Girl Scouts 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.
Scout Field Trip Programs (at TNC)
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Girl Scout Field Trip ProgramsGirl Scout Field Trip Programs
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Evening ProgramsEvening Programs
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Scout Field Trip Add-OnsScout Field Trip Add-Ons
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Scout Field Trip PricingScout Field Trip Pricing
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Accessibility at TNCAccessibility at TNC
Scout TNC to Go Programs (at your location)
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Girl Scout TNC to Go ProgramsGirl Scout TNC to Go Programs
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TNC to Go Add-OnsTNC to Go Add-Ons
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TNC to Go PricingTNC to Go Pricing
Girl Scout 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 |
(All program times are listed in description)
Click title to view description
Accessibility at TNC
Many of the programs Tenafly Nature Center offers can be altered to meet the needs of participants with disabilities or those who require accommodations. We ask that you provide pertinent information about any disabilities and/or required accommodations within a minimum of two weeks’ prior to the program. This helps us provide a quality program experience for all participants.
Daisies
Rose Petal: Make the World a Better Place
1.5 hours (Any season)
Help the environment by cleaning it up and making it attractive to wildlife! Together we’ll make a craft from natural materials to help the planet!
Design with Nature – 1 hour
(best in Spring, Summer or Fall)
Use math to identify and sort things in nature. You will also try creating a map.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Eco Learner
1 hour (Any season)
Learn how to give back to nature with games and stories. Together we will play games, explore a path as we learn how to keep living things safe in nature.
Green Petal: Using Resources Wisely
1.5 hours
(Any season)
Learn all about what is recyclable- cans, bottles, water, even food waste! Together we’ll make a craft from recyclable materials to help the planet!
Numbers in Nature
1 hour (Any season)
Learn about shadows, measurement, sorting, and estimating. You’ll measure different things and create your own way to measure nature too.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Shapes in Nature
1 hour (Any season)
Identify shapes and patterns in nature, as well as creating your own.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Brownies
Bugs Badge
1.5 hours
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
Bugs help us in lots of cool ways. Explore the world of bugs and learn more about these little creatures that do so much.
Design with Nature 2.5 hours
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
You’ll use math to help design a garden, build animal houses, explore the world of bees, and more.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Eco Friend Badge
1.5-2 hours*
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
It’s great to treat our outdoor spaces with kindness. Help the outdoors by taking an eco-hike. Observe animals and objects in nature and “leave no trace” of your activities. This badge will explore ways to be a good guest in nature.
*Include a campfire add-on for a more complete experience.
Hiker Badge
1.5 hours (Any season)
Girl scouts love to sing hiking songs, pack fun and tasty snacks, and hunt for signs of animals and birds. Here’s what you need to know to become a Brownie hiker- get ready for adventure!
Numbers in Nature 2 hour (Any season)
This badge is all about understanding nature by measuring. You’ll use your senses and other tools to gather more information about the world around you.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Outdoor Art Creator 2 hours (Any season)
As an artist, you can walk outside and see colors, shapes, and ideas for things you want to create. Find out how you can make your own art outdoors and have fun doing it.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Outdoor Adventurer
2.5-3 hours*
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
What happens when you invite a friend to climb the tallest hill you can find, or buddy up to take a walk around your neighborhood at night? What do you see? What do you hear? There are so many amazing adventures waiting for you. So hang on, jump in, and get ready to explore the great outdoors!
*Include a campfire add-on for a more complete experience.
Senses Badge
1.5 hours (Any season)
You have five senses that work together to let you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the world around you. Try all five in this badge!
Shapes in Nature 2 hours
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
Nature is full of colors and shapes. In this badge, you’ll look carefully at nature. You’ll track what you see, and create art about it.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Juniors
Animal Habitats Badge
1.5 hours (Any season)
Imagine meeting a monkey or kicking up dust with a kangaroo. These animals live in the wild, so we don’t get to spend time with them in their natural homes-their habitats. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find out more about where they live, how they play, and how we can help them!
Camper Badge
2-3 hours* (Any season)
In this badge, plan a camping adventure! You might watch a sky full of stars, cook a meal on a stick, or share silly stories around the campfire. And you’ll definitely learn some new outdoor skills as you take part in this favorite Girl Scout tradition.
*Include a campfire add-on for a more complete experience.
Design in Nature 2.5 hours (Any season)
In this badge, you’ll use math to help plan and organize a hike and campout. You will use math to decide where to go, how long your hike will take, and how much you can bring.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Eco Camper Badge
2-2.5 hours*
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
Learn the skills for minimal impact camping and how to protect the environment when you go outdoors. Learn the principles of Leave No Trace and share them with your troop, pack an ecofriendly snack and take a conservation hike.
*Include a campfire add-on for a more complete experience.
Flowers Badge
2-3.5 hours
(best in Spring and Summer)
Flowers are so beautiful, we bring them from the outside into our homes to add cheer to a room. But there’s more to flowers than just good looks. Without them, plants could not make seeds, and scientist think the world would be much drier (and a lot less pretty). Dig up more flower secrets in this badge!
($)Contains Scout Programs Materials Fees
Gardener Badge
2 hours
(best in Spring, Summer, and Fall)
Creating a bright bouquet of fresh flowers, making a dish with garden-fresh herbs, growing a little green cheer inside with houseplants- these are all things a gardener gets to do. In this badge, dig your hands into the earth and spend time with soil, water, and sunlight to find out how to help life grow from a tiny seed. You can make your own garden- no matter where you live!
