Watch Your Students
Come Alive When You Get
Outside the Classroom

The Heart-J Center offers schools the chance to get students out of the classroom. Students are immersed in fun and challenging activities such as archery, challenge course, art, connecting with horses, natural history, river ecology, writing, leadership skills, outdoor skills, and more! Activities are customized to meet the needs of your group, with topics that align with state standards.

The details:

• A 3,000 acre outdoor classroom at Sylvan Dale Ranch west of Loveland (within an hour’s drive of St. Vrain, Boulder, and Weld Schools; 30 minutes from Poudre Schools; and 15 minutes from Thompson Schools)

• Programming options ranging from 2 hours to 3 days

• Professional facilitation staff

• A wide range of outdoor education themed topics to tailor the field trip to your educational goals

• We can accommodate up to 300 students and welcome students of all abilities

• Cost is $25 per student for groups sized 1-100 and $20 per student for groups of 100+. Teachers and parent chaperones attend at no change.

• Please know that HJC does not turn school groups away if the cost of the field trip is prohibitive to the class or any students attending. If you feel you're unable to cover the cost of the trip, you’ll have the opportunity on the reservation request form to let us know the reason for the scholarship request and the scholarship size you are requesting. HJC may also be able to help with transportation costs or charter bus if transportation is a barrier.

Outdoor Education Success Story

Teachers from Burlington Elementary in Longmont bring their fifth grade students to Sylvan Dale at the start of school in the fall, and return in the spring to celebrate the upcoming transition to middle school. Fifth grade teacher Buzz Smith shares, “There is nothing better than a Heart-J Center field trip to kick off the fifth grade year. Students get an authentic outdoor adventure that provides new experiences and opportunities, building self-confidence and encouraging teamwork skills. We use lessons learned at the challenge course and archery range almost daily as metaphors for keeping ourselves balanced and encouraging growth mindset. Our students (and our teachers, too!) talk about the field trip all year. We love doing the same field trip at the end of year to see growth in maturity and confidence.”

In addition to working in partnership with K-12 schools, Heart-J Center welcomes youth-serving organizations, homeschool groups, and others who want to get kids outside to explore. Contact Angela at angela.elzer@heartjcenter.org
to discover the possibilities.