs, stories and fun filled activities around a campfire where no one is left out and everyone participates! Learn about the seasonal changes and forest animals, roast marshmallows, sip hot chocolate or cider.


Experience the forest without flashlights as you develop your night vision, play games, and listen for animals during a short walk on the trails. Stars, bats, frogs, and insects are just a few of the things you may encounter at night.


New Jersey is filled with night life and one of the more audible creatures of the night are its owls. After a short discussion about these winged wonders we will go outside for a walk in search of our night time feathered friends.

Scout Field Trip Add-Ons

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Help support the animal ambassadors that live at TNC, in conjunction with a scheduled field trip. Enjoy a 30 minute up close visit and Q&A session with your sponsored animal. All school & summer group sponsorship's receive a thank you package which includes: a group photo with the animal, certificate, photograph of sponsored animal, recognition in our newsletter, species information and animal's biography.

Fee: $60


Enjoy 30 minutes of roasting marshmallows and making s'mores around a toasty fire

Fee: $50


Before or after your scheduled programs, enjoy a guided trail walk along one of our trails, led by a TNC staff member.

Fee: $50-$75 (30-60 minutes)


Before or after your scheduled programs, grab a trail map and guide your students along one of our trails.

Fee: Free

Scout Field Trip Pricing

Program

Length 

Field Trip Minimum Fee

(Friday-Sunday)

Field Trip Minimum Fee

(Monday-Thursday)

 1 hour Program $12/person
$120 min
$10/person
$100 min
1.5 hour Program  $18/person
$180 min
 $15/person
$150 min
 2 hour Program $24/person
$240 min
$20/person
$200 min
 2.5 hour Program $30/person
$300 min
$25/person
$250 min
 3 hour Program $36/person
$360 min
$30/person
$300 min

Program

Length 

Evening 

Programing

<30 people

(Friday-Sunday)

Evening 

Programing

<60 people

(Friday-Sunday)

 1 hour

Program

 $250 $400

 2 hour

Program

 $350 $550 

Program

Length 

Evening 

Programing

<30 people

(Monday-Thursday)

Evening 

Programing

<60 people

(Monday-Thursday)

1 hour

Program

 $200  $350

2 hour

Program

 $300  $500

Add-ons:

  1. Animal Sponsorship: $60
  2. Campfire Add-on: $60
  3. Butterfly House: $2 per person
Additional Program Fees:
  1. Apple Cider Making Press Fee: $60
  2. Scout Programs Materials Fees (for select programs)
    • $25 for up to 15 scouts
    • $50 for more than 15 scouts
  3. Additional Evening Program participants (with approval of scout coordinator only):
    • 1 hour: $15 each
    • 2 hours: $20 each
Merit Badge Counseling
  • Members: Free for up to 3-hours (annually) for select individual Merit Badge Counseling with TNC Merit Badge Counselor (min. TNC for Two Level)
  • Non-Members: $35/hour
Merit Badge Workshop
See upcoming workshops for current pricing
  • No additional charge for scout leaders.
  • Maximum group size is 30 participants per TNC educator (scouts, parents, and siblings combined).
  • Programs require one leader per group and one adult chaperone per five scouts who may attend for free. 
  • In order to obtain adequate staff, advance notice of additional students and adults is required. We reserve the right to limit the number of non-registered participants on the trail to the number originally registered on the confirmation form.
  • If your funds are limited, please consider applying for a scholarship (we strive to make nature accessible to everyone).

Accessibility at TNC

Many TNC programs can be altered to accommodate participants with special needs. We ask that you disclose pertinent information with a minimum of two weeks notice about any needs (educational requirements resulting from learning difficulties, physical abilities, or emotional and behavioral difficulties). This enables us to make accommodations to meet your group's needs.



Scout TNC to Go Programs

Designed to be taught at your location, however you can also schedule a field trip to Tenafly Nature Center to participate in these same experiences.