($)Contains Scout Programs Materials Fees
Numbers in Nature 2 hours (Any season)
Math can be used to tell us all sorts of things about nature, from how tall or old a tree is, to the weather, season, or time.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Outdoor Art Explorer 2.5 hours (Any season)
Art and the outdoors go hand in hand. Let Nature be your inspirations you explore, create, and design different kinds of art.
Shapes in Nature 1.5 hours (Any season)
Nature is a talented artist! It uses patterns, based in math, in many creations. In this badge, explore patterns found in nature and use math to create your own.
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
($) Requires Scout Programs Materials Fees
Cadettes
Trees Badge
3-4 hours (Any season)
Grab your naturalist hat and get ready to get to know trees- from the shade to the science, the fruit to the forest, and the legends to the lumber. To know trees is to love them!
- Troop leaders and attending adults are required to stay with and assist the group.
- Behavior management is the responsibility of attendant adults, not the staff of TNC.
- Troop leaders may attend for free, along with one parent, for every 5 scouts who may attend for free.
- Additional parents and siblings are charged a per person fee.
- Maximum group size is 30 participants per TNC educator (scouts, parents, and siblings combined).
- 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.
| Program Length | Field Trip Minimum Fee |
|---|---|
| 1 hour Program | $12/person ($120 min) |
| 1.5 hour Program | $18/person ($180 min) |
| 2 hour Program | $24/person ($240 min) |
| 2.5 hour Program | $30/person ($300 min) |
| 3 hour Program | $36/person ($360 min) |
| Program Length | Evening Programing <30 people |
| 1 hour Program | $250 |
| 2 hour Program | $350 |
| Program Length | Evening Programing <30 people |
| 1 hour Program | $200 |
| 2 hour Program | $300 |
- $25 for up to 15 scouts
- $50 for more than 15 scouts
- 1 hour: $10 each
- 2 hours: $15 each
- A non-refundable deposit for a program covers 10 scouts. Leaders are always free. Groups of fewer than 10 are welcome, but the deposit charge is required to secure a time slot.
- Additional scouts are a per person fee based on program length to be paid for the day of the program.
- It is the duty of the group representative to collect the fee from the participants and we will not accept individual payments from the participants.
- Program Deposit is non-refundable.
- If your refund otherwise totals less than $50, then a credit for future program fees will be issued.
- If your funds are limited, please consider applying for a scholarship (we strive to make nature accessible to everyone).
(All programs are 1 hour)
Click title to view description
Apple Cider Making
(September-November Only)
(September-November Only)
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.
Maple Sugaring
(February-March Only)
(February-March Only)
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.
Pond Ecology
(late April through early October)
(late April through early October)
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.
Seasonal Discovery
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
(Fall/Winter/Spring)
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.
Tree Promise
(April through May)
(April through May)
Girl Scouts are setting out to plant 5 million trees by 2026 and to protect and honor new and existing trees. Girl Scouts everywhere are being called to help by planting, protecting, and honoring trees in their backyards, camps, communities, and states—across the country and even across the world. From Daisy through Ambassador Girl Scouts, any scout can join Tenafly Nature Center to make their own tree promise and, either plant or protect trees here in our preserve.
(All programs are 1 hour)
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Batty for Bats
(April-September Only)
(April-September Only)
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.
Campfire
Available all year
Available all year
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.
Night Hike
Available all year
Available all year
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.
Owl Prowl
Available all year
Available all year
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.
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Animal Sponsorship (all year)
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 and A session with your sponsored animal. All school and 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
Butterfly House (available June – August*)
Come visit our beloved seasonal exhibit filled with live native butterflies. This add-on showcases beautifully colored butterflies sipping nectar and taking flight, offering students the opportunity to better understand and appreciate their life cycle and importance to the ecosystem. Inside you will be welcome to chat with staff or volunteers, ask questions, and enjoy the space while butterflies flit and fly about. Observe butterfly chrysalis in the chrysalis box. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see a butterfly emerge!
Fee: $2 per participant (15 min. per 10 students)
*The Butterfly House availability may change due to funding and weather. Butterflies are less active when temperatures are below 70 F or if it is overcast and/or raining.
Campfire (all year)
Enjoy 30 minutes of roasting marshmallows and making s’mores around a toasty fire.
Fee: $50 (30 minutes)
Guided Seasonal Walk (all year)
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)
Self-guided Seasonal Walk (all year)
Before or after your scheduled programs, grab a trail map and guide your students along one of our trails.
Fee: Free
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)
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Creatures of the Night
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.
Endangered NJ
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.
Hanging with the Herps
“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.
Remarkable Raptors
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.
Who Goes Whoo
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.
The World Beneath Our Feet
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.
| 30 min | 1 hour | Consecutive Hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | |||
| Up to 30 participants | n/a | $275 | $150 |
| More than 30 participants | n/a | $400 | $300 |
| Basic Tabling | n/a | $0 | $0 |
| Live Animal Tabling | n/a | $275 | $150 |
| TNC to Go Event Program | n/a | $400 | $300 |
| Up to 1-Hour Away | |||
| Up to 30 participants | n/a | $300 | $150 |
| More than participants | n/a | $425 | $300 |
| Basic Tabling | n/a | $70 | $35 |
| Live Animal Tabling | n/a | $300 | $150 |
| TNC to Go Event Program | n/a | $425 | $300 |
| NYC Boroughs | |||
| Up to 30 participants | n/a | $400* | $150 |
| More than 30 participants | n/a | $500* | $300 |
| Basic Tabling | n/a | $205* | $35 |
| Live Animal Tabling | n/a | $400* | $150 |
| TNC to Go Event Program | n/a | $500* | $300 |
| TNC to Go Add On | |||
| Animal Sponsorship | $60 |
- 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).