Paris Landing For Educators
Paris Landing Educator Programs
Want a fun way to get your students excited about learning? Why not learn with a Park Ranger?
Paris Landing State Park offers accessible, experiential educational opportunities to both engage and educate students. Choose from varied park programs or work with a Ranger to create a program that meets the Tennessee academic standards in your classroom.
Our Programs
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Field Trips
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School Outreach
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Self-guided/Teacher-led
Paris Landing State Park Programs
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Meet a Ranger
Who are Rangers? What do they do? Find out! It takes skill, knowledge, experience, and education to be a Park Ranger. Join us today to explore a day in the life of a Tennessee State Park Ranger!
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 45 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Eyes in the Sky
How does a bird of prey use its body parts and senses to survive in the wild? In this program, students will collect evidence of a raptor's unique characteristics and how they survive in the wild in Tennessee. Be ready to meet our live raptor ambassador!
Meets: 2.LS1., 2.LS1.2, 2.LS3.1
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 45 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Owl Ambassador: Pellet Dissection
How do we know about food chains? In this program, students will be introduced to our live owl ambassador and learn how owls fit into our local ecosystem. Then, using dissection methods, students will find evidence of how the food chain works and discuss how energy moves through the food chain.
Meets: 4.LS2.2, 4.LS2.3, 4.LS2.4, Math 4MDA1
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 90 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $2/student -
Is Flooding Always Bad?
Students will learn about the Kentucky Lake and the historic flooding of the area. Using a model, students will identify how the lake was flooded and how people in the area were impacted. This program uses primary and secondary source photos for students to use in recreating the timeline of this historic flooding event.
Meets: 2.18, 2.31, 2.32
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 90 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Amphibians and Reptiles
In this program, students will compare and contrast the body characteristics and ecological niches, including habitat, temperature differences, and water use of Tennessee's native amphibians and reptiles. Students will explore different individual animals within the same species and understand the advantages these differences provide in their survival and reproduction.
Meets: 2.LS1.1, 3.LS4.1, 5.LS4.2
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Native Tree Identification
Students will participate in a walk through the forest examining key features of trees such as their leaves, bark, twigs, flowers, fruit, and seeds (depending on the time of year). Comparisons will be made among species to understand the role inherited characteristics play in plant development. How many trees will you identify?
Meets: K.LS3.1, 2.LS3.1, 5.LS3.1
Location: Park only
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Honey Bees: Flowers and Pollination
Students will safely interact with live honey bees and learn how honey is produced. Beginning with the parts of a flower, the students will follow a bee as it moves through its life cycle and collects components to make honey. Students may sample honey from a local hive at the end of the program.
Meets: 2.LS1.1, 2.LS1.3, 3.LS1.1, 5.LS1.1
Location: Park only
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 90 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $2/student -
Water Quality Monitoring
Students will research macro-invertebrates and pond life protista by collecting water samples from local streams and/or shorelines. They will use a simple water monitoring kit to explore the chemical makeup of the water, as well as use hand lenses and a microscope to examine the macro-invertebrates they collect and make a hypothesis.
Meets: ECO.LS2.2, ECO.LS2.4
Location: Park only
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
What's a Cloud Got To Do With It?
Students will construct models to demonstrate the hydrological cycle and the greenhouse effect. They will be asked to differentiate between the two systems as they explore. Students will use weather tools and maps to collect data to predict weather conditions for the day.
Meets: ESS.ESS2.10, ESS.ESS13
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Nature Journaling
How does nature inspire you? What do you notice? In this program, students will grow their awareness skills. Students will use their senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing to explore a natural area. Then, students will create a written and/or visual journal based on what they noticed.
Meets: Art VACr1A (K-4), VACrB (K-5)
Location: Park or School
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $2/student
How to Request a Program
Program requests use the same form whether you are requesting funding support or not. Once you have submitted the form, allow 10 days for processing. Request educational program experiences at least four to six weeks in advance of the desired time frame for the program.
To complete the form:
Funding Assistance
Field trip funding may be available to remove barriers to participation.
The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy (501-C3) assists schools in covering the costs of scheduled programs at a Tennessee State Park. Funds can cover bus transportation costs, park program fees, and park shelter rentals. Partial funds may be awarded. Awards are given after the field trip is completed.
When applying for a program, select “yes” on the application form if you are interested in receiving funding support.
What’s Next?
Submitting the form begins the scheduling and funding process.
The request will be in Pending status until confirmed. Allow 10 days for processing. A park staff member will email confirmation of the program and notify you of any park-related fees.
If you requested funding, the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy Director will email the decision to award or deny funding. Funding is processed after the program as a reimbursement. Partial funds may be awarded. In this case, the school will be responsible for any costs above the amount written in the award email.
Submitting for Funding Reimbursement
To receive reimbursement, you must provide the following documentation:
- Bus invoice
- Park invoice
- Photos
- Number of students new to any Tennessee State Park
- Student and teacher feedback