TNC To Go Programs Available All Year

(All programs are 45-60 minutes, unless otherwise noted)

Click title to view description


Discover what really makes an animal nocturnal and what they need to survive. Meet several live animals who are most active at dawn, dusk, or night. Learn how the earths surface is affected by sunlight and about the amazing adaptations some of these animals possess to thrive as they roam the nighttime landscape.


Best for scouts in 3rd grade and up. Learn about the major factors that threaten animals with endangerment and extinction worldwide. Through use of artifacts and live animals, participants will learn the status of select native New Jersey fauna. Activities are designed to raise awareness of New Jersey’s over 60 endangered species, and inspire participants to practice how they can help prevent threats to local wildlife.


“Herps” (reptiles and amphibians) are among the most under-appreciated and misunderstood species of the animal world. This program will introduce students to live snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles and highlight the characteristics which distinguish between reptiles and amphibians.


Students will observe live raptors up close and learn about their behavior, physiology, adaptations, ecological importance and natural history. Hands-on artifacts and demonstrations will capture the imagination of young and old.


Students learn how these nocturnal raptors have adapted to night flight, as they observe our live resident owl. Your class will learn about NJ’s owls’ status by discussing the pros and cons of human interactions with these powerful and efficient predators.


A hole in the ground is always mysterious as it invites curiosity and wonder. Learn about the creatures that live underground as we shed some light on the mysteries under our feet. Discover what other unseen organisms might share this world and how they affect our lives from below.

TNC To Go Add-Ons

Animal Sponsorship
Help support the animal ambassadors that live at TNC, in conjunction with a scheduled TNC to Go program. 

Enjoy an additional 15-30 minute up close visit and Q & A session with your sponsored animal. All scout group sponsorship's receive a thank you package which includes: sponsored animal sticker or collectible trading card for every student, a certificate, photograph of sponsored animal, recognition in our newsletter, species information and animal's biography.

   

TNC to Go Pricing

Optional Add-Ons: Animal Sponsorship $60


 1st Hour  Consec. Hour
 Bergen County    
 <30 participants  $250  $150
 >30 participants  $375  $300
     
 Up to 1-Hour Away    
 <30 participants  $275  $150
 >30 participants  $400  $300
     
 NYC Boroughs    
 <30 participants  $375*  $150
 >30 participants  $500*

 $300

  • No additional charge for scout leaders.
  • *Additional fee is included to the first program fee for all New York City boroughs visits to cover NYC permit requirements.
  • A mileage charge of the current IRS rate per mile round trip is added to the program fee.
  • One parking space must be provided near the entrance of your location (if no parking is available at your site then a fee will be added to cover any associated garage fees).
  • Consecutive classes are programs held one right after another, for different groups, in the same location with no more than a 60 minute break between two of the programs.
  • If your funds are limited, please consider applying for a scholarship (we strive to make nature accessible to everyone).


Scout Remote Learning Programs

In response to physical learning limitations, TNC has adapted it's in-person programming to provide virtual learning opportunities. So that we may encourage learning environment for you and your students no matter the limitations.

Bring the field trip to you and your scout meeting, virtually! Dive into nature with a TNC educator as they present programs live with easily accessible technology. Your scouts will have the ability to ask and answer questions about what they observe in real time.

Remote Learning Programs Available All Year

(All programs are 30 minutes)

Critter Cams
Meet a Tenafly Nature Center Animal Ambassador virtually! During this virtual learning opportunity, scouts will learn about the history of the animal, how and where it lives and some fun facts! Questions and answers are all part of the program too!


Remote Learning Pricing

 

 30 Minutes

 Up to 30 participants  $60


  • No additional charge for scout leaders.
  • Maximum group size is 30 participants per TNC educator.
  • Programs are offered via Zoom.
  • Link to program is given two days prior to program.
  • If your funds are limited, please consider applying for a scholarship (we strive to make nature accessible to everyone).


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