Field trips: Because of the pandemic, our ability to allow visiting groups to eat lunch in our facilities is limited. We may be able to allow groups with 30 or fewer students to eat lunch outside in our garden or in an outdoor, covered area with prior arrangement. We cannot host groups with more than 30 students for lunch on our grounds. However, we strongly recommend having the students bring a snack. This option is compatible with large and small groups regardless of departure time. It is our pleasure to schedule time for your students to eat a socially-distanced, outdoor snack during their visit.

A typical field trip to Lyon Arboretum (without lunch) starts at 9:00 am and ends at 11:30 am. Since groups of more than 30 students per day cannot eat lunch on our grounds, this is recommended for large groups.

A typical field trip (with lunch) starts at 9:00 am and ends at 12:00 pm.

We can also accommodate requests for other field trip times, within reason. 9:00 am is the time the Arboretum opens to the public and the earliest that groups can arrive. Most schools have to leave by 12:00 pm in order for their school buses to make it back in time for their routes.

School visits: If you are interested in a school visit, please provide information about your school’s schedule and a likely timetable. We will want to know what time we should arrive, an approximate schedule for the day, and the expected end time.

We require 30 minutes to set up prior to the first presentation. We prefer to set up in a single classroom and have multiple classes rotate through to visit us. This allows us to provide more in-depth and hands-on programming.

Teachers must be present for the presentation.

Field trips (guided): There is a minimum fee of $175 for field trips (which includes students and parents). If you have less than 25 students in your group, you may bring more paying chaperones to help meet the minimum fee. Please notify us if you will be bringing more than the required number of chaperones.

For groups with 25 or more students, field trips are free for Teachers and other school staff $7 per Parent Chaperone and $7 per student. Fees are waived for school staff.

Field trips (self-guided): For self-guided field trips, the fee is $5 per person. This rate applies to all people attending, whether they are students, school staff, or parent chaperones.

School visits: We charge $9/student for school visits, and there is a minimum headcount requirement of 60 students for total visit and no more than 30 students per class. If your group has fewer than 60 students, a flat rate of $420 will apply.

Schools that are outside of a 15-mile radius of Lyon Arboretum will be subjected to an additional fee of $2/additional mile.

Title I School Aid: We ARE currently able to offer Title I support. If your school is Title I, please apply for Title I school support AFTER you have reserved your field trip or school visit with us. We can generally provide support to cover the cost of our programming, and access to our digital bundles. Depending on our available funding, we may be able to provide financial assistance to the school for the cost or partial cost of school buses.

AFTER you have made your reservation, please fill out our Title I Kokua Subsidy Form (opens a Google Form in a new tab)

Field trips and school visits may be canceled by a school without charge up to two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled field trip date. If a field trip is canceled with less than two weeks’ notice, a cancellation fee of 20% of the estimated cost will be automatically invoiced to the organizer/school.

In the event that Lyon has to cancel a school’s field trip (due to extreme weather or other reason), there will be no charge to the school.

Field trips (guided): Due to the COVID19 pandemic, we have had to change our maximum headcount per day. Groups cannot exceed 50 students per day. Larger groups must schedule multiple visits across several days. If you want to bring more than the recommended number of chaperones please let us know prior to your visit. Mahalo.

In general, we recommend having 1 adult for every four-to-six students. If the cost of chaperones is a limiting factor for your group to visit, please reach out to us directly so we can discuss potential modifications to this policy.

1-10 students: 2 adults (teacher and 1 parent chaperone )
10-19 students: 3 adults (teachers or parent chaperones)
20-24 students: 4 adults (teachers or parent chaperones)
25-29 students: 5 adults (teachers or parent chaperones)
30-36 students: 6 adults (teachers or parent chaperones)
etc.

Field trips (self-guided): Self-guided groups are limited to no more than 25 students per day. Minimum chaperone count: 2 adults. For a group of 25, we recommend 3 to 5 chaperones. Larger groups must schedule multiple visits across several days.

School visits: No more than 30 students per class period. A teacher must be present for the presentation.

Field trips (guided and self-guided): Because Lyon Arboretum’s parking lot is limited in size, and the road to our site is narrow and winding, we ask all groups about their expected mode of transportation.

By school bus: Schools arriving by standard school bus drop off at Paradise Park. (Our road is too steep and narrow for school buses to drive up to the Arboretum.) For guided groups, Lyon staff will meet the group at Paradise Park and walk them up to the Arboretum, and we accompany the park back down to Paradise Park at the end of their visit. For self-guided groups, Lyon staff does NOT meet the group at Paradise Park or accompany them back down.

By small bus or large passenger van: Small school buses and large passenger vans can usually make it up our road. We generally have special instructions on where to park for these vehicles. Lyon Arboretum staff will offer more guidance on where these vehicles should park during the field trip planning process.

By personal vehicle/multiple cars (dropping off): Groups that have individual families drop off their students will meet at Paradise Park. The students’ teacher must be present during drop-off and pickup. Teachers or chaperones who need to park onsite can park at Lyon Arboretum, at Paradise Park (for a fee, see below), or in the nearby neighborhood. Lyon Arboretum staff will meet guided groups at Paradise Park and accompany them down from the Arboretum at the end of the visit. Lyon Arboretum staff will NOT be present for pickup and drop off for self-guided groups.

By personal vehicle/multiple cars (parking): Because of the size of our parking lot, we limit the number of vehicles per group that can park in our lot. This is dependent on the size of the group and other operations at the Arboretum that day (including groups and events organized through our other departments.) We strongly recommend carpooling whenever possible. Groups that have extra vehicles will have to make additional parking plans. They can park at Paradise Park for a fee, or they can park in the neighborhood and walk up to meet the group. Please do not plan to park in Lyon’s lot without coordinating with us first.

Safety is our number one priority during our field trips. Due to Lyon Arboretum’s lush natural setting and the physically active nature of our field trip activities, all groups must understand and comply with the following precautions and policies:

Lyon Arboretum is situated in the very back of Mānoa Valley, in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Weather is unpredictable and conditions fluctuate between hot and sunny, cool and overcast, and light or heavy rain. Trails can be potentially muddy and slippery, and mosquitoes can be a nuisance. Field trips at Lyon Arboretum are conducted in rain or shine, and activities may have to be adjusted on the spot due to sudden changes in weather.

In the event of extreme rain, high winds or other dangerous weather conditions, field trips will be cancelled for safety reasons by Education Staff no later than 7:30am the morning of the excursion. Typically, bus companies will not charge a school for bus cancellation if it is due to safety concerns. If we cancel your school’s field trip we will try our best to reschedule your group, depending on the availability of open dates. There is no charge to you if your field trip is cancelled due to extreme weather. Occasionally weather becomes extreme as groups are in-transit to or already at the Arboretum. In that case, activities are adjusted as best as possible to ensure everyone’s safety.

All attending school staff, parent chaperones, and children must be prepared for the active and outdoor nature of field trip activities at Lyon Arboretum*. Participants must be able to stand and walk around for the duration of the 3-hour visit (excluding the 30 minute lunch) as well as navigate uphill/downhill slopes and uneven or unstable terrain. Participants may be subject to mud, heavy rain, sun, wind, and mosquitoes and must dress appropriately to ensure their safety and comfort.

*Please notify Lyon Education Staff well in advance of your school’s field trip date if there are any concerns regarding accessibility or requests for special accommodations.

The Honolulu Sertoma Club has provided assistance for us to acquire several Listen Technologies Two-Way Communication (ListenTALK) devices. We are grateful to their organization. The transceivers work through over distances and are easy to carry with you on a walk through the Arboretum. With these devices, our guided tours and school field trips will be more accessible to those hard of hearing. 

We have a limited number of units, but we are eager to put them to work to make our field trips more accessible. If your group would like to make use of this technology, please be sure to fill out the corresponding field in our form. 

Mahalo!

Substitute teacher policy (announced 12/5/22, effective 1/1/2023)

For safety reasons and out of an abundance of caution, Lyon Arboretum reserves the right to deny entrance to field trip groups that are led by substitute teachers. An exception may be made for long-term substitute teachers or for certain unavoidable circumstances.

Due to the nature of our environment and our activities, it is important that the teachers who lead visiting field trip groups are familiar with the students and the planned itinerary. This is for the safety and comfort of the students.

This is also for the safety and comfort of the substitute teacher, as we have in the past had teachers who were not prepared for an outdoor field trip.

If the Lyon Arboretum staff does have safety concerns that lead to the group being asked to return to their school, we will work with the school to re-schedule the field trip to the extent possible.

Mahalo for understanding.

Lyon Arboretum can accept payment in the form of cash, check, credit card, or PO (purchase order).

• Cash: The day-of coordinator should collect all cash payments from participants before the visit begins. The coordinator then gives payment in full to the Lyon Arboretum staff representative. (Please do not allow individual families to attempt to pay individually during your program.)
• Check: Certain changes at the University may affect the Arboretum’s financial procedures beginning 7/1/23. Ask Lyon Arboretum staff for details BEFORE writing the check for your visit.
• Credit card: Credit card payment may be made in person at the start of your visit or over the phone Monday through Friday between 9 am and 3 pm. The Business Office number is (808) 988-0456.
• PO (Purchase Order): Please ask Lyon Arboretum staff for details before issuing a PO for your visit.

Mahalo!

This field trip is open to grades 2 and up. This field trip is limited to no more than 30 students per day. This is a shorter field trip, with the program ending at 11:00 am. This is a good option for groups with mixed age ranges, including homeschool groups.

Using the elements of design and the language of the arts, students are introduced to some exciting ways to learn about, enjoy and appreciate the wonders of our tropical environment. Observation skills are sharpened as students capture garden images that depict line, shape, color, texture, and patterns. There are 2 options for this field trip. Please specify when requesting your field trip which option you choose.

Option 1: Digital photography. In small groups, students use our waterproof digital cameras to capture images from our grounds. As we hike, we make frequent stops to give students the opportunity to take pictures. Students’ photographs are sent (via Dropbox) to the classroom after the field trip is completed.

Option 2: Oil pastels. We hike and admire the natural world around us. On our walk, we may gather plant material from the ground to inspire our artwork. After our walk, we gather more leaves and plant materials from our Children’s Garden, then settle down with oil pastels and paper. After discussing some tips for success when working with this medium, each student draws the plant part of their choice. Classes take the students’ artwork back to school with them that day.

If you would like to spend the morning hiking in all weather, this is the trip for you. Unlike our other, standards-based field trips, this is a fluid experience. The topics discussed and routes taken will vary according to weather conditions, what’s in bloom, group age, and the energy level of the group. Although we will try to accommodate requests for specific topics or features, we cannot promise to address any specific standard. While our other field trips include an indoor portion, this field trip will be conducted entirely outdoors.*

Topics that might be covered: parts of a plant, interdependence of plants and animals (e.g., pollination), adaptations and habitats, role of plants in the watershed, history of Lyon Arboretum, native Hawaiian plants, invasive plants in Hawaii, use of plants by people, relationships between people and nature.

Waterfall hike option: We can, by prior request, host a guided waterfall hike. This is limited to 1 class or up to 30 students per day. Please note that our waterfall is often dry unless there has been recent rainfall; however, the walk to the endpoint is always beautiful. 

*This field trip is intended to be spent entirely outdoors, rain or shine. However, in the case of extreme weather conditions, we may opt to spend time indoors for student safety and comfort. It can get quite cold in Mānoa, especially when there is heavy rain and wind.

DETAILS
– Open to all grades, K-12. Kindergarten and 1st grade groups will do a shorter hike with more frequent stops.
– Exact route through the Arboretum, plants and features seen, and topics addressed will vary.
– Ideal for groups whose goal is to get the kids outside and immersed in nature and not to address a specific set of standards. This trip could be a good outing for reinforcing a recently-concluded unit.
– Most of this trip will be spent hiking, so consider the kids’ and adults’ capabilities.
– This field trip will not be visiting the waterfall.

REQUIREMENTS & RESTRICTIONS
– This field trip is limited to 1 class or up to 30 children per day.
– Groups must be physically able to walk over uneven and slippery terrain for up to 2.5 hours (with regular, short rests).
– Groups must be prepared for heavy rain, cold weather, hot weather, intense sun, and mosquitoes.
– Although we will have bathroom breaks, sometimes nature calls at inconvenient times. Chaperones must be able to accompany individual children to the bathroom if necessary. Arboretum staff may not be able to accompany individuals to the bathrooms if they are out on the grounds with the group.
– Students or chaperones who are unprepared for the hike (see below) will not be able to fully participate in the field trip.

Participants must bring the following:
– Proper walking shoes. Crocs, slippers, open-toed shoes, and “fashion shoes” are not appropriate.
– Water bottles (each child must carry their OWN water)
– Snacks for the hike (carried by individual children or a chaperone). We will make multiple stops, at least one of which will be a snack break.
– Rain gear: raincoats or ponchos (inexpensive ponchos can be purchased at Longs and other places). Umbrellas will not be permitted as participants will need both hands free.
– We strongly recommend BUG SPRAY. There are many mosquitoes at the Arboretum. Please apply bug spray before arriving at the Arboretum.
– Sunscreen should be applied prior to arriving at the Arboretum.
– A hat with a brim (baseball cap) is recommended for protection from the sun and to keep rain off the face.

Self-Guided field trips are an alternative option for individual classes (of no more than 25 students) that would like to create their own unique experience at the Arboretum. Explore the gardens and trails at your own pace, while having the flexibility to create a customized meaningful outdoor experience for your students.

The Education Department may be able to provide some resources. You can also check out our shop page to learn more about our Digital Resources Bundles. 

Requirements/Important Details: